Howdy!
My name is Daniel Soto and I am a junior and accounting major! I am participating in the Europe Integration and Business program where I?ll be traveling through Spain, France, and Italy for two weeks. My first impression of this particular program filled me with excitement due to traveling through 3 countries. I have always desired to travel through Europe and participating in this program fulfilled one thing on my bucket list. As I arrived to the city of Barcelona, I felt a different environment compared to living in Texas. From the architecture of the buildings to the people speaking Spanish or Catalan. Fortunately, I speak fluent Spanish which benefited me in utilizing my Spanish while having conversations with Barcelona residents. Staying in Barcelona for 3 days has exposed me to the culture and lifestyle of Spain. I ate some amazing foods originating from the country such as tapas, where you are served a small dish of a snack or appetizer. These snacks/appetizers can consist of bread, meat, or fish. One of my favorite main dishes came as paella which is made up of rice, vegetables, chicken, and seafood. Unlike in the U.S. where people use their personal vehicles, I notice Barcelona residents seem to rely more on metros, buses, and mopeds. I enjoyed using their metros due to ignoring traffic and traveling across the city much faster. As I shopped through La Rambla and Catalonia Square, stores tend to close earlier before 9pm while in the U.S. shopping centers close by 11pm the latest. In Spain, dinner starts at 9pm while it starts at 6pm in the U.S. I recall observing people remain eating dinner close to midnight. One fact I did not know was how much of a resource Barcelona is to Spain specifically its ports. Barcelona is made up of numerous ports where goods are imported and exported. Barcelona itself receives 95% of imported goods which are transported throughout the country. I was able to have a tour of their ports where I saw cargo ships, loading docks, and transporting goods. I am currently traveling to Arles, France on a charter bus. I am excited to be exposed to French culture and eat exotic food.
