Week 1 of my Spain adventures has come to an end and I am excited to tell you about my amazing time here thus far. This week was a busy week as we started our first week of classes at the ESERP School of Business and Law. We had our class with Professor Gund?n and then we have Professor Panina in the afternoon. In Professor Gund?n’s class, we are learning about the European Union and how it formed along with Panina’s class as we learn about International Business and the history and culture of Spain. I am really enjoying having these classes together as they both work hand in hand aiding me in my understanding of the courses. Going to school in a different country has made me realize that to truly be immersed in the culture, you have to start doing things that you would normally do back home instead of treating the trip like a vacation. For example, going to the grocery store, studying, working out, and also meeting up with friends nearby. These are all of the things that I have tried to do to get settled in while I’m here in Spain.
Followed by the start of classes this week, we also had a few really fun field trips. The first fun trip that we had was on Tuesday after classes. We went to the FC Barcelona Stadium and Museum. This was super interesting and fun as this is one of the most famous stadiums in the entire world. After learning about Catalonia in Professor Panina’s class and seeing the stadium for the first time, it made me have a better understanding of Spanish and Catalan culture. Before, I didn’t realize that soccer in Europe can in some cases symbolize politics. FC Barcelona is a Catalan team and when they play Spanish teams like Real Madrid FC it can get very heated given the history of Catalonian and Spanish cultures. The next field trip we had was on Thursday and it was to Casa Mil? which was one of the last private residences designed by architect Antoni Gaud? between 1906 and 1912. Along with Sagrada Familia, this was one of the most beautiful pieces of artwork I have seen. Gaud?’s ability to make a masterpiece of art out of nature was quite fascinating. The next trip was on Friday and we went to Montserrat and a winery called Freixenet. Montserrat is a monastery that has a sacred Chapel and living area for Catalonian monks. It sits on a beautiful mountainside which I felt like I was on top of the world. Lastly, we went to the Freixenet Winery and had some good wine tasting to end the day off. On Saturday, a group and I decided to take a trip through this company called Barcelona Trips. We boarded the bus around 8am and headed to Roses and Cadaqu?s, Spain which are small towns right along the northern coast of Spain. The bus ride was beautiful. I even managed to carry on a 45-minute conversation in Spanish with this lady I was sitting next to. I was proud of myself that I remembered my Spanish from high school. Until next week, as I tell you more about all of my amazing adventures here!
Adios por ahora!