Howdy! My name is Grant Ashby, and I just wrapped up my faculty-led program in Barcelona, Spain. During this incredible experience, I got to learn about two interesting subjects while being immersed in the beautiful cultures of Catalan and Spanish. Prior to stepping foot on the plane to travel to Barcelona, I had some lofty expectations for this trip. As my time in Spain has drawn to a close, I am happy to say that my experience in Barcelona exceeded all of my prior expectations for the trip.
To begin, the courses proved to be interesting and prompted me to expand my worldview. Our first course of the day was a class devoted to the economics of the European Union. Though this topic may not affect me directly, I gained much insight into the versatile world of international politics and economics. I am walking away from this course with a deeper knowledge of the various tools governments, including our own here in the United States, have to influence inflation and currency stabilization. In our second course, the International Environment of Business, I got to learn about things such as trade barriers and why a business would choose to expand its operations on an international scale. In both of these courses, I am thankful for the opportunity that I got to practice my presentation skills through having to research, develop, and present a presentation in front of the class.
Outside of the classroom, the cultural visits were hands-down one of the coolest parts of the trip for me. Getting to see various sights that were unique to Barcelona and the Catalan region made our time here that much more interesting and special. I’ve attached photos below of my two favorites: the tour of the famous Sagrada Familia and the “Castells” (Human Tower) workshop we took part in. In addition to the sights, the people I got to meet and befriend along the way made this experience what it was. I’m thankful for the countless laughs and meals I got to share with fellow Mays students. I want to give a big thank you to the Center for International Business Studies for organizing this amazing trip and allowing me to have the experience of a lifetime.
Thanks and Gig’em,
Grant
