Today marks almost one full week of being in Barcelona. This experience has already been so rewarding, given the fact that this is my first time abroad. The jet lag did get to us a bit so we would take naps during the day to make up for sleep. Last Friday was our first excursion as a class as we explored the city by having a scavenger hunt. This was then followed by multiple other activities in the following days before school started. So far, school has been very interesting because we are learning about the European Union and how the euro came into being.
Barcelona is much bigger than I expected. I have already noticed many differences between the US and Spain. First, the city itself. Barcelona is a very lively city. There are always people chatting in the streets and squares. Transportation is also much different here. Walking and taking the metro or bus are the most widely used modes of transportation. This has been something that I had to adjust to because I walk pretty much everywhere. My most favorite part of Barcelona seems to be that the people value simplicity. People here tend to not focus on material things and rather focus on their connections with people. Barcelona as a city is also more laid back. For example, lunch and dinner are usually eaten later. In addition, after lunch people tend to take a ?siesta? or nap to relax. Time is moving so fast here and I want to explore as much of the city as possible. I hope to leave this experience with a new perspective on how other countries operate daily. In the coming weeks we have business visits and other tours scheduled that I am very excited for. Overall, Barcelona has already been so good to me and I know I will be so sad to leave when the program is over.
