Submitted by Jenna Ficuciello on the 2018 fall semester study abroad program in Barcelona, Spain…
I have been in Barcelona for almost a month already, so I thought it was time to talk about one of the key things that truly make this experience worthwhile: the people. Now, I decided to come to Barcelona alone. The majority of my friends are in majors that make it difficult to travel during the semesters due to certain requirements, so I always knew this would be something I would do on my own. Leaving my tight-knit group of friends was extremely difficult because I was afraid of all of the fun things that I would miss out on at UD. I even refused to plan trips before getting to Spain because I was afraid I would not meet people I wanted to travel with and vice versa. I had no idea what lay ahead in my future in Barcelona.
When I arrived at my apartment in Barcelona, I felt so much relief. My roommate and I immediately hit it off. We like all the same foods, have similar lifestyles and the most interesting part is that we both attend UD and lived in the same buildings for two years but did not meet until this program. My entire building is made up of students who are studying abroad, so it was just like freshman year all over again. It was such a good feeling because I was extremely shy freshman year and found it difficult to immediately make friends. This time around, I was more open to meeting new people and ready to start making memories with them. We only have four months on this program, so there was no time to waste.
All of the building almost immediately clicked, as well as the girls we met who are living in homestays. I feel extremely lucky to have met such an adventurous, warm, exciting group of people. We are constantly looking out for each other and making each other laugh, and I will be forever grateful for that. We travel, cook, explore the city, enjoy the nightlife and hang out together like we have known each other for years. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the semester holds for this amazing group of people. I do not have a ton of group pictures in my possession, but at least enjoy these pictures of my travel buddies at the Cliffs of Moher and in Dublin!
