Upon arriving in Barcelona, I knew that it was going to be special. Back in September when I began to ponder where I would go to spend a month overseas, Barcelona stuck out. I had some friends who had participated in the program in previous semesters, and they lauded the city for its unique culture and good nature. They could not have been more right. This city truly is special and the program that I am participating in is as well. When going to study overseas, I had some concerns about how I would be able to do successfully in class while also getting the cultural experience of a lifetime. My concerns have been thoroughly dashed. The classes are engaging and about highly relevant topics to this trip and to my future career. Professors are highly engaging and provide a very unique perspective that I had not been exposed to before. Regular class time has been supplemented with experience in and around the city that truly enhances and reaffirms what is being taught in the classroom. For instance, after a lecture about the intricacies of European trade policies, we took a comprehensive tour of the Port of Barcelona to see those intricacies in action. Today we took a very enlightening field trip to Montserrat, a 10th-century monastery that is still in use today. This continuity of history shone much light on the people here and what they hold dear. All of this has been to the backdrop of an incredible city that just seems to come alive around every corner. The local people have been incredibly engaging and inviting. I have been nothing but impressed by everything I have come across from the classroom to the living spaces to the professors. I am incredibly excited to see what else this city has to offer over the next 3 weeks.
