Blog #5 Barcelona Sun

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Adriana Zazueta

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Adriana Zazueta

<i>Home Institution</i>: California State University, Long Beach <i>Expected Graduation Year</i>: 2024 <i>Academic Major / Minor</i>: Public Health Education <i>Destination</i>: Coventry, UK <i>"Hello" in your host country's language</i>: Hello <i>Demographics</i>: Hispanic/Latinx, First-Generation College Student, Transfer Student <i>Future Career Goals</i>: My career goals includes working as a public health administrator. I want to have an impact on communities and improve health-outcomes. I would like to have a closer relation with vulnerable populations such as low-income communities and engage in global health matters. I have interest in planning events within these communities and providing resources to individuals as well as educating public health. <i>Top Three Study Abroad Goals</i>: One of my goals while studying abroad includes networking and getting first-hand perspective of a public health organization in Europe by attending one of their programs for the community; Another goal I have is to visit Germany, and expand my exposure to different cultures; Lastly I hope to improve my leadership skills and gain more confidence in my abilities.

As the semester slowly approaches its end the travel plans continue to expand. I recently had a birthday and my close friend from the states was open to visiting Europe during her spring break to travel and celebrate. We planned a trip to Barcelona, Spain for a week and stay in the heart of the city. We met in Barcelona and were both filled with lots of joy and excitement. Traveling with my friends required lots of teamwork in budgeting and finding activities that complement both of our desires. We were both able to work with one another to assure were finding activities that were budget friendly such as enjoying local parks and visiting many beautiful historical monuments. We were able to look at La Sagrada Familia, Arc De Triomf, and Torre Glories, along with many more figures along our journey. We walked to a majority of our destination to get a great perspective of different angles of Barcelona and take in all its beauty. Along our way, we stopped by many local shops to find food and a handful of second-hand shops to look at fashion.

We found it was very affordable when dining in at local shops rather than chain fast-food restaurants. In addition, we got to interact with the local people and they would always give great recommendations of food to try and places to visit. The best part of this trip was the people we got to encounter. We attended a day event called Brunch with local DJs and made many friends from different areas of Spain and some from different countries. This trip held lots of value in meeting new people and sharing experiences with others.

While stuffing our faces with different styles of empanadas, churros, and other Spanish dishes we got a great touch of the flavors and local dishes known to Barcelona. We visited La Boqueria which is an outside market with aisles of food beautifully lied out next to one another. There were amazing aromas that filled the streets nearby that tell you’re near the destination. While navigating Barcelona my friend and I only spoke in Spanish to others to ensure we were embracing the Spanish lifestyle. There were luckily no unexpected situations we encountered but we made the most of our trip and it was defiantly one to remember.

My takeaway from this trip was of course always bring a pair of good walking shoes when in Europe and come with an open mind. There were many things that were out of our norm such as the importance to look someone in the eyes when doing a cheer. My friend and I are both Latin but Spain had such a different twist to the Spanish culture. Grateful I got to expand my knowledge of Spanish culture and eat delicious food with great people.