I am in love with Barcelona. The people are friendly, the streets & the metro are cleaner than NY, the architecture is gorgeous, & I get to practice my Spanish & learn a bit of Catalan at the same time. My professors at CEA Global Education, the third party program I went through, are fantastic & are really dedicated teachers. The best part is that they are working in the field that they teach classes in so they are able to show first hand what life in that field is like. For instance, in my international journalism class, my professor is an international journalist & has reported wars & huge stories. He gives real life scenarios like where you should sit if you’re in a jeep with other people in a dangerous area (always try to drive. People normally won’t shoot the driver because they are normally hired locals). My professors are also from different countries: Mexico, the Netherlands, England, Germany, & Lebanon, which makes all the classes taught from a global perspective.
Nevertheless, there are major downsides to my study abroad program. First, I should not have studied through CEA. The program is full of fraternity & sorority people, which is fine, but I cannot seem to fit in with these people. I wish I would have either studied abroad through a Pace program or through an international university where I could meet international students. I find the people in my program to be very shallow & culturally & globally unaware. For instance, I was in a coffee shop near campus, & this group of students walked in, ordered & said, “These stupid people can’t speak any English. What the hell is wrong with this place? Catalonians are so f**king stupid.” Uh...DUH We are in Spain, morons. So just little things like this scenario that really create a strain on making friends here. However, Sam & I are having a great time. He seems to be adjusting better to the people here than I am.
I’m really not into partying, smoking, drinking & all that crap. I’d much rather spend my money on travel, awesome food, & meeting new people. It makes me grateful that I didn’t go to a party school for college; Pace University was definitely a great decision. I miss Pace a lot, but am having so much fun experiencing new cultures, food, & meeting new people from other countries. I hope that I adjust better & meet other people, hopefully some local Catalonians. Until next time, ArielViewers.
Monday, February 18, 2013
A bit about my study abroad experience
I am in love with Barcelona. The people are friendly, the streets & the metro are cleaner than NY, the architecture is gorgeous, & I get to practice my Spanish & learn a bit of Catalan at the same time. My professors at CEA Global Education, the third party program I went through, are fantastic & are really dedicated teachers. The best part is that they are working in the field that they teach classes in so they are able to show first hand what life in that field is like. For instance, in my international journalism class, my professor is an international journalist & has reported wars & huge stories. He gives real life scenarios like where you should sit if you’re in a jeep with other people in a dangerous area (always try to drive. People normally won’t shoot the driver because they are normally hired locals). My professors are also from different countries: Mexico, the Netherlands, England, Germany, & Lebanon, which makes all the classes taught from a global perspective.
Nevertheless, there are major downsides to my study abroad program. First, I should not have studied through CEA. The program is full of fraternity & sorority people, which is fine, but I cannot seem to fit in with these people. I wish I would have either studied abroad through a Pace program or through an international university where I could meet international students. I find the people in my program to be very shallow & culturally & globally unaware. For instance, I was in a coffee shop near campus, & this group of students walked in, ordered & said, “These stupid people can’t speak any English. What the hell is wrong with this place? Catalonians are so f**king stupid.” Uh...DUH We are in Spain, morons. So just little things like this scenario that really create a strain on making friends here. However, Sam & I are having a great time. He seems to be adjusting better to the people here than I am.
I’m really not into partying, smoking, drinking & all that crap. I’d much rather spend my money on travel, awesome food, & meeting new people. It makes me grateful that I didn’t go to a party school for college; Pace University was definitely a great decision. I miss Pace a lot, but am having so much fun experiencing new cultures, food, & meeting new people from other countries. I hope that I adjust better & meet other people, hopefully some local Catalonians. Until next time, ArielViewers.
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