Local Living

May 16, 2017

Living with a host family automatically immerses me within the local culture and therefore allows me to practice my Spanish. Another way in which I find myself interacting with locals is in fruit and vegetable markets and supermarkets. People of all ages come to buy groceries and produce for the week and I always seem to have some sort of conversation with somebody, however brief and basic it may be. Another way is with taxi drivers. The drivers in Barcelona are so friendly and always happy to start a conversation with you and learn about your time in Barcelona and in exchange, tell me about their story, how long they’ve lived in Barcelona, where they are originally from, etc. In many taxi ride occasions, I have met such interesting people and learned about their story; it’s always nice to hear other people’s background and how and why they are here in Barcelona.

Adjusting to a different currency hasn’t been too difficult since the Euro is almost exactly equivalent to the Dollar and so this helps me gauge its value and whether the price is too expensive for the item or not. As a rule, to maintain my budget, I have tried to spend minimally during the week to save money for my travels during the weekend. I do this by making sure to eat all my meals at home and if I am going out with friends at night, I try to take the metro at least one way so I don’t have to pay taxi fares twice. Small things like this have made a difference as I don’t feel as guilty for spending a little extra on the weekends when I’m visiting a new place.

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.