My favorite parts about living in Barcelona weren’t the museums or the clubs or the famous landmarks but rather walking to the grocery store every morning to buy my food, going to my favorite cafe for breakfast, and walking to the beach in between classes.
To quote Ferris Bueller, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” In that spirit, let me stop and give you a look around my life while studying abroad in Catalonia and how it has both academically and personally impacted me.
My coursework abroad gave me the opportunity to expand my perspective by examining business fields like finance and marketing through an international lens, build cultural intelligence by learning about specific customs of doing business in several cultures, and experience courses that are laid out very differently from American college classes.
Living in Barcelona helped me slow down and appreciate every aspect of my daily life, which was a nice change of pace from the hustle-bustle of the United States. It’s refreshing to walk down the street and see groups of friends of all ages sharing a meal and laughing at all hours of the day. There were many aspects of Catalan culture that I embraced during my program, a big one being meals. When I treated meals like their own outing rather than just a break from work, I looked forward to spending a couple of hours in a restaurant talking, reading, or even just scrolling on my phone. I used to scarf down my entire lunch in under 10 minutes, but after a couple of weeks in Barcelona with the combination of smaller portions and a lack of take-out culture, I could easily sip on an 8oz coffee for two hours while reading or working in a cafe. I also loved being able to just walk around for miles without getting bored, being continually surrounded by beautiful landscapes, ancient buildings, and new neighborhoods of the city. My favorite parts about living in Barcelona weren’t the museums or the clubs or the famous landmarks but rather walking to the grocery store every morning to buy my food, going to my favorite cafe for breakfast, and walking to the beach in between classes. I enjoy eating dinner late, and I miss my favorite Catalan foods and other Eurosnacks. However, if there is one thing that I will miss the most, it’s getting to speak Spanish every day. I loved stepping outside in the morning and hearing conversations in Spanish and Catalan and having an excuse to eavesdrop (I’m trying to practice listening, obviously), and I loved getting to practice my Spanish in a variety of locations and situations (cafes, supermarkets, pharmacies, the police station, just regular places).
I used to scarf down my entire lunch in under 10 minutes, but after a couple of weeks in Barcelona with the combination of smaller portions and a lack of take-out culture, I could easily sip on an 8oz coffee for two hours while reading or working in a cafe.
While studying abroad and immersing yourself in a different culture may seem daunting, I’m going to have to agree with the Super Bowl-winning head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin, when I say that I am fundamentally against comfort. In his words, “if you want special outcomes, you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.” All in all, spending three months in another city seems like forever when you treat it like a vacation, but the second you start living your normal life there you’ll blink once and be packing up your suitcases to fly home.
