Week 1 (Barcelona)

2/1

The flight was calm and relaxing. Comfirming your flight plan, planning your arrival, packing small and making basic documentation easily accessible are some key ways to make your trip stress-free. My arrival in Barcelona was embraced by roommates, Oriol and Alex, very warmly. The sense of feeling welcome was evident throughout the first day, I felt that they really wanted to show me their country and language. Spanish hospitality truly is something to behold, the selflessness and happiness that the Spaniards maintain is so different compared to the unhappy and unaccomodating American social culture. There are lot of differences between California and Spain, prices are the most shocking. After a long grocery store run to get me prepped for the first week I only paid $40 for a shopping cart full of food. Almost everything is much cheaper compared to basic prices in the U.S. However, this in turn means that wages are much lower.

I got a great sense of the city but there is still so much to learn and experience. Paella is very prevalent in Barcelona, but I learned that tapas are more of a southern Spain delicacy. I visited La Salle, the school I will be studying at for the next 5 months. It had a very modern tone to it, meaning it looked very technologically advanced and sophisticated. It’s only a 15 minute walk through the Carrer de Munaner, one of the city’s largest and most prominent streets.

Noticeable Spanish oddities; they do not tip for service, the traffic is hectic and out of control, most people dress very professionally no matter the occasion, they love english drill music.

2/2

After arriving in Barcelona, orientation at my university commenced introducing various transfer students to one another. It has been exciting to see Barcelona again, being an older teenager opens up so many opportunities to meet new people and try new things. It’s been difficult to adjust to living without the common things we find easily in our everyday lives. Going to grocery stores and supermarkets or searching things up on the internet are made more difficult by the language barriers. One particular difficulty I face is trying to speak Spanish to strangers or workers, it feels humiliating but I must continue to do it if I want to make headway with my Spanish. These challenges are what makes traveling so fun, it pushes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to think on the fly and try new things.

Many people in Spain play paddleball instead of tennis. I tried it for the first time today and it was great. The game is very similar to tennis except you can use the glass walls, and slam the ball with much more force since the racket is lighter. Throughout the match I was exhausted and devoid on energy, the jetlag is really getting to me. I slept 4 hours after orientation today and woke up at 10 pm. I need to get out of this habit if I want to embrace a healthy sleeping schedule.

2/7

These last few days in Barcelona have been a complete dream. It feels as if I am living in my own romance novel except I'm the only character and my love is the city itself. I went to a barcelona game and nothing compares to the sensatation of entering the stadium and seeing the Catalunian flags flying and the fans chanting. Fc Barcelona won 3-0 and it was an absolutely exhuberating experience. The night before was filled with fun and a lot of drinking with Polish friends. We went to a club called RazzMaTazz in the Barceloneta district, and I believe we were some of the only foreigners. There were 5 floors in the club, all with different sounds and people. It was completely packed to the brim.

I started school yesterday and I am very excited to begin relationships with the Spanish girls. I have an eye on a girl in my financial management class that liked my accent, her name was Paola. The prettiest girls I have seen in my entire life go to La Salle, its unreal. It's as if every girl is gorgeous. It's a great way to start a conversation by speaking about my American culture or accent. People in Spain eat it up just as much as I love speaking to foreigners in California. My classes have been great so far, very similar to at Saint Marys. All very attendance and participation based which is what I like.

It's been nice taking a break from California. Not to be sensitive, but people are so much kinder here. Life is just better overall. I have always considered moving to Europe if I found a good remote job out of college, and being here for this short time has only reconfirmed this idea. The way of life is just so much more calming.

Weird Spain things: People don't like when you say hi or pet their dogs. Almost everyone smokes cigarettes, especially students. I am the only American at my school, there are many Americans traveling to Spain but it's odd that I'm the only American at La Salle right now.