Barcelona: My home away from home

There are too many stories from my experience to pick just one to share but a night I will never forget happened without needing to leave my apartment. It was a Thursday night and I didn't feel like venturing out so I decided to hang out around the apartment and plan some trips for the following weeks. I opened the window to let the warm air in and heard my downstairs neighbors having a get-together. I heard the familiar symptoms of a small party: music, bottles and glasses clinking, and friends talking and laughing. What blew my mind, however, was that these conversations were going on in four or five different languages, all at the same time! The host couple made comments in Catalan and Spanish and laughed in complete understanding when some of the guests answered in French, Italian and English. There may have been other languages and dialects too. I was fascinated and decided to turn my music down and sit on the window ledge to listen while I googled my next destinations. Eventually they noticed me and instead of being bothered chose to say hello and made me part of their multilingual conversation. I was blown away by how well these people could communicate in such different ways, yet still understand every phrase and emotion.

Barcelona is a wonderful city full of Catalan and Spanish culture, but also an incredible international hub of people from literally everywhere in the world. Not a day went by during my stay where I didn't see or hear someone from a new country. If you want a truly international experience, Barca is the place to go!