CIS Abroad Semester Programs in Barcelona, Spain

I wish I had known what type of American students Barcelona attracts! A lot of what I found was that people were only in Barcelona to party with other Americans. They didn't want to go to Spanish clubs or meet Spanish people. I found that my semester goals were very different than the goals of others, and I wish someone had been able to warn me about what type of people want to study there.

I also was surprised by how many people knew each other in the program! I wanted to travel solo, and also wanted to jump into a semester in a new city not knowing anyone, so when I arrived at my program orientation I was sad to see how many people already knew each other! That being said, people still wanted to make friends and branch out, but not as much as I had hoped. If you are planning to go alone (which you absolutely should, it was the best decision I made, just make sure you're going to a place that attracts the type of people you want to meet.

Classes are very light in this program, so I only had 2 a day, so 4 total hours of class. My week looked like this: Every day (Monday through Thursday- no Friday classes!!) I had class 9-11, and then a break and then 11:30-1:30. So I was done with school by 1:30 and had the whole rest of the day to explore Barcelona! I usually took this time to grab a subway going in a direction I had never been and would wander around that part until I felt like going home!

Sometimes I would meet up with other people in my program and we'd explore together, but sometimes you find the best places by yourself! This is how I found the Gracia neighborhood, and that ended up being my favorite spot in the city.

My biggest fear was going abroad alone and feeling LONELY! Since I was traveling alone I was really worried I wouldn't meet anyone I liked and would spend the whole semester alone and talking to my friends at home too much and feeling sad for myself. I overcame this by actually being alone!! I realized that exploring a new city alone is the best way to learn because you can always do exactly what YOU want to do! You don't have to worry about anyone except yourself!! And when you're having amazing experiences and seeing cool unique Gaudi architecture and accidentally stumbling into a parade on the street, you'll realize there is no one better to share the experience with than yourself!

If you get a chance, (which you absolutely will) GO TO PRAGUE!!!!! This is the best city maybe in the world, and if you need a hostel to stay at, stay at Hostel One Home!!! Prague is the best city in the world and that hostel showed me all the best bars, sights and fun places to be! Prague is such a unique city that feels so beautifully Eastern European. It was one of the most unique cities I visited and I met the best group of people there.

I traveled alone after my semester for 1.5 months and never met as many great people as I did in Prague. I found that the city has SO MUCH character and also the best gelato at this place called gelato! I cannot express how much I loved this city and how much fun it was! If you can go to any place in Europe, it should be in this city!