Barcelona, Spain

 

Mariah Goodman

CIEE Summer Language and Culture Program in Barcelona, Spain

Major: Biology, Pre-medicine track

 

6/4/2024- Pre-Departure

I cannot believe that I’m leaving for Barcelona so soon! My flight is officially 5 days from today, and I’m already fully packed. This is my first time leaving the country, and only my second time being on a plane (my first time was only this year!). I’ve been quite anxious about the idea of being separated from so many people I know and love, and to be honest, I’m scared of missing all of the support I receive from them. However, I know that I am going to be supported and loved regardless of where I am. The distance may be difficult, but I will know why I’m there.

I have been studying Spanish on and off for several years, starting around 8th or 9th grade. Of course, at the beginning, it was just something to fulfill my language requirement for high school. After my second year of learning Spanish, I realized that I was pretty skilled at understanding new languages. I catch onto new vocabulary impressively fast, and I’m not afraid of pronouncing words differently or practicing my accent. I’m very good at reading and listening to Spanish, however with speaking I could improve on that greatly – which is why I chose Spain!

I know that Spanish in Spain is different from what I’ve learned in school, however, I think that exposure to different dialects or cultures can only benefit my experience with Spanish language learning. I hope to reach fluency soon at some point in my life, and as an aspiring doctor, I can use it to my advantage when helping people.

Besides the Spanish language courses I will take there, I am also excited about my experience in Spain outside of academics. I hope that I make friends with the other CIEE students living in my residencia, and I can also befriend a few locals. I plan to see a lot of art, eat good food, and listen to great music! To me, those are the essentials to a great trip, and a great life.

 

 

6-11-24

First week in Barcelona: a huge success!

For my first full day in Barcelona, we had to attend an orientation for my program. Afterward, we all did a walking tour around the Poblenou neighborhood, which is close to the residencia that I’m staying in!

 

6-12-24

By far the best day of this week was our day trip to Tarragona on Wednesday. All students in my program met up at 9 am outside of the 365 café, which had an amazing variety of croissants and other pastries. I bought a croissant with powdered sugar on one side, and chocolate sprinkles on the other, with chocolate filling! Maybe not the healthiest breakfast, but a delicious one.

The trip to Tarragona was an hour-and-a-half bus ride, and when we got there, our first activity was a tour guide around the Roman ruins. We were informed about the history of these strong double brick walls, cannons that faced the outside, and the collapse of the double walls over time. We were then taken to a cathedral, which was first built around 1100. The architecture of the cathedral represented multiple religions that had an impact on that area in Spain over the centuries. First, Moorish influence, and then Christian or Catholic influence, and a later impact on Tarragona shown from Judaism.

Everything in Tarragona was gorgeous, from the streets and the balconies to the people. Those who ran stores and gelato places were extremely kind, and communicating with them was a breeze. Keep in mind that in both Tarragona and Barcelona, Catalán is spoken, not Spanish! The Catalonian community is spread throughout a significant region in Northern Spain.

After some more walking, we were taken to the amphitheater, which is apparently the place where Roman gladiators fought. People would often volunteer to fight to pay off a debt they had, but there were also non-volunteers, or people forced to fight for entertainment.

After the tour, we ate lunch, which included salad, paella, and ice cream for dessert! This was my first time eating paella, and it did not disappoint. The rice was flavorful and very filling. We then broke off into our own groups and ventured around the city for about an hour before we were meant to leave. I spotted a gelato place, where two of my new friends and I enjoyed delicious and authentic gelato. We were also close to the beach, where we talked and walked around and just enjoyed the view. Of course, many pictures were taken, and one of them took some with her digital camera, which came out amazing!

The entire trip was so exciting, and the next day was our first day of classes.

 

6-13-24

I’m participating in the course called “Urban Culture in Contemporary Barcelona” and the first day of class was pretty easy. This day was a chill day, where after class me and at least 12 other students gathered for lunch, where I also drank a delicious pina colada. Afterwards, I had to run some errands, buying some food and essentials for my place.

6-14-24

Friday was a great end to my first week! For class we explored more of Barcelona’s history, and took a walk around the Gothic Quarter. I saw many things that intrigued me, and I can’t wait to go back on my own or with a few friends, as soon as possible. Later in the day I caught dinner with some friends, and we all went to a few bars and had an eventful night.

For the weekend, I’m hoping to go thrifting and to do other plans that I’ve made with people, and with myself. That’s it for now, and thanks so much for reading!

 

6-17-24

Monday wasn’t too much of a busy day. I went to class and later had lunch with friends at the Macchina Pasta Bar where I ordered a simple but delicious carbonara. We went for gelato after, which is always my favorite dessert to eat in this city. I had three scoops, each with a different flavor: Pistachio, Rocher cream, and Kinder Bueno. And as always, I make sure to order in Spanish 😉

 

 

 

6-18-24

Today I explored a bit more around my own neighborhood, the Poblenou neighborhood! Two blocks down from my residence, I could spot the famous Akbar tower in the distance. I first learned about the tower in my class and I wondered why everyone in Barcelona is so fascinated with it. I think I’ll do some more research on it and its importance soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6-19-24

We had another on-site class today at Barceloneta Beach, and during our walk there, we passed by La Boqueria. It’s a huge market that sells fresh produce and sweet treats, as well as meats and other savory foods. It’s a very popular spot for tourists. Once we made it to Barceloneta, I did my on-site presentation! It was about Javier Mariscal, a famous Spanish artist known for his creation of Cobi, the mascot for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The Olympic Games being hosted in Barcelona for that year started a huge boom in tourism, and Barcelona as a city was completely rebranded. Javier Mariscal created the “Bar-Cel-Ona” logo, and he also created sculptures including La Gamba. La Gamba is the giant shrimp sculpture mounted on the bridge at Barceloneta Beach, and I think it’s one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen! Once class ended, we were allowed to do whatever we wanted from there. So of course, my friend and I stayed at Barceloneta. We enjoyed laying on the shore, getting our tans in, and being in the clear blue water.

 

 

6-20-24

Our next on-site class was at the Design Museum of Barcelona. The Akbar Tower was even closer to this building, as I took notice. We sat at a cafe inside the museum, and our teacher discussed more about contemporary culture in Barcelona. I ordered a cortado, which is now my favorite drink to get in the mornings!

 

By the afternoon, I had joined a trip to the Picasso Museum coordinated for students in the program. Around 20 other students were there, so we created a bit of a crowd. I usually enjoy museums alone, but this trip was great too. I learned a lot about Pablo Picasso, like how he spoke Catalán instead of Spanish, and how his style was much less abstract and more involved with realism the younger he was. His earlier styles were much more different than in the paintings that most people know Picasso for.

 

6-21-24

Friday, Costa Brava day! For this day trip, we left around 9 am for a one-hour bus ride to Tossa De Mar. As soon as we arrived, we all had free time to explore the area ourselves before going to our next stop. I am extremely obsessed with the beach, so I went straight to the shore. My friends and I rented beach chairs (which were about 11 euros each) and soaked in all that we could for the next hour and a half. As of now, Tossa De Mar is the best beach hands down! The water was unbelievably clear and crisp, and the waves weren’t too strong. We had a beautiful view, with a castle on a mountain in the distance. We were by many mountains.

Our next stop was Lloret De Mar, where we were offered a tour of the Gardens of Saint Clotilde. Surprise-surprise, I chose to stay at the beach again. We all got free ice cream, but

afterward, I was back to the sand and swimming in the ocean. This beach was also incredibly gorgeous, but the waves were much stronger over there, andlet’s just say I got beat several times.

This day was a beautiful day, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Interactions with locals and servers at places were easy, and I’m grateful to know the amount of Spanish that I do. I think for anyone out there looking to travel to Spain or any other Spanish-speaking country, even if you aren’t fluent, it would benefit you by a million to just know the basics. That includes learning names for foods, utensils, and basic questions like how you can order something, where the bathroom is, etc.

Overall, my second week in Barcelona was satisfyingly eventful and there is so much more to come. Thanks for reading!

 

6-25-24

My third week in Barcelona was less jam packed than usual,but that also meant a lot of time to wind down and take some time to myself. But of course I still did a lot of exciting things!

For Tuesday’s on-site class, our teacher took us to El Raval, a more local neighborhood that is known for its amazing street art. El Raval is also known to have been heavily influenced by immigrants from multiple countries, including Pakistan, Indonesia, and India.

I didn’t know about the relevance of street art until now, and that graffiti could send messages with such a significant impact.

 

 

6-26-24

 

 

Wednesday was the day for me and some friends to go shopping, and I suggested a place I have been wanting to go to for a while: Les Encants flea market. What I didn’t know is how huge it was! There were about 3 floors, with a golden roof, and you could see the famous Akbar tower in the distance. I gave this flea market a 10/10, and I even bought a nice digital camera 🙂

 

 

 

 

6-28-24

Friday night was the highlight of my week. My friend Shea and I went to a tango dance class, and it was so much fun. The place was called Argenfolk, and it was by the Montjuic area. Getting off from the metro stop there we walked by the colosseum, and I also noticed a very cool building with a clock on it, with the word “Catalonia” at the very top.

 

The instructors were so polite and despite them teaching in Spanish 95% of the time, we both understood them very well. I’m once again glad that I can speak Spanish to a pretty good extent, but others may use body language in cases like this to really learn. The night was beautiful, and after the lesson we had a Milonga, which is a period of time where you can dance however you want and with whomever you want, while several different songs are played. I enjoyed dancing with friends and also getting to meet other Spanish people who shared an interest in dancing for fun; it was perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7-29-24