“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit”

Jawaharial Nehru

It honestly shocks me how rich this country is with many festivals and activities in which they honor a person. This week we honored the co-patron saint of Barcelona who is commemorated with statues and street names throughout the city. Santa Eulalia  is said to have been a 13 year-old girl who was tortured and killed during the Roman Empire in the early 4th century and has been honored as a martyr every since. Although a sad story, the festival is so lively with art that can only be seen in Spain.

On the other hand, in the United States we are very separated by specific days in which some of us celebrate some days and other do not. We do have festivals from time to time, but when you actually have a festival in the originally country that is belongs to, it just is ten times better. I got to see so much art in many different forms, some through paintings, street art, music, dancing, etc.

I gained a lot of insight while walking around the city streets of Barcelona through this festival. The culture here is much more closer than I expected. Even the locals of Barcelona admire and love the festivals that are put on for them. Many people gather around to support their local artists. The atmosphere in the streets is just a more unified energy that I was not expecting but I love!

Castellers (human towers) are made up of teams of Catalans that climb on top of each other to compete to build the biggest ‘castle’. This was the most eye catching moment for me! They even had little kids around 6 or 7 years old participating in climbing these human towers. The amount of strength and balance to be able to do stunts like these are crazy and this is actually very traditional in Spain. I learned more from the culture and the atmosphere what a real local city felt like. I feel like we don’t get that a lot in the United States, many people just got to watch and they just leave. In Spain people were dancing with one another, clapping for their artists, asking for an encore, etc. I felt very welcomed and at home.

I am really happy that I got to experience such a close energy with the local people today for this festival. I learned that Barcelona celebrates many of their saints with a huge festival in which they incorporate different ancient dances. I love that i am being exposed to another side to Spanish culture that is completely different from what I am used to. That is what I wanted, I wanted to be exposed to differences in culture so I can really see the differences between a culture that really values their history and their people.

“Do something today that your future self will thank you for”

During my time abroad in Barcelona I have been partnered with a small start up business called Wifitakeaway. This company strives in making people happy. Happy by always allowing accessible portable wifi for their clients. This is perfect for the millions of people who come and visit Europe and would like to have a secure source of wifi always around them. I have finally have had a full week working with my internship and it has already taught me so much. As a Business and Spanish major this company has both of the elements in which I would love to work in once I graduate College.

I would high recommend any one who is thinking of studying abroad to also look into the option to take on a internship while abroad. Although it does require more hours to be put in, I think the results will be worth it in the end. At least for me, what I would like to become in the future is a bit foggy which often causes me a lot of stress because I have this need to know exactly what I want to become. Little by little this internship will be giving me real life experiences where I will be able to make mistakes and grow from them. I had a conversation with my boss the other day where I told him how I was actually a very shy and scared person and how I would like to change that once I leave his company. He told me not to worry that greater moments that really change us often come from places in which we are forced to become uncomfortable.

My boss has already guided me through a whole 45 minute lecture about businesses and what makes a un/successful business. I was very intrigued because being in his office and having one on one conversation just was totally different from class. He would make me get up and write things down and make sure I was really understanding his concepts by asking me questions. This is just the START to what my internship will be teaching me. I am so excited ! My boss also is currently helping me work through my good and bad ideas for potential business ideas for the future. I am not just as a desk just copying or faxing documents, I am figuring out my future.

Lastly, while aboard I also am force to take a step back and really reflect on life. My boss also told me to imagine my funeral. I know dark right? but the lesson within was much greater. What would I want to be remembered for? What would people say about me? Is that what I want to be remembered for? Questions like these to really put my mind in the space to think about my personality and my life! This has just been such a refreshers and I cannot wait to become a more confident and knowledgeable business woman.

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Roy T. Bennett

I have been here in Barcelona, Spain for a week so far and I have experience so much in such a little amount of time. I am currently in the honeymoon/vacation phase of my trip still and seeing the city and ancient buildings around me have been nothing but a dream. I have started classes and they seem really interesting. I love exploring the city and recognizing all the art and culture this city has to offer. One big thing I have noticed being on this trip is how little of minorities actually get to travel abroad.

As a Mexican-American I am one of the 4 people who are fully fluent in Spanish in my program. I think it is interesting how many students actually came to Barcelona not knowing or knowing very few words in Spanish. After meeting most of them, I can notice how little of them actually have been exposed to “diversity”in their life. Most of them grew up in a small city and went to school in the same town where they grew up. I feel a little out of place being a first gen. and a minority studying abroad. Most of the students cannot pronounce my name or tell me

“Okay, but how do you say it in English?” or

“ahaha I can’t say it with the accent” or

Their eyes grow big and they just shout “WHAT?!?!?!?”

It’s a little frustrating because my name is in English….It has no accent it is just how to properly pronounce my name. But this has probably been the first Hispanic name that they have been exposed to. When I was smaller I hated my name because most people could not pronounce it. But in a way, now, it makes me feel even more proud to be Mexican. Although it is a little uncomfortable to be such a small group of minority, it helps me realize my power, and how I can accomplish things just like any other student if I work hard for it.

The biggest reality check is that so little groups of minorities actually get the opportunity to travel abroad. At least for me, this scholarship was a massive help in allowing me to travel the world. Any advice to minorities thinking about traveling abroad or going to, you will feel alone. Especially in a predominately white program, but you are there for a reason. You made it just like any other student on that program. Being in Spain and actually knowing the language I feel closer to the people here because they automatically know I am Mexican and feel more comfortable to speak Spanish with me. I feel closer and more connected to the land here and the people. Nothing and no one can rip that away from me.

Arco de Triunfo de Barcelona (:

Be yourself; Everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde.

This is the first post on my new blog. I’m just getting this new blog going, so stay tuned for more. Subscribe below to get notified when I post new updates.

Grateful for where I’m at, excited for where I’m going!

Hello and welcome to my first Blog post ever! I am so excited to begin this journey abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I have always had a passion for traveling. My parents were both born and raised in Mexico and our family often visits and I love going there! I have always had the dream to travel across the world and be exposed to the different cultures of Spanish, as there is a lot.

I am originally from Arizona and all my life has been around the Hispanic culture. I spoke Spanish at home and loved being bilingual. One of the reason as to why I picked Spain as my country of choice was definitely for me to practice my Spanish more. You see, all my life I spoke Spanish until I started attending school where it is all taught in English of course. My Spanish began to suffer because I would speak English more consistently. Although I am still fluent in the Spanish language for both written and oral work, I am not nearly where I want to be at for my confidence to speak. What once was a very confident and talkative Spanish speaker, has turned into a more timid and insecure speaker. I really want to submerge myself in the Spanish culture so that hopefully when I arrive back to Arizona I will be more equipped to further extend my Spanish dialect.

I also as a side goal would like to experience even a glimpse of what my parents had to face when they moved from Mexico to the United States with absolutely nothing and no guarantee to anything. I believe that is the beauty to growth, you have to go through life to experience the good parts. Nothing in life is easy, and I think a lot of people know that but only a few overcome it. Spain will definitely be a culture shock, but I will learn to appreciate the struggles my parents had to face.

What I would like my Blogs to consist of is just my true emotions to experiencing new things as I travel around Europe. So far I will be studying in Barcelona and working through an internship called “wifitakeaway”. As a major in both Business and Spanish I will be challenged with both the business and language aspect which I am eager to learn from. As a first generation student and a minority I think it is very important for me to be as real and raw with my audience. Letting them know what my fears are, what I am excited for, what I wish I knew before, what I would do or not do again, etc.

This whole trip will push me so far from my comfort zone as I really have never done anything like this alone. I hope to grow and become independent. I hope to find myself because without discomfort there is no growth. I will come back to Arizona a whole new person and I am a little scared but more excited to be given such a great opportunity. I will soon be figuring things out by myself and venturing off into the night life of Barcelona. One thing that has always stuck to me is that time flies by. Everything in life comes to an end, and it is up to us to make the most of it.

Everything about my trip is a first and new experience for me and that is why I think these blogs will be so valuable to my audience. I will to blogging about how my weeks has been going, what I have been doing, and how does it feel to live with a host family. I hope to gain a lot from this experience and grow not only as a student but as an individual. My future career is a little blurry at the moment which causes me to be really anxious, but with the help of my mentors and this program, I hope to have it cleared at some point. Thank you, and enjoy my next few blogs. See you soon.

Thalia.