Submitted by Mackenzie Conners on the 2020 winter session program in Barcelona, Spain sponsored by the College of Education and Human Development…
My first week in Barcelona has been nothing short of exciting. I have not traveled outside of the United States prior to this program, so my first day was full of anxiety. It was quite daunting to get on a plane by myself and travel 4,000 miles away. I was nervous to be in an area that I was not familiar with and that spoke another language. However, once we started doing activities as a group and became familiar with taking the metro, my anxiety began to ease up. I started to realize how easy it is to find your way around the city and that communication is not that tricky. There are many locals who speak English, or if they do not, can direct you to someone who does. They are also very accepting of us being here. They are not negative about the fact that we know very little Spanish and are often very willing to help. This was a surprise to me because you often hear of stories of locals in the U.S. being very snippy with people who do not speak English. The neighborhood we are staying in is called the Gracia neighborhood. It is very welcoming and inviting. The town is full of small shops and bakeries, which makes for some fun times exploring the nearby streets to our apartment.
At this point in the program, we have already taken a walking tour of Las Ramblas, a street in the center of Barcelona known for its tourist sites, visited La Sagrada Familia and many other works by Antoni Gaudi including Park Guell, had some time to ourselves, took a cooking class to experience authentic paella, and visited Sant Cugat, a 9th century monastery. Overall, the city is different than I expected, but in a good way. It is not a city full of skyscrapers and steel buildings. It is a city with tiny streets and balconies full of flowers and greens. The architecture is unique and colorful, especially on Gaudi’s buildings. Most buildings are made of stone and brick and have some sort of balcony overlooking the streets. The shops on the streets are full of character and unique charm. They are not like the stores in the U.S. that are massive and have very similar clothing. The stores here are more like “mom and pop shops” and are unique. The city has surprised me in so many good ways and I am excited to continue my journey and start our work in our partner school, St. Peters, tomorrow morning.
