¡Hola!
What a week it has been! Since you last heard from me, I have had two midterms, presentations in two different classes, and went to Madrid for the weekend! I believe my midterms and presentations went well which is good because they are a large proportion of my final grades. I know, however, that is not what you all want to hear about… you want to know about Madrid!
Well, it was FANTASTIC! As I mentioned in my last post, I feel like I have a second home in Madrid, so it was very nice to be back and to visit all my old hang out spots and get to share it with new people. I was so excited and honored to be my friends’ tour guide. My friends ended up loving Madrid (almost as much as me) and like it a little more than Barcelona (same here) which, I can’t really explain why, but made me feel proud. We were there from Thursday night to Monday morning, so we really got the most bang for our buck! Except for the fact that my friends ended up missing our train there, so they had to buy tickets for the last train of the night. That unfortunate event, however, did not bring our mood down! Early the next morning, I went to visit my bosses at Smileat! The company has grown a lot in the last seven months, so it was nice getting to see how the office has changed and getting to meet some of the new employees. The rest of the trip was very peaceful as we just wandered the streets most days with not set plan. All in all, it has been a very packed but a very memorable week!
Okay, now on to the actual topic of this blog! I am currently taking four classes at UPF; two of them are Supply Chain related courses, one is Society and Politics in Contemporary Spain, and the last one is about Globalized Problems through the lens of public television. I have particularly enjoyed the last two I listed because I am learning a lot about other societies through a more globalized lens than I am used to. Additionally, both professors are very knowledgeable in these fields of study, and everyone can tell how passionate they are about them, which makes the class even more engaging. To be successful at UPF, you must manage your time wisely and understand what study methods work for you. At Pitt, a large percentage of my grades come from completing homework, participating, and group assignments. At UPF, however, the majority of the grade (or sometimes all of it) comes from the midterm and the final. Hence, students must understand what methods of time management works best for them and what study tools have shown the greatest outcomes for them in the past as the work here is a lot more student led. Every student I have met has been very friendly and would be more than willing to study together or work through a question you have, so definitely do NOT be afraid to talk to everyone in your classes and ask for help when you need it!
This weekend is Carnival, so stay tuned for the next blog to hear about all the exiting activities that occurred!
¡Hasta Luego!
Saoirse Hopp
