Semester Exchanges Blog

I just got home from my six months living in Barcelona and already miss it so much. Going on a semester exchange abroad is definitely the most impactful thing I have ever done for myself. Academically, the classes we took at UPF were very interesting. The class structure is very different from A&M as well as the culture that surrounds the topics. We worked on a lot of group projects and got to learn about the different markets/business cultures from all over the globe. It felt more valuable and hands-on to learn about global marketing from the other side of the world.
Before this semester, I was never able to call myself a traveler, nor had I ever been to Europe even though it had always interested me. Now I can say I have traveled 32,000+ miles in Europe alone in a six-month time span. Living in Barcelona made it so easy to see as much of the world as I was able to in such a short amount of time. I was able to visit 12 countries as well as multiple different cities across Spain. One of my favorite things about these excursions was how unique each country was from one another. My roommate/best friend/travel partner, Grace (another Aggie), and I always made a point to learn as much as we could on each of our trips whether it meant signing up for free walking tours, visiting lots of museums, or reading up on the incredible historical sites before traveling. The history that surrounds these places is absolutely amazing and are experience I will never forget.
Barcelona was also the perfect place to call home. Even after a perfect weekend spent exploring another European city, we were always so happy to come home to Barcelona and see what the city had in store for us that week. The city is so exciting and diverse as it has aspects of a large urban city along with close access to beautiful beaches and mountains. It seemed as though every week there were festivals and celebrations of Catalan culture happening in the streets. One of my favorite memories in Barcelona was Sant Jordi’s feast day which is dedicated to the patron saint of Catalonia and a celebration of love and culture sometimes known as “Catalonia’s Valentine’s Day”. The tradition on that day is you exchange a book for a red rose with the people you love so the streets are filled with books and roses to buy. I found that there was always something to do or a new area of the city to explore, so much so that I can’t wait to go back and try all of the experiences I wasn’t able to get to in my time there! These six months flew by and I am so grateful for my time spent abroad and so happy I was able to call Barcelona home for a short period of my life.

Hello! My name is Daniela and I am currently studying in Barcelona, Spain. When I initially got to Barcelona, it felt a little overwhelming because it was my first time in Europe and I was in a very different environment. But once my roommate arrived and we explored the city, I felt very happy to be where I was. Barcelona has so many unique and fun sites to explore, the food is very tasty(they have lots of fast food restaurants like McDonald’s if you want to be reminded of home), fun nightlife, and a beach! Communication in Spain has not been very difficult since I speak Spanish, but either way most people speak or know English. I arrived a few days before school started, which I highly recommend because it allowed me to rest after the jet lag and get familiar with the city and transportation services! The first day of school we started with the program’s orientation where every student doing an exchange attended. There were a huge number of students from all over the world! The people presenting seemed genuinely excited to welcome us and wanted us to learn more about their culture. In all, I felt very welcomed and excited to start my program! There are many differences between Spain and the U.S. For example, the food is different, there are usually no dryers to dry your clothes, and to get your groceries to your place is a hassle especially if you don’t live on the first floor or if there isn’t an elevator, there is coffee shops and convenience stores in every corner, and there are people walking or taking public transportation everywhere! It has been an adjustment but I absolutely love everything about Spain. It has been very exciting to go to different ERASMUS(International students) events and meet new people from everywhere. I hope to gain knowledge from studying in a different university, gain new friends, gain business skills, and make memorable memories!

Arriving in Barcelona was at first a little intimidating, I got here with my family and as we were driving through the city I saw for the first time how much bigger Barcelona was than any other place I’ve ever lived before. However, once I had moved into my cute little apartment on our sweet pedestrian street with my wonderful roommate I realized that it didn’t matter how big the city was as long as I had my little home. From then on I’ve had nothing but an amazing time. We found our apartment on Airbnb and soon after moving in, we realized there were more exchange students living right above us and we have become fast friends! At orientation, we had a great time meeting people from all over the place and then hearing about all of the ways the school we are attending (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), wants us to get involved in their culture and meet other exchange students as well as their home university students.

I am currently taking 2 classes since I will be doing the two-trimester program so thankfully I haven’t felt overloaded with work at any point so far. It’s nice because there is a very obvious overlap between what I’m learning in these classes and what I have learned at A&M so it makes the transition easier. The teachers seem to be very kind and understanding and they do not seem to ever assign homework. However, the class lectures have a lot of good and necessary information so I know they will be incredibly important to attend.

As far as getting acquainted in Barcelona goes I feel we’ve done a pretty good job, we’ve found fun places to add to our daily routines and have made some awesome friends at events hosted by the university and by the ERASMUS club. We’ve gone on fun hikes and too delicious dinners with other international students from all over the world. Overall it’s been an amazing time so far and I have felt overwhelmingly welcomed by every person I’ve met and our wonderful host university!

I have been in Barcelona for about 2 weeks now on my exchange at the Pompeu Fabra University business school and I have enjoyed every minute of it! I came with a friend from Texas A&M and we have been spending so much time exploring the city as well as meeting other exchange students from around the world. The university has done a great job of connecting the other Erasmus students, putting on lots of programs to help us meet one another so those are the people we have been spending the majority of our time with. My favorite activity yet with them has been hiking to the Montserrat Monetary for unreal views and incredible history! Overall, this experience has been unlike anything I have ever participated in. Before this, I had never been to Europe or experienced such a diverse culture that is present here in Barcelona. The schedule is very different from back home in Texas. For 2-3 hours every afternoon, most businesses shut down for siesta which we have had to get used to. Plus, most people also don’t eat dinner until around 8 pm, staying out very late into the night. Another adjustment is that I am not fluent in Spanish or Catalan so there has been quite the learning curve, but I am trying to use it more every day. Luckily, many of the locals and the other exchange students do speak some English which has been helpful to adjust and get around the city. The classes just started and already there is quite a difference from our usual lectures back at A&M. The big lectures are very discussion-based, and it is so interesting to hear new global perspectives from other students on different topics in business. So far, I have had a really amazing time here and I am so excited to explore more of Spain and learn from this incredible global experience!

I have to say, day 1 was just about every emotion I could imagine. I was excited, scared, lonely, thankful, and tired. I arrived in Barcelona at around 8:00am in the morning about 4 days before the start of school at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. I was able to overcome jet lag pretty fast since I stayed up (with the exception of about a 45-minute nap) the whole day with it being 7 hours ahead. That was very exhausting but worth it.

Now, I am on my third day of school and it has been a blast. To be completely open, I have had feelings of loneliness but I try to remind myself how awesome this experience is and the 6 months will be over before I know it. Through a group called ESN, I have been able to make friends from many different countries even just 6-7 days in, and hope to travel and explore with them over the next few months.

My initial impression of Barcelona was really just shock. It’s the first time that I have been outside of the United States and there are a lot of ordinary and everyday things that are different here in Barcelona and probably in Europe in general. The first challenge and shock was navigating the subway metro system with all of my luggage. I think the challenge and experience was unforgettable for me and will serve me well as I continue to use the metro, but I might recommend to anyone coming to Barcelona to hire a driver to take you where you need to go from the airport. Luckily, I had no rush to be anywhere and I had all day to do it so getting off at the wrong stop and getting on the wrong subway just helped me learn the hard way. Learning the hard way is fairly common these days I would say. But I’m beginning to feel comfortable in uncomfortable situations which is great!

I hope to continue to be put in situations that allow me to think critically and practice patience. I hope to continue to meet friends from all over the world. I hope to continue to learn the Spanish language much better. I hope to continue to broaden and deepen my perspective of everything. And I hope to do all of this so that I can share this experience and help others. This 6-month exchange is much bigger than me and what I get out of it. It’s about what I get to share years and even decades down the road that will benefit many. Just grateful to God for this opportunity.

As my time in Barcelona comes to an end, there is so much to reflect on! Barcelona has been a great experience and I have learned so much. The culture here is so incredibly different and I loved seeing it. When it comes to conducting business and engaging with individuals, it is definitely very different than in the US, particularly in Barcelona there are Catalans who are very proud of their culture and keep it very safe, this is something super important to keep in mind when speaking to others. Remembering that you are in their home, it’s important to try your best to adapt, and not make others adapt to you, try your best to learn as many languages as you can! School here is very different too, for all my classes the only grades were a group presentation and one final exam. It can be stressful since we don’t know what the tests are like, but it also gives you more free time as you aren’t constantly doing homework. This is the library and a very nice area right next to where I live.

Barcelona has everything from the beach to a city that never sleeps. When I first came here I was very overwhelmed and felt like I would never be able to keep up. Now I know where everything is, I know how to get around, and I even see some friends anywhere I go! Barcelona is a great place to make new friends, learn a new culture, and change as a person. I am definitely far more independent now, more confident, and more ready for the ‘real world’ than ever before.