I am officially home! Being back has me feeling like I never left, and I have yet to decide how I feel about it. As I sit here and think and reflect on my time in Barcelona, I continually find myself being extremely grateful for getting the opportunity to intern and live there for eight weeks. At times it felt like a rollercoaster of emotions, but I would not take a single second of it back. Since being home, I have continually found little things that remind me of my time abroad that make me miss it in some ways. While I have greatly enjoyed slowly getting back into my routine here, from time to time I begin to feel waves of nostalgia coming on from this summer. This week has been filled with a lot of self reflection and alone time which is a nice change of pace for me. I have found myself thinking greatly about what this experience has taught me and what it is still teaching me to this moment.

One of the most important things I have learned from my internship abroad is how truly small we are as individuals in this world. It has given me a wider perception of how I view myself and my life as a whole. Problems don’t seem so important or relevant. This thought continually serves as a relief in the scheme of things. I think feeling so small in a place so big can feel almost comforting at times, and this helps to remind us not to sweat the small stuff, and to enjoy the great stuff. I think one of the most important things I learned from this experience was just the overall feeling of being somewhere completely different. It is quite easy to distinguish all the cultural differences between living in the U.S. and living in Europe, but adjusting and adapting to this is incredibly important. It has completely opened up my eyes to see how people are and how they live.

Working in a non profit this summer taught me a great amount about the career I hope to pursue in the future, and much more than what I originally expected. I learned how marketing offices work on a daily basis and what typically goes on in the average day. Working with people from different backgrounds helped me strengthen my communication skills, in return helping me learn how to connect on different levels. Never in a million years did I think I would be sparking up a conversation with a middle-aged man from Catalonia that also worked full time as a creative director. I learned far more from many of the people I interacted with daily than I have learned from any other job I’ve had in the past.

I strongly believe that interning abroad will allow for more opportunities in the future. Working daily and being surrounded by locals helped me learn some cultural differences that I would not have learned otherwise. Not only was I able to work alongside these people, but I was able to gain insight on how work cultures differ. I am extremely grateful for getting the opportunity to practice speaking Spanish but also, it brought me a great sense of validity to help some of them improve their English skills. One of the greatest abilities in my opinion is being able to connect with others regardless of the language they speak. Working abroad also brought me a great sense of independence, which I think I really needed at this point in my life personally and professionally.

Being abroad helped me learn so much about myself and about the world, much more than I could ever imagine. Tasks as simple as finding supplies store to creating and sending marketing reports to clients all helped me learn new things. Being intern is not (if hardly ever) glamorous, and while I was regularly bored, at the time I didn’t think my work had any sort of purpose. Even if it didn’t have much purpose, I still was finding myself learning something new from everything I did.

I greatly believe that all of the skill and knowledge I have gained from this experience will transfer in my everyday life. All that I learned from my marketing internship will be extremely beneficial in regards to my career goals. I think the most important thing I have gained from my time in Barcelona, is personal growth. Although my time there was short, I learned a great deal about myself in regards to personal relationships, my academic goals, and what I hope for my professional growth. Being out of my comfort zone almost daily taught me how to be adaptable. I constantly felt the need to be aware of everything around me, in return encouraging me to be more self aware.

From these past eight weeks, I have seen some changes in myself, mostly for the positive. As days go by I miss Barcelona more and more! I hope to return someday in the future so I can look back and think of the time I spent there. I have gained such a great appreciation for Spain and its culture. I would say that the decision to intern abroad was the best decision I could have ever made for myself.

Just like that I finished my seventh week here in Barcelona. I am convinced I was having a diva melt down last week, as I am re-read my blog post for last week and feel quite different this week. After accepting the fact that it is completely normal to feel uneasy during my time here, I feel as if I am going to have the toughest time now accepting this feeling this sadness about leaving.

This week alone, has completely shifted my emotions and I can honestly say I DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE. This summer has been absolutely incredible and I cannot imagine leaving all of the people I have met just quite yet. I looked into changing my flight (just in case) and unfortunately United is forcing me to leave in one week exactly. While I felt extremely ready to pack up and leave exactly one week ago, I feel the exact opposite and I am unsure why. Probably because reality hit me like a truck, and it’s beginning to settle in that I will be leaving and not returning any time soon.

I am going to miss the daily heat strokes, the tapas, the Castellano and Catalan chattering, the metro, and the ever so crowded streets of the city. Most of all, I think I am going to miss the slower lifestyle that makes it feel as if time is an illusion, something I have not ever felt back home. I love it here so much and all that it has to offer. I feel so accustomed to waking up here daily and not necessarily having any sense of direction, it is truly an amazing feeling.

I am excited to return, but as the days go by, I am becoming less excited to leave my new home! I tend to suppress my emotions very well (as I hate dealing with them) but I am pretty sure I might cry my eyes out leaving. It is so strange feeling this rollercoaster of emotions being here, I cannot say I have felt so up and down in such a short period of time ever in my life. This makes me think that I am doing something right though! I am beyond content that I made this decision to come here as it is the best thing I have done for myself thus far. Being here, and traveling else where has really opened up my mind to the fact that we are so tiny compared to this massive beautiful world. I would never change my positive and negative experiences here for anything.

These past seven weeks have been absolute craziness. Nothing will compare to my time spent here, and as these days go by I am struggling to imagine no longer waking up here every day. I have learned more about myself these past two months than I think I would have otherwise. As I settle into my last week here, I begin to prioritize my time and how I choose to spend it. Most of all, I hope to leave on a high note. Whatever that may be, I cannot wait to see what is in store these next few days!

My days here are officially numbered! I only have thirteen days left here in Barcelona and at this very moment the thought of going back to Colorado is both exciting and hard to believe.

This week for me has felt extremely long and has made my time here more difficult than usual. I really could not have imagined myself ever feeling so indifferent about living in Barcelona. I have learned to love this place and the people that live here, but at this point the thought of returning to Colorado as early as tomorrow excites me. Honestly speaking, I feel almost relieved that I only have two weeks left here. It pains me to think this way, mostly because I do not feel homesick in any particular way, but rather I feel extremely ready to leave and pick up my life the way I left it.

As bad as this may sound, the weather has been brutally affecting my energy and desire to do things. I feel tired all the time and I must say, heat exhaustion is no joke. Some days I wake up feeling ready for the day while lately I have consistently been waking up feeling as if I do not want to leave my apartment at all. I truly do still feel happy on a daily basis, but I feel extremely “over” this whole thing. I think partly because I have done a lot of the things I wanted to do and I’ve seen many things I wanted to see. Certain days leave me feeling nostalgic as I begin to miss my life in Boulder and the simplicity of doing day to day things that I cannot do here. I really hope for my sake my attitude changes these last two weeks as I hate feeling this way knowing I am EXTREMELY lucky to be here. I am not sure if it is a mixture of me or the blistering heat that makes me feel so drained but I will do my best to get my spirits up as I know in a month or so I will miss this amazing place. 

On a brighter note, I started coming up with a list of things I will miss from Barcelona in hopes that it lifts my mood about being here.

1. Patatas Bravas: There is absolutely nothing special about these Spanish French fries other than I am obsessed with them.
2. The Beach: I will miss the beach and all of the commotion that comes with being at Barceloneta
3. The Night Life: There are always people out and about regardless of the night at the coolest places I have seen!
4. The language: I absolutely love listening to people chatter in Castellano and Cátalan all over the city
5. The Culture: Everything about the culture is different, and I love it!

So why do I miss the simplest things about being home? I really cannot even answer that myself. I know looking back on my time here I will miss so much about my time here, for my next week here I will think of it as my last time ever in Barcelona. My time here is completely dependent on myself and I need to ensure that I am doing everything in my power to make this the best experience.

This summer is quickly approaching its end! My first week into July has been filled with a lot of new people and experiences, and A LOT of sweat.

At this point, I would say I am fairly acclimated to my life here. I have gotten myself into a daily routine consisting of going to my internship, taking walks around the neighborhood, and often taking the metro to Las Ramblas or the Gothic Area to enjoy a meal or just to enjoy people watching. Also, there is no better feeling than having a tourist ask me for directions in Spanish- I’m basically a local right?!

Lately, I have noticed that I go back and forth about my feelings of only being here for a couple more weeks. It pains me to think that after all of this I have to return to the states to my regular, fast-paced life and wait to start my last year of college (extremely bitter-sweet). Then other times I get extremely excited to return home to the life that I am use to and the life that I love. I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am to feel the DRY Colorado weather and how excited I am to have free drinking water and air conditioning. However, at this point those are the only things that I really miss, and they are all very small things I can do without when I really think about it.

As for Barcelona, I have really grown to love all the things that make this city what it is, even all the negative parts about it. I hope that one day, sooner rather than later, I can return to this amazing place. One thing I am sure about is that nothing will compare to my time spent here.

One of the main conflicts that I have struggled with in the past week is the issue of getting myself to do things. I feel that if I am not consistently doing something new every day I feel as if it is almost a waste of a day. I am not sure why I feel like this considering I’ve been doing all the things I want to do at a normal pace. I am thinking that this might be due to the fact that I do not want to look back on my time here and think that I could have done more or should have done certain things. The more I think this, the more I think, it is really OKAY. I need to focus on taking things day by day and beat myself up for not being out 24/7.

Even as I read back on this post, I see many things I should improve on. First, I should not be so focused on the things I am going to miss considering I am still here! Second, I could really put in more effort into interacting with new people as I have found so much joy in meeting other international students in my program and seeing how their time here has impacted them so far. I am greatly looking forward to my next few weeks here and I am determined to make the best of my time here while it lasts. There is so much to do and so much to see, and I cannot wait to see what these last few weeks have in store for me!

I officially have one month left here in Barcelona, Spain. I am not sure I can pin point exactly how I feel about it, but I do know that I have so many mixed feelings.

This week has been BRUTAL. This is mostly due to the fact that the heatwave throughout Europe has caused every day to be an average of 95 degrees accompanied by 80-90% humidity. Coming from Colorado, humidity is not my friend. I have quickly figured out that in order to comfortably be out and about, I have to leave in the early morning or late evening. Besides the scorching sun and daily hot flashes, it’s not too bad :,).

This week I have really been focused on my internship as I spend a good portion of my time there. By now, I am very aware of what is to be done and what I can expect on a daily basis. I continually go back and forth with my satisfaction with the job itself. To be completely honest, I do not feel that I am learning as much as I thought nor am I being pushed to my potential. I’ve tried to communicate this to my boss, but at times it feels as she doesn’t care. I try to remind myself that it doesn’t matter because I am basically on a two month vacation in Barcelona. So who cares, right? Well, I care. I try to not compare my internship experience to my roommates’ but I continually find that they are enjoying what they’re doing and look forward to work every day, and I just cannot say the same. I am well aware that internships (especially unpaid internships) are not always glamorous, however I find myself doing the same task day to day that requires little to no brain power. I feel crazy for wanting to ask for more responsibility and more tasks, but I want to gain more out of my time here. I am planning on talking to my boss about it tomorrow, so we will see how it goes! I really can’t imagine anyone saying no to that sort of request, yet given my time working with her, it is very possible…

On another note, I am meeting so many great locals! When first arriving, I was slightly bummed to find that we were further away from the main areas in Barcelona. The more I’ve been here, the more I’ve come to realize that my neighborhood is much better for different reasons:

1. It is a neighborhood primarily inhabited by locals

2. We are about a one minute walk from a main metro stop

3. I can walk to work

4. Little to no tourists (Do I count as a tourist?)

While many abroad students are living closer to the hub areas of Barcelona, there are so many people there all the time that make getting anywhere a hassle. I really enjoy being able to come home to a quiet and stress free apartment surrounded by people who have lived here for many years.

The longer I am here the more I appreciate Barcelona as well as my home in the U.S. To be honest, I mostly miss the drinking water, the air conditioning, and Chipotle. When I begin to think about what I miss from home, my mind jumps immediately to the thought that I only have 4 weeks left in this beautiful place. I’m not sure what’s to come in these last four weeks, but what I am sure about is that I know I’ll miss it all so much.

I have just completed my third week here in “Barthelona.” Time really does fly by when you’re having fun.

As I progressively become more comfortable, I have noticed myself venturing outside the tourist bubble, finding local shops and cafes filled with locals. I must say, I don’t think I will have enough time here to see all the things I want to see and to experience all that Barcelona has to offer.

Being here, I have found a great interest in following local news and politics as so much is going on while being here. It helps me gain a better understanding of the people who live here and what they are going through. When first arriving, we were informed about the ongoing political struggle here in Barcelona (and Catalonia) and it is very interesting to see how it has been unfolding. Catalonia, a region of Spain that resides mostly within Barcelona, is fighting for independence from Spain. Walking through the neighborhoods you can find yellow flags hanging from windows and terraces meaning that they support all those who have been incarcerated for supporting the fight for independence.

I asked my internship coordinator, who is a native Spaniard, her opinion on the subject and she mentioned that she supports Catalonia becoming independent from the rest of the country. The reason being that Catalonians are quite different from the Spaniards. Being here, I have picked up on the differences quickly, noting the difference in the people overall from their customs, their food, and their overall attitude. From my experience alone, I have noticed that Spaniards are much quicker to help and are more open to meeting new people, while Catalonians are more reserved, and less likely to be friendly, especially if you don’t speak Castellan.

It is only natural that I continue to pick out social and cultural differences while being here. When first arriving, nothing seemed too far off or different from what I was use to, however as time goes on, I have found that there are many more differences than one might think. For example, one of the issues that I find pressing here, is the blatant racism. While I have not personally felt any racism myself, it is obvious that certain groups are not ‘welcomed.’ Time and time again I have seen Black people being mistreated or treated unfairly, regardless of their home country. While many times we complain about these same issues in the U.S., they are no where near as obvious or prominent as they are here. Certain racial groups are DENIED entrance in many places or are up-charged simply because of the color of their skin, it is absolutely shocking and horrible. Although Barcelona seems to be a more modern city, many of their beliefs are clearly outdated and just plain wrong.

As for my internship, I love it! I am finally able to do projects that pertain to my future goals. Most of my co workers continually speak Spanish to me in the office which has helped my listening and speaking skills tremendously. The work culture here is much more relaxed than that compared to the U.S. as people usually show up at different times and take long lunches accompanied by traditional “siestas.” In my opinion, the productivity is equal if not better than what I am use to in the U.S. I cant imagine being stressed out after a 2 hour siesta in the middle of the day, thats for sure!

For now, I am very happy with where I am in my life. I am slowly feeling my anxiety going away, something that I was extremely worried about before arriving. I feel myself smiling and enjoying the littlest things everywhere I go. Life is great!

I just finished my first week here in Barcelona! The more I think about it, the stranger it is that I am really here. Through these past 8 days I have felt so many different and strange emotions all at once. Every day here is different, and every day I am equally as excited, and slightly anxious, to see what the day will bring.

When first arriving, I found myself excited, a little weirded out, but mostly excited. I moved into my apartment flat with 5 other girls. Out of the six of us, five of us come from CU. I was a little shocked to be honest, considering the fact that I had just flown half way across the globe, just to find that I would be living with fellow CU students for the next eight weeks. Part of me felt relieved by this, and another part of me felt a little disappointed as I was looking forward to meeting new people from schools around the world.

As soon as we all got settled in, my new roommates and I wasted no time trying out new restaurants and exploring the night life here. For the first two days, I found myself feeling excited to experience this new city surrounded by new people. It took until I was sitting alone in my room, to realize that I wouldn’t be able to be in constant contact with those back home, and that I wouldn’t be able to see their faces whenever I wanted. This thought made me feel alone and slightly overwhelmed. I quickly accepted that there was nothing I could do about it, except to get over it.

Following the weekend, we quickly jumped into our internships, something I was looking forward to. Waking up in the morning, I felt quite anxious getting ready and finding my way to work. As we all set out for internships at 9 am, the city was flooded with people commuting to work. Somehow, in the midst of the crazy human traffic, I easily found my way to work on the first day much to my surprise. When first meeting my co workers, I had my first ‘oops’ moment that made me realize there are a lot more cultural changes than I had imagined. In Spain, it is customary to do a side peck two times when meeting someone. I, not knowing, went in for the handshake. When my co-worker when in for the kiss on the cheek, it became awkward real fast. Naturally, I laughed it off, but since I have remembered the proper way to greet strangers.

Besides slight cultural differences, I think I am adapting at a good pace. It’s quite helpful knowing the language, as I feel I have meaningful conversations with the people I interact with daily. Working alongside people who primarily and rarely speak English has forced me to speak Spanish more often, which was one of my goals for being here.

As for this city, I absolutely love Barcelona. The people, the culture, the city itself, it is all great. I quickly found my appreciation for this city when I took a last minute trip to France for the weekend. A roommate and I decided to book a flight to Nice, France without much research or planning. We found the city of Nice to be very beautiful and charming. Something that we found not so charming however, were the people. While my experience was COMPLETELY subjective and while I do believe generalizations are unfair, I will most likely never return. I found most of the people I interacted with there very rude, standoff-ish, and plain mean. This however, taught me something very important: the world is not always a friendly place period. As much we might hope or imagine it to be, it is not. I felt quick relief and comfort returning to Barcelona, which made me feel even better about calling this place home.

It’s crazy to think I’ve only been here for a week, as I feel I have been here for much longer. However, I’m not complaining! So far, I love my internship, my new city, and my new life. I am very excited to see what these next seven weeks will bring.

As I am sitting in the airport waiting for my flight to board, I begin to ask myself why I decided to embark on this trip. 

First, I am looking to gain experience in a real work environment, and to greatly improve my Spanish speaking skills. Most of all, I hope to explore the career field that I was drawn to when I first applied to CU Boulder.

Being home and around my family these couple of days has made it more difficult for me to leave this place where I have grown up, and experienced 100% of my life. I know that this is the best decision I have made for myself in terms of personal growth and education. However, leaving the country by yourself for 8 weeks is easier said than done. 

As for myself, I hope to gain a different view of life. As basic as it sounds, I hope to find myself and I want to be able to connect to those around me regardless of the backgrounds we come from. I have never traveled out of the country, especially by myself. This experience will be completely new for me. As I sit here trying to ignore the anxiety I feel, I am confident that I will find all that I am seeking through this experience and much more. 

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton