We?re officially done with week one in Barcelona, and what an incredible week it?s been! It?s hard to believe that I?ve only been here for around 7 days because it definitely feels like I?ve been living here for at least a month at this point. The streets are becoming easier to navigate, and I finally feel as though I have a grasp on the daily Barcelona schedule. Throughout the first week, we?ve had the opportunity to experience so many notable Barcelona sights. One of my personal favorites being Casa Mila, or La Padrera, which was a residence designed by Antonio Gaudi. I enjoyed hearing all about the small details included in the structure of the building, from the direction of archways on the roof to the difference in flooring choices throughout the apartment section of the home. The work showed off the pure genius of Gaudi and provided another example of how influential his work was, and still is, in the culture of Barcelona. Possibly my favorite part of the week, though, would be the quick day trip that I was able to take to visit Roses and Cadaques. The water was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and the white village made me feel as though I had entered another country entirely! We spent hours talking and eating with new friends from Belgium and Mexico, and over the long meal, it felt like the cultural differences lessened and lessened as the hours passed by. It was an afternoon that I?ll remember for years to come!
A piece of history I appreciated was the tour of Camp Nou, the home stadium of FC Barcelona. Walking through the museum, I could feel how much the people of Barcelona love and appreciate their culture and history, and how much pride the Catalan people take in their national identity. The statement that is printed on the seats of the stadium ?Mes Que Un Club? is evident throughout the museum, as FC Barcelona serves as not only a football team but as a statement of national pride. This was an interesting representation of the content that we?ve been discussing in class as well, as part of our class discussions have centered around the history of Barcelona and the Catalonian people. Throughout our first full week of class, I feel as though I have learned a significant amount about the European Union, but am genuinely in awe of how uneducated I was on the different EU policies. Prior to class, I really did not have a grasp on the general concept of the union, much less the inner workings of how the EU has evolved to the state that it operates in today. One of the most interesting concepts that we?ve discussed has been the idea of sovereignty, and how membership in the European Union can be seen as access to greater sovereignty for some and a restriction on independence for others. Oftentimes in class, we are asked how we would feel if America was subject to a Union similar to that of the EU, which has provoked definite thought in my mind of just how different our country is run in comparison to those in Europe. With this being said, though attending class is not quite as breathtaking as viewing La Sagrada Familia or Camp Nou, the knowledge that I?ve gained in class has allowed me a greater appreciation of daily life in Spain. I?m looking forward to continuing to grow in my knowledge of how business is run internationally, and am eager to continue to look at this country with fresh eyes each and every day.