I happen to live in the best neighborhood of Barcelona: The Eixample District. What makes this area unique is that it is right in the middle of the city and it is filled with lots of things to do. It is the largest district in Barcelona made up of six different neighborhoods: L'Esquerra de l'Eixample, La Nova 'Esquerra de l'Eixample, Dreta de l'Eixample, Fort Pienc, Sant Antoni and Sagrada Família. I live in the first one, L'Esquerra de l'Eixample and it actually has the nickname Gaixample because over the past 2 decades, there has been a rise of gay shops, restaurants, and nightclubs. So just imagine a neighborhood with gay pride and great atmosphere.
Some of the most important tourist attractions are located in Eixample such as Plaça de Catalunya, Passeig de Gracias, La Pedrera, Casa Batllo, Las Ramblas, and Sagrada Familia, just to name a few. Everything is all walking distance, so I get to explore a lot of the main spots in the city whenever I want to. There is also so much life everywhere. It has the best nightclubs, bars, and restaurants. I also just learned from a friend that Barcelona is split into upper and lower diagonal, like Manhattan in NYC for example, which means that the upper area is where the rich tend to live and the lower is more of the low-income. My district is in the upper diagonal, so it tends to be a fairly safer part of the city and I can be out till late with less fear. If you stare at a map of Barcelona, you will notice perfect grid-like patterns of its streets. Back in the day, the streets were all random and as a consequence, for example, the Gothic Quarter is a maze-like network of streets in every direction with no concern for parallelism. Due to an increase in population, they developed a new system to unite the old city with smaller towns like Gracias and Sarria. Long, wide streets were cut across blocks that provided better visibility around corners and made it easier for trams to turn corners, called superblocks. I personally do not like the concepts of these blocks because instead of crossing the street at the end of the block, you have to turn at the end and walk a little further than usual. It is definitely a unique feature that I have never seen in any other city. In all, I lucked out so much on this homestay and I wish I could stay here forever!
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It is the end of October and I am still wearing shorts/dresses outside! The weather consists of low 70s during the day and low 60s at night. The sun is out everyday and it rarely rains; when it does rain, it only lasts 1-2 hours at the most. This really differs from the cool fall that I’m used to around this time back in Pennsylvania. By now, most of the leaves have started falling to the ground and coats have started to be worn. Instead, I’m enjoying the comfortable climate Barcelona has to offer. It’s been the perfect temperature this past month’ it could be compared to Spring-like weather back home. In terms of clothing, I came well prepared because I did my research beforehand. It’s easy to pack for this weather regardless, because all you need is a light jacket to keep you good. It’s funny to see the locals dressed up so warmly with coats and sweaters. To me this weather is like Spring, but to them it’s definitely cooler. As the days go by though, I am noticing temperatures starting to drop more at night, meaning that colder days are close by. However, it doesn’t get nearly as cold as it does in PA and best of all: there is no snow! Since the weather is so optimal, I get to enjoy my days exploring the city comfortably. I don’t sweat or freeze. I am truly always at a good temperature. Therefore I recommend for future students planning to study abroad in the fall in Barcelona, to bring their favorite outfits that you like to wear during spring and fall, along with both a light and heavy jacket. That is all you need to enjoy all the wonders in your time here. I came to Barcelona alone, but I’m leaving with loads of fun,unforgettable memories spent with the most amazing people. From day one, I arrived making new connections with people who turned out to be good friends of mine while here. On the flight to Barcelona from JFK in New York, there happened to be 4 other students in my program: Jake, Natalie, Marcellus, and John. It was the greatest coincidence because we instantly shared our excitement with studying abroad and formed a pretty tight bond. Three out of the four happened to be fellow SU students! When we got integrated with the rest of the program, everyone seemed to group up and make friends. I grew close with so many fun personalities, but my closest circle undeniably includes Safa, John, and Marcellus. SAFA I met Safa on my very first day in Barcelona. I went to a meetup to get acquainted with some other students from my program and Safa was the first girl I laid eyes on and instantly knew we were going to be great friends. She is from Iraq and her Arab background is something I am quite familiar with because of my high school best friend who is Egyptian, Lina. She reminded me alot of Lina and I got to connect with her in that way. She is now from North Carolina and goes to NC State, majoring in biomedical sciences with hopes of becoming a dentist, JUST LIKE ME! That was such a solidifier into a great friendship ahead. The best part of meeting her was that it just so happened to be her 21st birthday! I personally am a birthday fanatic and was so ecstatic to have been able to celebrate later on that day. From there on out, she has become my closest girlfriend during my time abroad and I am 1000% certain that we will maintain our friendship beyond this. JOHN John Aligata is undoubtedly another one of my tightest connections that I have made here. He was one of the four whom I met on the flight to Spain. He is from Connecticut and majors in computer science at Plymouth State University. Now, imagine the funniest nerdy boy with the most analytical thinking ever. At first, I thought I wouldn’t have ever connected the way I did with him because he looked so different from the friends I usually make, but the beauty of this whole experience is being able to make friends from all different kinds of backgrounds and personalities. The moment I knew he was my buddy for life was when he told me he was a Capricorn; my other best friend, Ashlee is a Capricorn, and even though it’s silly to believe in things like astrology, it has not failed me because John is indeed just like Ashlee. Ever since then, we share a true friendship that will live on after this. We already have plans to visit each other back in the States at SU! CELL Marcellus or Cell is my most unexpected bond yet. He goes to Susquehanna and I’ve known him since freshman year, we just were never close. I have always seen Cell and even talked to him before in light passing, but now we got to know each other better and built a great bond as well. He was also on the flight to Spain and happened to be host brothers with John, which they found out there! Since we all stay in home stays, we are pretty close because most of our program stays at a Student Hotel, so we stick close, sharing common homestay experiences. I’m so glad I got to study abroad because I would have never gotten the chance to really meet Cell. Who knew he was so chill?! ANA The last relationship worth mentioning is my host mom, Ana. <3 As mentioned before, she is a Dominican widow who feeds me, does my laundry, and provides a family-like atmosphere while I live in her apartment. We share hour to two hour long dinners together every night with long talks about our days and other life topics. She really is like a second mom and treats me so well! I definitely got so lucky with her being my host mom. I’d also like to shout out some honorable mentions that have also grown close to my heart: Brody, Natalie, Annabelle, Katie, Julia, Emil, Kylie, and so much more. These are just my friends from the program; I also met some locals that happen to be from all over Europe like a French guy named Tim, and an English girl named Michelle. I’m so grateful to have been able to form such valuable ties that I’d never get the chance to if I hadn’t studied abroad. The best part of all is that I know for sure that these relationships will stay with me forever. |
Author"I truly believe that everything happens for a reason. I don’t know if life is already planned out or if the butterfly effect really determines the future, but I am almost certain that the universe works to fulfill a purpose. Part of my purpose is to go to Spain. So many things could have stopped this trip, but yet I'm still here, writing about the trip that the universe could not stop..." Archives
November 2021
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