¡Hola a todos!

My name is René, and I am a second-year marketing student at the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Business Administration. I aim to pursue a career in entertainment marketing with a focus on the music industry and live entertainment. I am from Jim Thorpe, a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. Choosing to study in Barcelona at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) was one of the easiest decisions in my college career. I have taken classes in Spanish since freshman year of high school and the language has been a huge passion of mine ever since. Before I started studying at Pitt, I knew I wanted to study abroad. After taking more Spanish classes in college and gaining confidence in my conversational abilities, I decided to combine these passions and study at a Spanish-speaking country. Living in Barcelona surrounded by Spanish, alongside the fact that I am taking a six credit Spanish class at UPF, has enabled me to utilize my conversational Spanish skills in a way that I have not been able to do in the United States. Something as simple as ordering a coffee requires me to process and translate what I want to communicate and what is being communicated to me. Although Barcelona is a city that is friendly to English-speakers, I really aim to challenge myself everyday by speaking in Spanish whenever possible. Hopefully, by the end of this study abroad experience, I will have an easier time communicating in Spanish and understanding Spanish media as I continue to utilize and learn the language.

As much as I am enjoying Barcelona, it honestly shocked me how different the culture was here compared to the United States. One of the most shocking things for me was the fashion. In the United States, it is not uncommon to see people show up to class in pajamas, but in Spain, if I even show up in something as simple as leggings, I feel extremely underdressed. My best advice for you if you are considering studying in Spain is to pack a few wardrobe staples (a few pairs of jeans, a few nice shirts, a pair of nice shoes, and a pair of sneakers) and to not be afraid to go shopping if you have the extra funds. Buying clothes from Spanish brands is honestly what makes me feel the most fashionable and comfortable. Another major difference between the University of Pittsburgh and UPF is the transit. Although Pittsburgh has public transit, compared to Barcelona, it is practically nonexistent. In Barcelona, there are multiple ways to get to your destination (bus, metro, and tram) and they can all be accessed by purchasing a T-mobilitat card which allows you to utilize all of these services for three months, only costing about €45. This will come in handy throughout your stay, but will also be relevant to your trip to class as UPF has multiple different campuses. The main campus of the university is the Ciutadella campus, which is where you will take any language or art classes. Business classes, however, are at the university’s Born campus which is about a fifteen minute walk from the main campus. The business school, ESCI, also acts as its own entity and has its own portal, similar to Canvas. The buildings also don’t have traditional names, they are named by numbers. This can make navigating a little difficult at first, but as you make your way to and from class, navigation gets much easier (especially for me because my classroom for my Spanish class changes every day, which forces me to explore multiple floors of multiple different buildings). Classes at UPF are also nice because schools in Spain follow a trimester system instead of a semester system. Currently, I am in my fifth week of classes and I only have four more weeks to go! We also don’t have classes on Fridays most weeks which leaves room to travel on weekends if that is something you are interested in.

Another important aspect of studying abroad in Barcelona is the housing. I am currently staying at a residence-hall-esque apartment building called Micampus Barcelona. In actuality, it is kind of like an apartment complex designed for students. I have my own room here, similar to a Tower C dorm, except I also get my own bathroom and kitchenette. I have a mini-fridge, microwave, and stovetop which enables me to cook my own meals to save a little money while abroad. The bathroom is also nice as I have a large shower alongside a toilet and a sink. Micampus is located in Sant Adrià de Besòs, which is a neighborhood in the northern part of the city. From here, it takes me about thirty minutes to get to class by metro, so it is a little bit far, but not unmanageable. My favorite thing about this location is that there is a mall, Diagonal Mar, that is only a ten minute walk from my room. There is also a café right next to one of the metro stops, called 365, which is perfect for a quick bite and beverage before class. Although this area does have some positives, I think it is also important to talk about the negatives. This area is not the most safe compared to other areas in the city. I have been harassed in the streets multiple times as I was just trying to get to class and have even had men follow me to the metro stop. If you are a woman like me, I would recommend trying to stay in a different area if possible. My advice when it comes to housing is to book your housing as soon as humanly possible. There are residence halls promoted on the UPF website (namely Residencia Universitaria Resa la Ciutadella and Residencia Universitaria Resa del Mar) that are much closer to campus and are priced similarly to Micampus that may give you a better experience than staying at Micampus, but they fill up quickly. Safety comes first, and as someone from a different country, especially if you are a minority of any kind, it is important to give extra thought to your safety.

As someone who has never left the United States before this semester, leaving the comfort that comes with familiarity was definitely an adjustment, but I would not change it for the world. There have been highs and lows since I got here, and if you decide to study abroad for a semester, whether that be at UPF or someone else, to take every day at face value and to think positively about your experience. At times, it can be easy to get lost in homesickness, but home will always be waiting for you as you immerse yourself fully in this new experience. Personally, I cannot wait to see what the next month and a half has in store for me!

Here are some photos from my time in Barcelona: