Study Abroad Barcelona by Kassie Dunn '19

All students at The University of Scranton have the opportunity to study abroad, whether it's for the summer term, over intersession, or even longer. My fellow students: I can guarantee that you will love every minute of it.

This semester, I studied abroad with a group of 15 Scranton students and, so far, we have had the best time. This intersession we are taking international marketing through the program CIEE. Each day the class meets from 1-3 p.m., which means we have the rest of the time to explore the amazing city. We have traveled all over the city, visiting numerous tourist attractions like Par Quell, The Picasso Museum, Bunkers Hill and La Sagrada Familia. We hiked more than eight miles just to see the amazing view and we took cable cars across the city to see Barcelona from every angle. This trip has been a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Along with learning about international marketing, the Scranton gang has learned so much about this history of Spain. Through CIEE, we went on a field trip to Valencia. It was about a four-hour bus ride, but it was worth it. The history and culture are so rich and interesting; we didn't want the tour guide to stop talking! We also learned a lot about the history of the city through tours we signed up for on our own. For example, we all went to La Sagrada Familia and did an audio tour. Every building and every landmark has a rich history that we are all thrilled to learn about. 

We've also taken part in so many cultural activities. The first weekend we were here, all 15 of us went to a Barcelona soccer game and I have never seen anything like it. I love to go to live games, but this was something else. The fans are so fun! They cheer and sing and dance – it's like one big party! The stadium, Camp Nou, is gigantic. Thankfully, our team won and all of the fans were so happy. I also really enjoyed our class visit to the chocolate museum where we made our own chocolate and learned about the history of it. Every sculpture in the museum is made completely out of chocolate. It truly is an art. Speaking of eating, each day after class, we pick a new restaurant to eat at and debate where we should go the next day. All the food is delicious and each restaurant is so quaint and quiet you just want to stay there forever.

At the end of the day, the 15 of us separate and go back to our houses. Through CIEE, students are split up to live in the apartments or a homestay and each living arrangement has its pros and cons. The apartments, which I stay in, are nice because its quiet and clean and you have a sense of freedom. But, the homestays are nice because host families feed you, do your laundry and speak to you in Spanish! Overall, everyone seems pretty happy with their living situation.

Studying abroad has taught all of us so many valuable lessons in life and enriched our education. We have all learned how to budget our money, how to take the metro, adjust quickly to a different lifestyle and some of us even picked up a little bit of Spanish! The experience here is one that I will cherish forever, and I am thankful to have had such great friends to enjoy it with.