Before I left for the summer II Spain study abroad trip, I attended three pre-departure meetings to learn more about the program, the country we will be following, the itinerary, and to get to know everyone on the trip. We each got assigned a role on the journey so that everything is well-organized. My role is navigator, so I am responsible for sending out the direction for tomorrow’s destination so everyone can navigate around town easier. Before I departed for the trip, as a team we completed several assignments to learn more about Spain’s culture, visit the destination, and things we need to prepare before departure. The pre-departure meetings gave us a lot of advice on things we need to get for the trips such as adapters, electricity converter, s-clips, and how culture in Spain is different compared to America on specific topics. With complete preparation, I was very eager to leave for a study abroad trip.
As soon as we arrived in Spain, we encountered many unfamiliar sceneries, activities, transportation infrastructure, and cultural differences. We gained an abundance of insights about our neighborhood and TMB metro system after the orientation provided by Christina (the tour guide). We learned more about Barcelona and its history through participation in scavenger hunts. We learned to acclimate to Spain’s time zone and business hours, especially siesta hours. My first impression of Barcelona is that it is very different from College Station; public transportation and walking are the primary way for citizens and tourists to go to places. Spain takes recycling very seriously, and grocery bags are not free like in America and shops mainly have paper bags rather than plastic. Overall, we have been able to experience Spain’s culture and lifestyle for the first few days!
