I am currently partaking in the Barcelona, Spain, Faculty-led study abroad program to earn my international business credit over the summer. So far, Spain appears to have a completely different work-life balance and daily schedule from the United States. They prioritize interpersonal relationships and have a “work to live” mindset rather than valuing temporal accomplishments. They also value sustainability in business and casual drinking as an popular activity. In public, people never appear to be in a rush and are enjoying food leisurely outside all the time. Our school schedule integrates their food timing which is a late morning, long and late lunch, early afternoon break, and lively nightlife with dinner. This has been the biggest difference between home and has been hard to integrate in.
So far my favorite visit has been our trip to Perelada which was extremely entertaining as everyone shared their thoughts on the wine, vineyard, and food courses. The environment of casual eating and drinking together without a rush was refreshing compared to typical meals in the United States. It helped us get to know one another and even initiate new plans for later in the day together. We also saw the Plaça of Catalunya, which is the main center point of the city. It is incredibly beautiful outside, and the architecture is astonishing to gaze at. For the rest of the trip, I hope to explore other less touristy parts of the city and meet the locals. I want to bond more with the rest of my large study abroad group in cultural spots like these.
The courses I am taking on the program have been very interesting so far because I have minimal knowledge of the European Union and culture. Everyone is extremely friendly with each other already and the amount of freedom we have to explore the city with one another is exciting.
