En Route: Barcelona!

February 13, 2017

I suppose one of my reasons to travel is like many other students: wanting to experience a new culture and place. I have always loved traveling and thought this would be a perfect opportunity for me to travel a continent I have not seen much of – Europe – as well as study towards completing my degree. What better place to study where all countries and travel is so affordable? A couple months later, here we are, days before travel, going through packing lists, making sure all documents are in order and possible nerves setting in.

While abroad, I hope to be exposed to a whole new perspective of the world, a new culture, lifestyle, all things imaginable. Having lived in one part of the world, studying at Northeastern University in another and now embarking on this Study Abroad Experience in a third part of the world, I hope to use all my past experiences to make myself more cultured while immersing myself in this culture.

Barcelona, a vibrant, colourful city, to me, can do no wrong. While here, I hope to significantly improve my Spanish by conversing and adapting to the daily life as much as possible. I am going to be living with a host family while abroad and so I hope to be completely immersed in the daily life and routine of the house. I know for a fact that my Señora does not speak a word of English so I have no doubt that I will soon brush up on my rusty Spanish and eventually make sound conversation. To continue reaching this goal, I plan to try my best to speak Spanish without relying on other students who may speak better or fluent Spanish to help translate. I want to make this experience as enriching as possible on my own with my Spanish.

With all excitement, comes nervousness and apprehension and naturally, I have butterflies in my stomach too. One of my main apprehensions is of course, the language barrier. Spanish can be hard to understand especially when natives speak so fast with their unique accent. I believe it will be fine at home as my Señora is aware that I am not fluent and am there to learn but my main worry is in public where I am trying to explain something or ask for directions and am unable to because I don’t know the translation of words. However, having said that, I am looking forward to meeting new people, experiencing a new culture and taking in everything the next 4 months has to offer!

Written By

Mitali Mirle

I am originally from India, born and raised in Dubai UAE. I am studying Environmental Science with a minor in psychology and Spanish. I chose to study abroad because I wanted to experience a new culture, travel to new places and in the process, improve my Spanish. While some people speak English here in Barcelona, the preferred language is definitely Spanish, therefore if I want to communicate with others, I am forced to speak the language, which will help me improve my conversational Spanish. While abroad, I hope to use Barcelona as a gateway to rest of Europe, say yes to almost all opportunities, try new things, eat new types of food and witness and be a part of new traditions and customs of Spain. I would like to come back and share my experiences with others like me who also want to travel the world and see the world from different perspectives.