Hey guys!
I am finally in Barcelona! I got here on Sunday the 2nd of September. It’s been a pretty crazy week already. We had orientations for all our different classes, we started Spanish class (where I quickly learned I am pretty bad at anything relating to Spanish except hola), and we went on a field trip to Tarragona with my program. We’ve eaten out and made a ton of meals in the apartment. We’ve been to clubs and bars with our friends from Miami (plus some friends we’ve made along the way!) and we’ve been to the beach and seen some sights. Does that sound exhausting for just one week? Because it is. I’ve decided that study abroad will pretty much be my friends and I complaining that we are tired but never doing anything about it for the entire 4 months we are here.
That being said, I could not be having more fun! Exploring Barcelona with my best friends has been a dream. Our apartment is literally amazing. We booked our apartment on Airbnb and it has exceeded our expectations. We have a private balcony, a dining room with giant windows overlooking the city, a cozy living room with a smart tv so we can watch all the YouTube, 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, plus a kitchen and a laundry room. The entire apartment is covered with beautiful tile floors and mesmerizing ceilings. It could not be more beautifully Spanish. Plus we have air conditioning, which we’ve found is not super common!
One of my favorite things we’ve done here is going to La Boqueria market. There are a TON of vendors all selling fresh foods. There are even some food counters you can sit at and order tapas! We got fruit ice pops and some spices for our kitchen. Plus, it is only about 3 blocks from our apartment! We plan on going back and buying more food for our apartment when we eat in. It was beautiful and you could tell all the food there was extremely fresh and local. We absolutely loved that place and can’t wait to go back.
This past weekend, we went on our field trip to Tarragona. I really had no idea what this place was until I got there. They stack humans in huge towers that are like taller than my house???!!! Like they all get together and climb each other??!! HELLO?! This was wild. They had us try and I played a small role. I am not a tiny small girl who can climb on people and I am also not a giant strong man who can hold people. However, I’m glad I didn’t have either of those responsibilities, I’m not made for human towers lol. We did go to a beautiful monastery and learned a lot about Spanish history. It was my favorite part of the trip. Every corner was so beautiful and it was crazy to think that people lived there and to learn about their lifestyle and how the monks and nuns there got closer to God.
If you haven’t noticed, by this point I’ve used the word “beautiful” many times already. That really is the best word to describe my time here so far. Everything I’ve seen is beautiful, all the people I’ve met are beautiful, and my friends and our friendship is the most beautiful thing of all. This place is amazing, but it’s even more amazing that I get to see it with my amazing friends Sarah, Sammy, Vanessa, and Daniela. I am feeling more and more blessed every single day! God is so good. This weekend I travel to Ibiza for 3 days so you’ll hear about that soon! Be sure to follow my socials linked below to keep up with my travels.
XOXO
Kristin