AIFS Abroad in Barcelona, Spain (UAB): Semester

Barcelona has so much to offer! Besides the wonderful Mediterranean weather, there's always something new to discover.

One of my favorite pastimes in Barça was exploring the Gothic quarter, which is full of neat shops, restaurants, and (perhaps my favorite) gelato shops!! You can find all of these throughout the city, but the Gothic is very Medieval!

Another favorite pastime was spending time in the Parc de la Ciutadella. There's a huge, beautiful fountain, ping pong tables (yes, people play ping pong outside in parks!), and plenty of shady spaces to lay a blanket down to read or do yoga. There's a huge pond in the middle of the park too where you can rent a paddleboat or find a bench to people watch or start a conversation with someone.

The FOOD is amazing!! Of course, not all food is created equal. If you use Trip Advisor, you'll find the gems! The mediterranean diet is considered the healthiest in the world. Enjoy every bit of it, too, because it can't be replicated back home. The Ensalada de Espinacas y Fresas was my FAVORITE!! It was probably the fresh, warm goat's cheese... can't get it like that at home. :)

Practice your SPANISH! The locals love when you converse with them in Spanish (or Catalan, the official language of Barcelona). I was barely past beginner level when I arrived in Barcelona, but the locals were generally very patient. I received better service, and learned more about the city when I did my best to speak Spanish. Thankfully, most people in Barça speak English if you have a limit to your Spanish fluency. It just targets you as a tourist, and if you're studying abroad in a country, it's respectful to learn their language.

What really made my trip worthwhile was that I tried something NEW every day. Whether it was trying a new food, exploring a new area, or stepping a little more out of my comfort zone. One of the most courageous things I did was travel outside of Spain by myself. European travel is super affordable if you're already within the EU. It's impossible not to make friends if you're a traveler (especially backpacking).

The biggest thing I learned from my study abroad experience with AIFS is that your experience is what you make it. Nobody is going to tell you what to do. The great thing about being in Europe is that you can easily travel from one country to another, within the EU. I wish I had planned more thoroughly!

This semester surpassed any expectation I could have set for myself. My host family was wonderful and extremely accomodating, especially when I got sick twice. I found the staff extremely helpful and always there as well. Having an intercambio also helped assimilate myself into the culture a little more- so thank you for setting that up. Barcelona is a great city and I´m glad I got to experience what it has to offer.

I had no idea just how memorable my time would be in Barcelona. AIFS was so helpful-anything from help with places to eat, day trips, travel tips, and just being there when we were overwhelmed. The day trips were great and an easy way to see local attractions that some programs do not include. These activities also helped you create a ¨home base¨with the other students in the program.

I was very uneasy about coming abroad but everything went so much better than I expected. My day to day was filled with new activities and although I was in school it was still very fulfilling. I missed some things at home after some time but the program was very well constructed and made everything accessible and enjoyable.

AIFS has been wonderful! I have made so many new friendships and was able to explore Europe in just three short months. I wish I could study abroad here again next spring! The part i enjoyed most about studying in Barcelona was exploring the city and all Barcelona has to offer! Aifs in Barcelona is the BEST program and it´s going to be sad leaving this place that I can now call my second home.

Life in Barcelona was like a dream looking back, a dream that i shall never forget! I loved everything about the experience, from the culture, cuisine, and people, to the central location of the Barcelona airport which allowed for extensive travel throughout Europe. I came to Barcelona looking for something, what that something was I didn´t know, yet here in Barcelona, I found that special something I´d been searching for all along. A little part of myself that I had lost over the years I managed to find here in Barcelona. After battling with depression for two years, it´s safe to say that I consider myself mentally stable at last, and I have this experience to thank for potentially saving my life. Through this experience, my zest and appreciation for the beauty of life has been reinvigorated in a whole new way, one which I struggled to find back at home in the United States. My whole perspective on life has shifted as a result of this experience, and I daresay that I am a new, refined, mature version of myself. I´ll never forget my time here in Barcelona, for what I was looking for was inside of me all along, and now, I see.

My experience in Barcelona was incredible. The AIFS program directors, Inma and Jenn, went above and beyond the entire time that we were there to make us feel comfortable, safe, and welcome. I could not have asked for better staff to approach with questions, concerns, and problems.
I chose to live with a host family for the semester. It was an experience that required patients, understanding, and an open mind. Overall, my experience with living in a host family was great. I developed a wonderful relationship with my host mom and became very comfortable in a new enviroment.
My biggest concern and worry before coming to Barcelona were finances and food. The food took some getting used to and required me to realize that speaking up and letting my host mom know that I did not like it was the only way to keep from having it again. All in all, the food in my host stay has been ok and nothing that I could not deal with.
Finances should not have caused me to lose a wink of sleep before leaving the USA, as once you meet others in your group you quickly find those that are on a budget similiar to your own and one way or another you make things work.

I would definitely reccomend traveling abroad in Barcelona. The locals are overall extremely nice, and there is plenty of opportunity to practice the language. However, it is not necessary to know Spanish very well. The social scene in Barcelona is unlike anything that I have experienced, and there is always something to do any night of the week. The academics here are not challenging compared to in the United States, which is nice because it gives plenty of opporunity to see the city and travel a lot. I found that the biggest challenge I faced in day to day life is getting used to doing simple things such as going to the pharmacy or doctor. These tasks may be easy in the US, but here they seem like a whole other challenge. My biggest advice is to not be scared to put yourself out there. Be proud of who you are, people will be nice to you and help you if you are nice to them. A smile is universal.