I cannot believe that our first week in Spain has flown by already! It seems like just yesterday when I arrived at the airport in Houston and met some of my fellow study abroad mates for the first time. Even though the flight was long, we arrived in Barcelona before we knew it. My five roommates and I settled into our apartment and unpacked, then learned how to work the appliances from Ines, our local guide (don?t worry, the tap water is safe to drink, and the washing machine doubles as a dryer!). We then had a little walking tour, which introduced us to the subway system and led us to Placa de Catalunya and Las Ramblas, which were full of people, shops, and vendors, before we were let loose for the rest of the day! Although it was a little scary to be on our own at first, we quickly figured out how to navigate through the city effectively, and I now feel comfortable using Google Maps to travel by metro and bus on my own.
Spain hasn?t been that difficult to adjust to, although we?ve learned about plenty of cultural differences! For example, the Spanish often have only coffee for their breakfast, but will then get a pastry or sandwich for their second breakfast later in the morning. They then eat lunch after 2pm (which, by the way, is 14:00 in Spain, per military time) and eat dinner at 9pm! Although I felt constantly hungry the first day (bringing snacks with you is the way to go!), my body quickly aligned with Spain?s eating schedule.
The city is quite beautiful and I?m in love with the architecture here. Even simple apartments have lovely facades, with cute balconies overflowing with plants. I especially love the work of Antoni Gaudi, who has built many whimsical houses and other buildings in Barcelona that are inspired by nature. I highly recommend going inside of his Casa Batllo!!
The classes that we are taking are quite interesting, and I already feel much more knowledgeable about the formation of the European Union due to our professor, who is a Spanish local. I hope to learn much more about business in Europe and Spain over the course of this program, as well as to immerse myself in the culture here, so I?m greatly looking forward to the next three weeks!
