Throughout the first full week here, it was a huge transition. I had to get used to getting up early and figuring out the Metro to school and then getting used to doing schoolwork while being in a city where there is always something to do. The thing that was different, was that at home there is a little bit of time to procrastinate while here it is fast and furious. If you get your schoolwork done, however, it leaves room to go and explore. Classes, however, were very interesting due to the fact that we are very immersed in everything we are learning. For example, it was very interesting learning about the Catalan independence movement in class, then seeing banners for independence hanging off of balconies throughout the city.
The culture of the city has been an interesting one to navigate. The first thing that has probably impacted me the most is the fact that people eat so late. It feels very weird to be making plans with your friends and talking about getting dinner at 10:30 at night. The thing is though, that even if you went to dinner at 9, there would be no one out eating. It is so common to be up very late in this city and that has for sure taken some adjustment. We went as a group to Casa Mila and the architecture was absolutely stunning. You can really see how the culture here really does encompass that kind of beauty and they truly appreciate it. The way that Gaudi designed the place with nature at the forefront was stunning. The politics that I have been able to see have been through the Catalan independence movement. We learned a lot about it during class with the economics and details, but I have seen a couple of stands out in the streets with people getting citizens to sign petitions and things of that nature. It is such a complicated situation, but the people here are very behind it.
From the business side, I have been very confused about how there can be so many of the same kinds of businesses running on the same blocks throughout the city. There are quite literally 3 coffee shops that are back to back to back right across the street from our school. I have been wondering ever since I got here how these businesses stay afloat in a normal economy, much less how all of them have made it through COVID. The saturation of markets, coffee shops, and bars has blown me away, but they all seem to be making it relatively well. I understand their saturation throughout the city, due to the fact that it is a walking city and it is for convenience for the people, but I cannot figure out how 3 coffee shops can be next door to each other and all 3 be making it. I am looking forward to the coming week and all of the experiences that I will have. While I am not exactly sure what I will see this week, but I know that there will be at least one thing that happens that I could not imagine happening in College Station.