How is it almost March?! Time flies!
My second month here in Barcelona has been all about adjustment. My daily tasks have been pretty similar to a typical semester at A&M as school has picked up- I go to class everyday, do my homework in the evenings, I’ve even been able to keep up with The Bachelor still! But on the weekends there’s always something new to do. My roommate and I are always discovering some new activity to partake in at Barcelona, and our to-do list is still lengthy, despite having conquered items continuously over the span of two months.
Above are photos of Sagrada Familia- the main attraction of Barcelona. It?s the cathedral designed by Gaudi that has been under construction for 130 years. It is due to be complete in 12 years.
Madrid
Above is a picture of our Erasmus group on our last day in Madrid.
I haven?t been?able to travel around Europe due to financial reasons, however, the program my roommate and I are involved in offers very affordable trips for some weekends. We went on a trip with our program at the beginning of the month to the country?s capital, Madrid. That was a ton of fun and we were able to bond with a lot of the other international students during that weekend. Also, it was nice being surrounded by the Spanish language in Madrid instead of Catalan. I was surprised at how much easier it was to understand people, and I was able to notice how much my Spanish has improved. In Spain, there’s a sense of rivalry between Madrid and Barcelona. A typical question asked is “Do you like Barcelona or Madrid better?” I loved Madrid, the environment was so different from Barcelona. However, it’s crazy how after just a short amount of time in Spain, I’ve developed partiality to Barcelona. Upon our return on Sunday, it felt like we were coming home.
Above is a picture of the Catalonia flag that protests for their independence from the rest of Spain. This flag can be found all over Barcelona which is the most influential city within the Catalonia region of Spain. It was refreshing to see this flag again upon our return! I love Catalonia!
Somethings
Something that has shocked me during my time here has been the constant realization of how much influence the United States has on the rest of the world. Our new international friends ?have asked us a lot of questions about our life back in America. I felt weird answering so many questions when from my perspective- my peers come from much more interesting environments.
Something I’ve come to appreciate about my life in Barcelona is the ability to always be surrounded by beauty in nature.?One day, I wanted to relax and simply read a book. My roommate and I walked to the beach and read alongside the shore. One day, I felt like being more active so my roommate and I went to Montserrat which is a mountain near Barcelona that is a short train ride away. After our navigation skills went terribly wrong, we ended up not on the mountain but on a trail alongside it. Even though we ended up not where we had planned, we were still immersed in beauty incomparable to any in College Station.
Something I’ve valued during this trip is the company of others. I am so thankful for Erasmus (our student network) for helping me meet friends during this journey. Another “trip” we’ve taken during this month was to Manresa, which is kind of like a suburb right outside of Barcelona. It was interesting to see a non-city part of Spain, but the trip was cold, the guided tour was long, and we were hungry. We ditched the tour to go eat, and the restaurant had terrible service. We were in the restaurant for three hours, but during that time we were able to learn about eachother’s cultures from our home countries and simply laugh about how weird the day trip had been. It ended up being a trip with a ton of mishaps, but?thanks to the company of the other international students, it also ended up being a trip with a ton of fond memories. My roommate is from A&M as well, and it’s been nice being able to talk to somebody that misses the exact same things I do, and understands the hardships that come with coming here.
Missing Home
My dad came to visit me this past Friday. I didn’t think I missed home, but whenever he came I realized I missed my family more than I thought. I miss junk food, and not having to worry about getting robbed everywhere I go. I should probably mention my phone was stolen AGAIN while I was in the library at my school.
I still appreciate and value this experience, I know this experience is something I am going to reflect on for the rest of my life. I don’t want to take for granted a single moment during my last month in this amazing city. But this experience has also shown me a new sense of appreciation for College Station, for Texas, and for America in general. I miss feeling safe and cared for everywhere I go. I miss living a faster paced lifestyle antithetical to that of a typical Barcelona native. I miss stores being open on Sunday. But I also know I’m going to miss Barcelona, and I’m not ready to leave just yet.