Last week of school! As fun and rewarding as school has been, I am very excited to have more free time on my hands to really explore the smaller alleys, cities, and intricacies of Spain, its culture, politics, and business settings.?
On Monday we were introduced to another one of Gaudi?s incredible master-pieces. Parc Guell. The site is impressively intricate with meaning, and a lot of creative thought, going into each and every aspect we could find. He was years ahead of his time and a genius by any requirements in my book. A small group of us went all the way to the top at the end of the tour. It was a hike but the view was well worth it.?
Being the final week, studying and making sure I had learned all of the material was important to making sure I was ready for tests, quizzes, and presentations. This week I gave my final presentation in Professor Gundin?s class. As far as learning, or noticing, differences in culture goes, the European-style of teaching is very different from the style of teaching we are used to back home in the United States. By this I mean that there is a little less structure in lectures in order to provoke thought and opinions and feedback is given as soon as it is needed, and honestly, with our growth and improvement in mind.?
On Friday, we visited the Port Authority of Barcelona. It was very interesting to learn just how complex the logistics behind running a port went. I mean movement for freight ships, cruises, fishermen, sail boats, and yachts had to be facilitated in what has become a deep and layered port. It was also interesting to learn about how the Port views itself in the chain of value and how important it is for them to be on top of their game. For example, an important part of any good-producing business is the efficiency of its distribution. This is where the Port Authority of Barcelona comes in. They have to provide its service not only to them though, but to hundreds of other companies with the same quality and productivity to keep their business and increase their competitiveness. Their success not only promotes local businesses, but it also serves as a promoter of overall growth for the Barcelona, and Catalonian region in a grander sense. Foreign companies are attracted to set up shop in and around Barcelona because they can rely on high-quality service from the Port of Barcelona to help manage the logistics of its distributions. This creates jobs and increases foreign direct investment for the Catalonian economy. After a presentation by the Director, we took a boat ride and got a cool view of Barcelona from the water, as well as saw some of the biggest ships and yachts I have ever seen in my entire life.?
This weekend we are in the capital of Spain, Madrid! It is such a cool city. We started our day off with some churros dipped in chocolate from Chocolateria San Gines. Holy moly. We visited the beautiful and incredibly impressive Royal Palace. I had grilled squid for lunch and it was absolutely delicious, and easily increased the amount of squid I had had in my life by 1000%. In the afternoon we looked at Retiro park, which was like Madrid?s central park and toured Museo Prado, which had beautiful paintings dating back over 300+ years.?
We have another two days in Madrid and I cannot wait to see what we make happen. This trip has been so memorable already and I cannot wait to experience more of Spain in the coming two weeks.