After only being here 8 days I already have fallen in love with the city and country. As aforementioned in my first blog post, many of the aspects of this city were a culture shock for me. However, I feel like I have adjusted well and learned many valuable things in the classroom and from my brief experiences so far.
To begin, the classes have already taught me many interesting things about Barcelona, Catalonia, and the EU to be specific. One of the first things that were taught in our EU Immersion class was the logistics for why and how the EU was created. It began in the 1950s shortly after the Marshall Plan was put into effect with only 6 countries joining the club. However, the EU grew immensely over the subsequent years with the current number of member states at 27. The EU was started after the end of World War 2 with the goal of democratizing many of the European countries that fought in the war. While this all sounds good, one of the many controversial topics regarding the EU is the sovereignty each country has after joining the club. The sentiment that the EU is stripping member states of sovereignty is growing, however, some people believe that this is a good thing because it protects smaller, more vulnerable countries. Another interesting thing we learned in class regarded the Catalonia independence efforts. While I did know about the movement before arriving in Spain, I didn?t understand how strong the support of the independence movement was. While in class, we learned about the referendum that took place in 2017, and how the president of Catalonia is currently seeking asylum in a foreign country. This was very eye-opening to me because it put into perspective how real the fight for independence is over here. 9 high-ranking officials that support the independence movement went to jail for 4 years for what they believed in only just getting released in 2021. Catalonians have immense pride in where they come from and have many customs and traditions that are unique to the region, such as having their own language. This can be seen as one of the main reasons why Catalonians want to secede from Spain. What shocked me the most was that the region of Catalonia is responsible for around 20% of Spain?s overall GDP. This means that if Catalonia was to secede, Spain would lose a major portion of their capital, and Catalonia would most likely have to leave the EU. While the constitution of Spain basically outlaws secession, most Catalonians do believe that they can eventually win their freedom from Spain and finally be their own country.
All in all, this first full week in Spain has been amazing. The experiences I have had in such a short time have already had a lasting impact on me. Apart from the tours and personal experiences, the classroom, as well, has taught me many interesting things regarding how business, politics, and culture are in this region. Learning about the EU and the independence movement that is taking place in Catalonia has been very informative, and I?m very excited for this upcoming week!
