Study Abroad in Barcelona, Spain

During the summer of 2025, I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. I thoroughly enjoyed those three months, and now, almost 7 months later, I've decided to write about it.

Barcelona is a beautiful city. The sea breeze from the ocean adds a light, refreshing feel to the air. Mornings are quiet and still. I would typically wake up around 7:00 AM, and run around 2 kilometers to the beach, take a dip in the cold ocean water, dry off and run back, all in time for a quick breakfast before I took the train to class. Most mornings, Barceloneta Beach was populated by the few people who still lingered around, drunk and tired from going out the night before, and we all enjoyed the sunrise together. After class, I spent a lot of time walking. Usually with friends, we kept a couple spots to eat in mind, but never had any super concrete plans. I was almost always rewarded with some sort of serendipity. Barcelona is also host to some of the most impressive architecture I have ever seen. The first time I stood under the Sagrada Familia, it did actually take my breath a little. The details are so intricate, and the general ambience the structure gives off is something you can feel in the surrounding air (if you can zone out the mass amounts of tourists for a couple seconds).

I also had the opportunity to travel to other countries, and around Spain. My favorite was my trip to Italy, where I spent the first days hiking through the Dolomites, beginning from Cortina d'Ampezzo. It was really difficult, but that made the destination feel unbelievably great. After our first day of hiking, and arriving at the mountain hut which we had booked, we ate dinner and drank wine with Italians from other cities at one large table. They fed us well, and the meal felt so satisfying. I slept like a baby on that 2 inch thick mattress, and we woke up to climb to the peak to see the sunrise. It was pitch-dark, and my friend and I walked in single file up the mountain, with him leading the way, wearing the head-lamp we shared between us. When we made it to the top of the snow-covered peak, it was incredible. I felt incredibly grateful, and that I had earned the sunrise. After being in the mountains for 2 days, we arrived in Venice, the complete opposite of the mountains – busy, loud, crowded. It took some time to acclimate, but after staying out late enough, waiting out the crowds, and walking to the end of the canals at sunset, Venice showed us its true beauty. Venice is a work of art.

I saw a lot during the study abroad program, I experienced a lot, had a lot of fun doing dumb shit with friends, and came back with quite a few stories. However, my summer abroad didn't at all feel like a blur, like similar experiences tend to feel. Throughout the summer, I disconnected, I was present, and I ended up answering a lot of questions I had been putting off for a long time. I strongly recommend studying abroad, but even if you don't, if it is within your means – I recommend completely disconnecting from everything related to work from time to time. It's essential for our ability to refine our vision for the future, and ensure that the work we are doing is actually moving us towards that vision. I hit the ground running after returning home from Barcelona, but the study abroad program prior felt like the long, deep inhale I needed to run really far.