Travel day

Leaving my small hometown, Nauvoo, Illinois, was a mix of nerves and excitement. Going from spending my past 20 summers in a town of 2,000 people to spending it in a city with 1.6 million people was scary, exciting, sad and awesome all at the same time. The travel day was nine hours from Chicago to Barcelona. I was very tired when I arrived, but felt happy to be here and spend my summer here!

First impressions

Barcelona is a green city, while there is no grass on the ground due to the sidewalks, there are trees on every street, flowers on every balcony, and it feels vibrant! The inner city is walkable, and full of history at every corner. There is so much to do, from food to shopping to museums to the beach to the mountains, Barcelona truly has it all.

Getting around

Public transport has been a lifesaver, the city is so well connected by buses, trams, and the metro! I’ve been using them daily and they are clean, efficient, and easy to navigate (even as someone who was not familiar with public transport before). IES provided all the interns with a T-usual, which is a monthly pass that allows access to all public transport within the inner city!

Making new friends

This city is a very social city, lunches and dinners last multiple hours and there are designated areas for outdoor seating that allow for spending time with friends, with that being said it has been such an easy place to meet others! I have met so many people at school, work and just out-and-about!

New Spanish words I’ve learned

My internship is doing social media at a language school, so everyday I am taught new words or vocab at work by the teachers! Here is just a few examples of some new terms I have been using lately:

• Vale: Means OK, I say this constantly
• Nos vemos (mañana): I will see you (in the morning)
• Buenas: I always added mañana or noches to this to say good morning or good night, but the locals just say it on its own for a casual greeting

Honorable mention

• Gratzi: I traveled to Italy this past weekend and learned that this meant thank you, it is so stuck in my head now and I cannot stop saying it
  

Favorite moment

Having an uno and movie night at my apartment with my new friends was so much fun! So many laughs were shared and after they went home I was left wishing that they were still there! It was definitely a core memory and it was the first moment I had felt at home since coming here!

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Global Internship: Barcelona