Learning Multicultural Awareness

I spent the last semester abroad, taking classes and studying in Barcelona, Spain. While I was there I lived with a host family and roommate from Illinois. Barcelona is such a great and colorful city and I had so much fun learning about its history and exploring everything it had to offer. During my time in the city I did plenty of sightseeing, museum visiting and cultural activities to try and get to know the city as best as possible. I was also lucky enough to be able to travel to many other cities in Spain, such as Madrid, Valencia and San Sebastian while I was there. I also made it to several other countries in Europe, including Switzerland, Italy, and France.

This was truly a great experience for me because it allowed me to grow individually and prove to myself what I am capable of doing on my own. Unlike a lot of students that study abroad, I went completely alone, not knowing anyone else in my program. To move to a new city, in a new country, where I didn’t know anyone was a little bit scary at first. But after some adjusting, I realized how exciting this opportunity was and I saw myself grow into a more independent person. Over the course of the semester, I became friends with some of the most interesting and wonderful people that I would not have met staying in State College. I hope that I impacted them as much as they impacted me.

This experience was especially great because of the classes I got to take while I was abroad. Several of my classes focused on or highlighted Barcelona and Spanish culture, which allowed me to learn about the city I was living in in a classroom setting. One class that I particularly enjoyed was Mediterranean Oceanography. Instead of just learning about general oceanography, we learned how it specifically related to Spain. This was a great class because I could relate the things I was learning with things I saw in my everyday life. We also went on several field trips and were able to apply our studies directly to different environments. I also really enjoyed the sports in society class that I took. We learned practical but important history about Spain which helped me a lot while in the country because sports are such a big part of the culture.

Not only did I learn a lot in the classroom this semester, but I learned a lot about myself that I think will really help me in the future. Besides becoming more independent, I think my experience made me more self-aware and conscious of other cultures. Being in Europe, I met and interacted with people of countless nationalities and backgrounds. It was refreshing to see so many different people all living and working together. It really broadened my viewpoints and allowed me to expand upon my cultural awareness.