Coastal Adventures!

Once upon a time, I lived in the magical mediterranean city of Barcelona for 4 of the most awe inspiring, fulfilling and elated months of my life. I was on a study abroad program for my last semester at college and I decided to Study in Spain for 2 main reasons: One, I was a Spanish major, so naturally Spain was a perfect fit, and two, because I’m Salvadorian, and Spanish was my first language. Although I didn’t come to Spain to learn the language, I came to refine it. I chose Spain because it is the land of my forefathers and mothers, and I always felt a special desire to visit. It would almost feel wrong if I didn’t! But really, in Europe, you just can’t go wrong. I was but 21 years old, and I felt like I was on top of the world-because somewhere deep down I just knew that this is where I was meant to be. Every morning I would wake up to have coffee on my very first balcony (I had always wanted one growing up), soaking up the vibe of the city from top to bottom. If I woke up early enough, I could see the sun hitting the Tibidao mountain range to my left, as well as the buildings in front of me, and although it was quick, it was absolutely beautiful.

The experience honestly felt like the most surreal dream I ever had, and I made sure every morning to try to make the best of the opportunity I was blessed to have-taking pictures, a little yoga, chatting with my host mother, going on adventure runs with my roommate etc. The cool thing was that EVERY day was a new day to go out and discover, and there was ALWAYS something new to see. Would I take the bus to school? Would I walk a few blocks to take the metro? Personally, I enjoyed walking. It was just different in Barcelona. Each building was different, the architecture exquisite, colorful and reminiscent of the artists who would seldom draw their inspiration from this beautiful mediterranean oasis. I loved it. I loved walking down la Gran Via (the main road that lead to the Universitat) past the cafés with outdoor seating facing the street (people watching is huge in Europe), I loved all the different types of people walking next to, in front of or towards me and I loved the freedom of knowing that I was in a country miles away from home living out my wildest dreams!

There's honestly so much I could write about my experience, and hope to one day be able to go back and explore even more! For now, I stay stateside, enjoying even the little things :)