Now that my study abroad has concluded in Barcelona, I found myself taking the time to reflect black on my experiences. As I shuffle through my memory, one interesting topic that came up was the things that I took for granted in Barcelona because I was so used to it, throughout the course of the 3 months.
Public transit system:
I truly believe that Barcelona’s public transit has contributed the most to my experience. The only time I have ever taken an Uber/Taxi is from my airport to my apartment. Every place I have been to is covered by either the metro or bus in some way. Not to mention, the waiting time for the metro is only 3-5 minutes. I also feel perfectly safe riding the public transit. Even at 3 am, there are night buses that replace metros. I also felt safe riding at this time, saving me money from ordering an Uber/Taxi.
The locals:
The locals in Barcelona are some of the kindest people I have met. I try my best to communicate in my “broken” Spanish to practice. I would assume that people would get annoyed trying to understand me, but that was not the case at all. The locals are rather excited that I am trying to practice my Spanish and not default to English. Some have even offered to speak slower so I can process words better. I would also ask for proper grammar and they gladly corrected me.
No minimum purchases for cards:
In America, I find it a little inconvenient that some stores have a minimum purchase required before you can swipe your card. In my experience, this was not the case at all in Barcelona. As a matter of fact, I forgot that minimum purchases for cards existed until I arrived back in the States. I felt so blessed because I was able to swipe my card in Barcelona for the smallest purchases. One time, I only bought a can of soda and swiped my card for a purchase below 1 euro. This saved me the hassle of carrying around coins and spare change.
The weather:
From the time I was in Barcelona (April to June), the weather was ideal almost every day. I remember Barcelona only raining 3 to 4 times throughout the duration of the 3 months I was there. Thus, I never had the need to buy an umbrella. Also, the temperature was warm but never too hot. I was quite surprised when I landed in Philadelphia and it was already sweltering 90 degrees. However, I do want to point out that Barcelona is in a drought. So enjoy the weather, but don’t waste water!
