A City to Call Home

Before studying abroad, I could never have predicted that I would come to call another place home. The time I spent in Barcelona was the best three and a half months of my life, and I wouldn’t trade the experience I had there for anything.
Although I was nervous to leave my family and friends, I felt completely prepared for my travels thanks to IES’s detailed pre-departure information. Before, during, and after the program, IES was there to support students. The staff was attentive and genuinely cared about their students’ safety, health and happiness.
Another great thing about IES staff was how much effort they put into placing students in the best housing. I was assigned a homestay in Horta, a neighborhood relatively far from the city center. It didn’t bother me that Horta was far away from the IES center because my homestay was absolutely perfect. My host mom immediately made me feel at home. Our house was beautiful, spacious and clean. She not only taught me to speak Spanish, but also many countless things about culture, food, kindness, family, and life. She was the happiest, most kind hearted person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.
The city of Barcelona is unspeakably beautiful. I was worried about living in a city, especially considering how prevalent pick-pocketing is in Barcelona. It turned out that within a few weeks I had a thorough understanding of the layout of the city, public transportation, how to protect your belongings, and, most importantly, how to keep yourself safe. The city offers limitless options for things to do, sights to see, places to eat, and stores to shop. And if you do want to escape the city for a day, Barcelona is located just south of the beautiful Costa Brava beach towns.
I would encourage anyone and everyone to do this program. Barcelona is such a diverse and exciting city – there is something there for everyone. It was also a great location for weekend travel throughout Europe, since, as a big city, there were reasonably priced flights from El Prat Airport to anywhere you could want to go. Then again, you might find yourself in this city not wanting to go anywhere at all…