Spain Business Study Abroad Blog

The past 24 hours have been an adventure of a lifetime for me. I crossed something off my bucket list that I didn’t know was on it! After classes on Thursday, a group of classmates and I took a four hour train ride from Barcelona to Pamplona to celebrate Running of the Bulls. As our train got closer to Pamplona, I noticed more and more people getting on the train who were wearing white pants, white t-shirts and a red bandana, which is the typical attire for Running of the Bulls. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by the sound of fireworks and followed the sound to the city center. At the city center, my senses were overloaded with music, occasional fireworks, and excitement. The coolest aspect in my opinion was that almost all of the residents of Pamplona participated including older people. I really cannot think of an event in the US that brings everyone in a city together…
While most were still celebrating by the time 4am rolled around, my group was tired and decided we needed to sleep. We found a park with some benches and took a nap until 6am. At 6, the guys split off from the girls to line up to actually run with the bulls. The girls decided that we would rather watch than participate! We bought tickets for entry into the stadium where people running with the bulls would be shown. My heart was pounding watching people running, and I was worried that our guys were going to come back injured, but luckily, that did not happen. After the running finished, we grabbed lunch and took a train back to Barcelona. This weekend, I gained new friends, a cultural experience and a story to share for the rest of my life.

This week went by very fast! The highlight of the week was on Tuesday when we went to Freixenet factory to see how they produced their Cava. It was a long day so I’ll start at the beginning. I wanted to look nice because everyone dresses up just a little more here than in the United States, and this was a special occasion. I was running a little late and decided it would be best if we (Dixie and I) just got a cab. That early in the morning none were wanting to work! Eventually we caught up with the group but I got a little bit nervous about the time. After a short train ride, we arrived at the Freixenet and began our tour. I learned so much about the different types of wine. Cava is actually a sparking wine, which means it undergoes another fermentation in the bottle after it is sealed. Champagne is the French version of cava. We got to taste a glass of “dry” Cava which means it won’t be sweet at all. To my surprise, I liked it dry.
After the tour, we went back to the train station and were dismissed to do what we wanted. A group of about 8 of us decided to grab a bite to eat. Food is always a big deal because some of these places are hit or miss and this particular day none of us wanted a miss. We stopped into a restaurant on the way back to the apartment and I had some of the best salmon I think I have ever eaten (except for the occasional sneaky little bone). Unfortunately, this isn’t just a travel vacation and so afterwards I had to go back and work on my presentation over Tesla energy sector.
On Wednesday after class I went to Casa Mila. The pictures that I took just didn’t do it justice for how exquisite the design was. Gaudi was really very imaginative and I appreciate that he loved natural light in his architecture. I remember studying most of his buildings in my architecture class and I am glad that only a semester later I got to actually see what we learned about. Now I understand why my professor got so excited when she spoke about these buildings.
Thursday, we went to the Picasso museum. I’m not that into art, but I can appreciate how distinguished his work is among others. If I had to give his work a theme I would name it disarray. In all of his pieces there seemed to be some sadness and disorder. My favorite part of this museum was in a room where it showed a picture of him on his balcony that influenced one of his paintings. It was a good visual to see what his reality was versus the pictorial version of it.
Friday most of the study abroad went to visit different parts of Europe but a small group stayed in Barcelona. We decided to explore and visit the Botanical Garden. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it had a beautiful scenery, nonetheless. We went to another park and found good picture spots. The Olympic stadium was in that area so we stopped by to peak inside of it and it didn’t match my expectations. They were doing construction work on the ground level so it was just filled with dirt and a tractor was in the middle. But, I’m still glad that we went so I can say that I’ve been in an Olympic stadium.
Saturday I was supposed to go hiking in Montserrat, but my sniffles from the day before turned into a full on cold. I could barely breath just laying in the bed so there was no way I was going to be able to hike. I’m really disappointed that I wasn’t able to go though, because Sarah said that was her favorite part of the trip so far. I guess I’ll save my hiking for another day.

One week living in Barcelona and it has been so interesting observing the different culture. The one thing I have realized about the people here is how they prioritize friends and family. I first realized this at dinner. After waiting ten, twenty, thirty and then over sixty minutes before we realized we must ask for the check. During this period of waiting I looked around. Everyone was immersed in conversation with each other not worried when the bill would come but rather longing for time to spend with each other. The check isn’t coming until you request it so you can spend as much time as you want in conversation and nobody is trying to get you out of the restaurant quickly.This was much different then the fast pace culture in America that prioritizes quick dining and convenience. After adjusting to this idea of viewing dinner as an event and opportunity to have conversation I started to look forward to them. Sitting at the table with different people from my study abroad and having set aside time to get to know one another is something I truly value. I feel priortizing conversations over timeliness is how it should be. I look forward to the future dinners and time to get to know people I otherwise wouldn’t have.

Week two of this study abroad has been nothing short of incredible, and I am extremely excited for this weekend. Tomorrow morning at seven, a group of us will be taking a flight to Amsterdam! We’ll kick off our visit by going on a walking tour of the city and then visiting the Van Gogh museum. The next day we plan on seeing the Anne Frank museum, visiting the floating flowers market, and going on a canal boat ride.
But back to Barcelona, I really believe that I am adjusting to the city and the culture. When we first arrived and got on a metro, I did not think I was going to be able to use it by myself because it was unfamiliar. A few days ago, however, I rode the metro back from the beach to my apartment by myself, and I am getting more comfortable with it. Something else I’ve noticed that I’ve adapted to tis he eating habits of the locals. Spaniards typically eat a light breakfast, heavy lunch, and a very late dinner, somewhere between 8 and 11. At first, I was not keen on waiting so late to eat, but I really don’t mind. My favorite part about the meals is that that people are not in a rush to finish, and they really take time to socialize and be present. I think Americans should adopt some of these eating habits.
Besides the cultural habits that I’ve picked up on, one of my favorite parts about this week was an excursion my class took to a winery. The winery is called Frexinet, which is a popular brand most known for their sparkling wine or white cava. I got to learn more about the wine making process and learned about some of the differences in wine. And of course, we ended the tour with a wine tasting!

Week two of this study abroad has been nothing short of incredible, and I am extremely excited for this weekend. Tomorrow morning at seven, a group of us will be taking a flight to Amsterdam! We’ll kick off our visit by going on a walking tour of the city and then visiting the Van Gogh museum. The next day we plan on seeing the Anne Frank museum, visiting the floating flowers market, and going on a canal boat ride.

But back to Barcelona, I really believe that I am adjusting to the city and the culture. When we first arrived and got on a metro, I did not think I was going to be able to use it by myself because it was unfamiliar. A few days ago, however, I rode the metro back from the beach to my apartment by myself, and I am getting more comfortable with it. Something else I’ve noticed that I’ve adapted to tis he eating habits of the locals. Spaniards typically eat a light breakfast, heavy lunch, and a very late dinner, somewhere between 8 and 11. At first, I was not keen on waiting so late to eat, but I really don’t mind.  My favorite part about the meals is that that people are not in a rush to finish, and they really take time to socialize and be present. I think Americans should adopt some of these eating habits.

Besides the cultural habits that I’ve picked up on, one of my favorite parts about this week was an excursion my class took to a winery. The winery is called Frexinet, which is a popular brand most known for their sparkling wine or white cava. I got to learn more about the wine making process and learned about some of the differences in wine. And of course, we ended the tour with a wine tasting!

After a week of traveling all around Europe, we had our last trip as a study abroad group to Costa Brava. On the way to Costa Brava, we stopped at a town to see the Salvador Dali museum. Dali is an artist with a distinct mustache and is best known for his surrealist style, and he actually designed every corner of his museum. My favorite part about the museum was that you could see something different every time you looked at the artwork. After the museum we took our bus to Costa Brava, checked into the hotel, and went to the beach. The beach was just what I needed after a week of traveling to three different countries, and Costa Brava was the perfect place to go. The part of town that we stayed was a beach resort, and everyone I met was friendly. The next morning, our study abroad group had an excursion to the rice farm. We were given a tour of the farm and shown how rice is produced. After the rice farm, we had a 3.5-hour lunch with tons of tapas, a main course, dessert and coffee. The food was absolutely delicious, but about an hour in, I was already full! Once lunch was done, we headed back to Costa Brava and spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. One of the reasons I enjoyed Costa Brava so much was because the whole group was together because we have become really close to each other.

Moving on from Costa Brava, today, I was given a survey to fill out about the study abroad. One of the blanks asked for a testimonial so here it is: I now understand why everyone says studying abroad is a must. I have gained a new sense of independence, become immersed in a new culture, and created strong friendships. My best piece of advice would be to take siestas along the way!

The past 24 hours have been an adventure of a lifetime for me. I crossed something off my bucket list that I didn’t know was on it! After classes on Thursday, a group of classmates and I took a four hour train ride from Barcelona to Pamplona to celebrate Running of the Bulls. As our train got closer to Pamplona, I noticed more and more people getting on the train who were wearing white pants, white t-shirts and a red bandana, which is the typical attire for Running of the Bulls. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by the sound of fireworks and followed the sound to the city center.  At the city center, my senses were overloaded with music, occasional fireworks, and excitement. The coolest aspect in my opinion was that almost all of the residents of Pamplona participated including older people. I really cannot think of an event in the US that brings everyone in a city together…

While most were still celebrating by the time 4am rolled around, my group was tired and decided we needed to sleep. We found a park with some benches and took a nap until 6am. At 6, the guys split off from the girls to line up to actually run with the bulls. The girls decided that we would rather watch than participate! We bought tickets for entry into the stadium where people running with the bulls would be shown. My heart was pounding watching people running, and I was worried that our guys were going to come back injured, but luckily, that did not happen. After the running finished, we grabbed lunch and took a train back to Barcelona. This weekend, I gained new friends, a cultural experience and a story to share for the rest of my life.

I’ve probably said this in all of my blogs, but this week has gone by so fast! I finished my last final today meaning that I have officially completed the school part of the study abroad. Both of the classes were interesting- one of them was taught by a Spanish professor. This class focused on the history and economics of the EU integration, and the other class was an international business management course. I think it was neat having the opportunity to learn from a non-American professor because I was able to experience cultural differences regarding education. I learned that tests and grades are not as important to Spanish students as they are to American students and that classes are reading intensive. I think I’ll actually miss going to class in Spain. I enjoyed the routine of taking the metro, grabbing a coffee and staying in the same class for a few hours.

Moving on from school, last weekend a few friends from the study abroad and I took a trip to Amsterdam. This city is incredible, and I was able to experience a lot of firsts one of the included staying in a hostel. The hostel was not as bad as I anticipated, and it was fun getting to meet other people our age also traveling. After checking into the hostel, we went on a walking tour of the city. Some notable sights included hidden churches, the red light district and the canal. After the tour, we went to the Van Gogh museum, grabbed dinner and called it night shortly after. The next day and a half was packed but some notable experiences were going on a boat canal tour ride, touring the Heiniken brewery, and walking around Vondell Park.Tomorrow, pretty much everyone from the Amsterdam group is heading to Zurich, then Prague and finally Rome. I am so excited to see what adventures are in store and will update this blog when I get back!

After a week of traveling all around Europe, we had our last trip as a study abroad group to Costa Brava. On the way to Costa Brava, we stopped at a town to see the Salvador Dali museum. Dali is an artist with a distinct mustache and is best known for his surrealist style, and he actually designed every corner of his museum. My favorite part about the museum was that you could see something different every time you looked at the artwork. After the museum we took our bus to Costa Brava, checked into the hotel, and went to the beach. The beach was just what I needed after a week of traveling to three different countries, and Costa Brava was the perfect place to go. The part of town that we stayed was a beach resort, and everyone I met was friendly. The next morning, our study abroad group had an excursion to the rice farm. We were given a tour of the farm and shown how rice is produced. After the rice farm, we had a 3.5-hour lunch with tons of tapas, a main course, dessert and coffee. The food was absolutely delicious, but about an hour in, I was already full! Once lunch was done, we headed back to Costa Brava and spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach. One of the reasons I enjoyed Costa Brava so much was because the whole group was together because we have become really close to each other.
Moving on from Costa Brava, today, I was given a survey to fill out about the study abroad. One of the blanks asked for a testimonial so here it is: I now understand why everyone says studying abroad is a must. I have gained a new sense of independence, become immersed in a new culture, and created strong friendships. My best piece of advice would be to take siestas along the way!

I’ve probably said this in all of my blogs, but this week has gone by so fast! I finished my last final today meaning that I have officially completed the school part of the study abroad. Both of the classes were interesting- one of them was taught by a Spanish professor. This class focused on the history and economics of the EU integration, and the other class was an international business management course. I think it was neat having the opportunity to learn from a non-American professor because I was able to experience cultural differences regarding education. I learned that tests and grades are not as important to Spanish students as they are to American students and that classes are reading intensive. I think I’ll actually miss going to class in Spain. I enjoyed the routine of taking the metro, grabbing a coffee and staying in the same class for a few hours.
Moving on from school, last weekend a few friends from the study abroad and I took a trip to Amsterdam. This city is incredible, and I was able to experience a lot of firsts one of the included staying in a hostel. The hostel was not as bad as I anticipated, and it was fun getting to meet other people our age also traveling. After checking into the hostel, we went on a walking tour of the city. Some notable sights included hidden churches, the red light district and the canal. After the tour, we went to the Van Gogh museum, grabbed dinner and called it night shortly after. The next day and a half was packed but some notable experiences were going on a boat canal tour ride, touring the Heiniken brewery, and walking around Vondell Park.
Tomorrow, pretty much everyone from the Amsterdam group is heading to Zurich, then Prague and finally Rome. I am so excited to see what adventures are in store and will update this blog when I get back!