CEA CAPA Internships in Barcelona, Spain

This past fall semester I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain with CEA CAPA Abroad. My experience overall was great and I am so happy I chose this program! I received a lot of information and support from the program beforehand. My housing was amazing and I had a really nice dorm that had a cooking materials and cleaners weekly. My academics were mostly good, I had two classes with one professor that were a bit harder than I thought. The social scene in Barcelona is extraordinary and I had a lot of fun with my classmates. The culture and history in Barcelona is rich and I really enjoyed learning about it and living in such a cool place. Overall, it was an amazing experience and I would recommend it to others.

CEA CAPA Barcelona was a fantastic way to experience Europe for the first time. Classes were held Monday-Thursday, so long weekends were great for traveling. Barcelona was a phenomenal city to call home for 3.5 months. CEA CAPA prepared students to go abroad with a step-by-step pre-departure process that made the logistics of going abroad far less daunting. While we were there, CEA CAPA provided us with cultural workshops, optional trips to explore other parts of Spain, and more. CEA CAPA has a great selection of housing options and courses.

I have to give judos to the CAPA/CEA team for helping me through my first two weeks in Barcelona during my Spring 2023 semester. I had lost my phone, and it was surprising how quick my mom was able to get ahold of a representative in the early morning hours. CAPA/CEA helped me with the recovery process of my phone as much as possible. Beyond this, I liked the overall cultural learning concepts of my classes. Perhaps it was because of my communication major, but I enjoyed how all of my classes tied the differences in culture to the class concepts being taught. I also enjoyed taking advantage of the day trips provided by CAPA/CEA. It was a good introduction to smaller less touristy spots with the added bonus of having knowledgeable guides. I liked talking about the history a lot when I was in Tarragona, for example.

I had the most amazing experience while volunteering to teach English. I am not advanced in Spanish speaking but I was able to communicate with the girls I taught and I even got to learn more Spanish while teaching them. I taught three cafe workers who wanted to learn how to better communicate in English to their customers. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot using different techniques and role-play to help them learn English. I also taught the manager who was more advanced in English and wanted to learn grammar rules. The environment was extremely friendly I was always so excited to walk in and I was greeted so nicely. Every time I was offered a drink or food from the cafe. The girls were so kind and even gave me a present at the end of my time in Barcelona to thank me for my help. Overall this was one of my favorite experiences in Barcelona and I could not recommend it enough.

During my time in Barcelona, I had the privilege of interning with an interior design firm. This opportunity expanded my horizons by immersing me in a diverse range of projects, beyond what a classroom can offer. Through these various project types, my ability to effectively communicate design concepts grew, both verbally and through visual representations. I feel that it prepared me better for my final coursework and career following graduation. During this internship, I also had the opportunity to connect with other students who were interning and studying abroad with CEA CAPA in Barcelona. All of the staff and students were super welcoming!

I did an internship in Barcelona, Spain through CEA CAPA and it was a great experience. I learned so much about work culture in Spain and also a ton of new skills for my career path. The CEA CAPA internship team was extremely helpful when finding a placement for me, they were there every step of the way and I ended up loving my placement. My boss was from Catalan, he spoke good english and he always let me try to practice my Spanish. It was very easy going and I enjoyed going all 3 days a week that I went. My boss and I collaborated really well too. I would definitely recommend doing an internship abroad with CEA CAPA, I will remember my time at my internship forever!

Thanks to CEA I had the best experience abroad in Barcelona. They did an amazing job placing me at an internship where I felt comfortable and motivated to learn. Since my major is Hospitality, I interned at a hotel called "Hesperia Presidente" where not only did I learned about the operational system but also about the Spanish work culture. CEA was always available for us and I never had a problem with anything during my summer abroad. The CEA in Barcelona is also one of the biggest offices, making it more staff accessible for students!

This abroad experience was the best four months of my life. Although I did not do housing through CEA CAPA, I lived in an apartment near the school with some friends and walked to class every day. I had so much fun both in and outside of class in Barcelona, traveling with my friends on the weekend and going to class during the week. I took many communications classes that I thoroughly enjoyed at CEA CAPA, and I would recommend this program and the classes to anyone that is planning on going abroad.