Housing and Classmates

February 28, 2017

During my four months of studying abroad, I am staying with a host family. She is a retired woman living in an apartment 20 minutes away from my University campus. It is a nice walk uphill to campus, along regular streets as well as two blocks along a pedestrian street with many small shops, restaurants, tapas bars and bakeries. So far I am enjoying living with a host family as it is a great way for me to practice my Spanish since I have no other way of communicating with them. I also get cooked meals so that helps me save a lot of money on food since I don’t have to buy groceries to cook or eat out all the time.

Meeting and getting to know people through my program has not been difficult since we have many organized walking tours and visits to tourist sites around the city that we’ve all done together. Meeting new people from other programs and schools has also been just as easy since our classes are small enough, making it easier for us to talk to each other and get to know others who are also studying abroad here in Barcelona! Meeting people and making new friends are one of my favourite parts of studying abroad; it is a unique opportunity to meet new and different people of different backgrounds. I hope to have made a good group of friends by the time I leave and to keep in touch with them once we go back to our host universities and resume regular classes.

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.