Barcelona and Spain have been a really awesome experience. This last weekend I went to Sevilla and I got to enjoy a traditional Spanish city. The Catedral de Sevilla was huge and extravagant. It was super ornate, and Christopher Columbus’ tomb was a cool site to see. The carvings across the entirety of the ceiling was extremely intricate, and it was a staggering feat for the time period it was constructed. The Real Alcazar was also super cool. Getting to see the hybridization of Islamic and Christian architecture was really unique. The tapas in Sevilla were also awesome. I got to try Adobo, Gazpacho, Monkfish, duck pate, and a variety of other tapas. Every tapas bar I went to in Sevilla was good, but I would not say the same for Barcelona.
In Barcelona, I’ve gotten to immerse myself in the culture. I’ve been using the public transportation since day one, walking to class and living in an apartment in town has really helped to make the experience fuller. This being said, I do feel that the two classes have been a little bit more work than I was expecting. I was hoping I would have a little more time to just get lost in the city and more free days to make the excursions that I would want. I also felt like they intentionally gave us a structured schedule with the intents of tiring us out, not for our knowledge and cultural growth. Another concern I have is that the trip is really expensive, to the point where it would’ve made more sense for me to do community college online and a backpack trip. I am enjoying my time here, but it is just a lot cheaper and easier to take classes back in Texas. I do not think that this is the fault of the program; it is more that I should have done more research about the specific details of the program to find something that would’ve better matched what I was looking for.