TransportationIn both my small hometown and small Selinsgrove, public transportation does not exist. Why would it? Both places are about 5 miles wide and have 2,000 residents. Barcelona, on the other hand, is much bigger so public transportation is much more effective. So, the idea of public transportation was fairly new to me. I always knew that it existed, but never how to ride it. I had been on a train twice in my life before coming to Barcelona, but the tickets were always bought by a friend’s parent who knew how to help us. So that brings me about up to speed with my situation which is: transportation. Transportation in a big, unfamiliar city is already very overwhelming. Adding another language to the mix? Absolute chaos. When I first arrived in Barcelona, I was too scared and nervous to figure out the metro system so I walked EVERYWHERE. Yes, I mean everywhere. 30-45 minute treks at a time and I took it. One day, I decided it was finally time to learn the metro because I was finally starting to learn my general surroundings. And boy am I glad that I did! Barcelona’s public transportation system is amazing. The metro, bus, and most trains are all on a one-network system. This means that if you buy a ticket, it can be used on any of these three systems. The schedule is very easy to follow, the different metro lines and buses are color coded and specifically list out each stop that they will make! To show you how easy it is to understand, I have added the metro map to this post! Also, the metro and bus run every 5 minutes, so you never have to wait very long. During the week, the metro and the regular bus close at midnight. However, they do operate a “NIT bus” or a “night bus” that runs about 15 minutes apart from one another. A plus is that on Saturday nights, the metro runs all the way through the night! Another upside to Barcelona’s public transportation system is that they definitely show favor to younger people. There is a pass called the “t-jove” which is only for people 25 years old or younger. With this pass, you have unlimited rides on all three systems for 3 months and it only costs 80 Euros. This may seem a bit expensive, but it is much cheaper than the other ticket options. Also, with the number of commutes you need to do, it is definitely worth the buy. One thing to definitely be careful of is pickpocketing on the Metro specifically. I never feel unsafe on the metro though! It is just difficult when I am traveling back and forth to class and my internship and I have my backpack on, most times with my laptop in it. Using a backpack is more concerning than carrying a regular bag because it is on your back, of course! To be safe, I always take my backpack off my back when I ride the metro and place it on the floor between my feet to ensure no one will be able to take anything.
Most locals also take advantage of the great public transportation. There are definitely not as many cars as a big city in the U.S. such as New York City. I have also noticed and heard from my program advisors that if a destination is within a 15-20 minute walk, most locals will walk. I have been trying to uphold myself to this, meaning if it is within approximately a mile of me, I will walk. |
EducationMy schedule this semester is essentially a typical semester, with a little twist (much like the rest of my abroad experience so far!). I am taking classes through the School for International Studies (SIS). My school building is located in the International House building, which I have added a picture of! Classes at my host university are all 3 credits, opposed to the 4 credit courses I have been used to at Susquehanna. I am currently enrolled in two courses: Business, Ethics, and Government and Cross-Cultural Psychology. My other 6 credits come from my internship. I spend two days a week (Monday and Wednesday) at my internship from 10-6. In order to get credit for those hours, I am enrolled in an online course through Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. During my class, I am required to write a pre-departure paper discussing my expectations of the internship, 3 reflection papers periodically through the semester to see if my expectations match reality. On each of these three reflections, I also must write a 150-250 word discussion post to the other interns. I am also given a mid-term evaluation and a final evaluation by my supervisor that he submits directly to my professor at Plymouth State. For my final, I must write a final paper, along with creating a 3-5 minute video of my choosing that reflects my time at my internship.
On Tuesday and Thursday, I take my two classes at SIS. In my opinion, they are structured pretty similarly to classes at SU. My Business Ethics and Government class is from 9-10:40 and my Cross-Cultural Psychology class is from 10:45-12:35. While these seem a tad long, we do not have any classes on Friday’s! So, no one can really complain too much. In both my Business, Ethics and Government and Psychology courses, there are around 20 students. I really appreciate this because I learn much better in a smaller classroom setting where the professor knows my name. Both of these courses are taught in English. When I was selecting classes, there are a few that are taught in Spanish that I could have opted to take. My Business, Ethics and Government class is counting as a seminar elective for my Political Science major, while both the internship credits and the Psychology credits are general electives. I am really enjoying my cross-cultural psychology course because it is a lot different than any content I have taken at SU. In this class, we focus a lot on how to identify cultural differences, how to interact with people from different cultural background if you do not have similar views on a topic, and how just because you have differing views does not mean either person is wrong! While on the surface I thought that this was just about how to integrate myself in Spain, I can already tell that this will help me a lot in my academic, personal and professional aspects. Overall, I do not have as much coursework as the courses at SU, but the professors do keep you engaged, make things interesting and do want you to enjoy your time abroad! The only thing that has stuck out to me thus far about the classes is the way that student presentations are run. Typically, in the US, students are given a specific time minimum and maximum, must dress up for presentations, and they are often a decent amount of the student’s overall grade in the course. Here, from what I have been exposed to in both of my classes, there is no time limit given and in one presentation I didn’t even have to get up from my desk! |