Adios, ciao, auf wiedersehen, adieu... You get the idea

I am so incredibly lucky to have had this experience. Even though I already studied abroad and fell in love with a second country, I know now that I can never underestimate the value of knowing another culture and people who grew up a different way than I did.

I haven't gotten back to the US yet, and it will be a while before I do. I guess this means that my 'culture shock' upon return will be a little bit diminished. I won't go from seeing the winding streets of the Gothic Quarter one day to the Flatirons the next. Despite that, I know that this experience will stay with me forever.

Before living in Barcelona I had no idea how important nature was to me. In the city I don't think I saw a single park the whole five weeks I lived there. I was so enchanted with the works of Gaudí and modernism in general that I didn't even realize at first. Now I know, though, that I take the mountains and the fresh air for granted. I don't think I could live in the city for that reason alone.

Now I'm in the middle of seeing a lot more cities in Europe, and I feel like I have a much better understanding of them. Because of the in depth knowledge that I have about Barcelona and its evolution as a city, I felt like I appreciated Rome that much more. After all, I saw a mini-version when we went to Tarragona. I feel like I had the real experience of getting to know a city inside and out, and I have Chicago, Raleigh, Boulder, Santiago, and Barcelona all as models to compare the rest of the places I see against.

I think my biggest take-away from this whole experience would be my 'insider knowledge' to the Cataluña vs Spain dilemma. I spent a good deal of time in the interior of Cataluña, listening to only catalán. It was frustrating at times because, while I have a pretty good grasp on spanish, I could not say that I speak catalán by a long shot. After my time in Barcelona I understand it much better, but I couldn't take part in a conversation. My listening was important, though. Before, the conflict between catalanes and españoles seemed to me like a distant and nebulous current events issue. Now I have had the opportunity to see it and hear it and touch it for myself. Really, there aren't words for how lucky I feel to have lived something firsthand like that. It is privilege enough to even go to Barcelona, or Spain, and see all of the tourist attractions. It is another thing entirely to feel that I've really lived in a reality different than my own.

I guess that's all I have to say about that, other than maybe another "I am so, so lucky."

Adios perro-casa (goodbye homedog)

Barcelona has changed me. Before the trip I never expected how much of an impact the city would have for me. I not only made amazing friends and ate amazing foods; I also learned how important it is to experience other cultures. There were American ideals I had never questioned, simply because they were all I had know, that now I look at in a new light. Simple things, like why do we use clothes dryers in Colorado, when they would dry almost as quickly on a line. Or why do we buy our food so far in advance, when stopping by the store on the way home would mean our food would be fresher and we would waste less. The most important thing I have learned is the value of knowing another language. While my Spanish is far from good, the ability to communicate is invaluable. I am currently in Paris and I do not know any French, therefore I feel as if I am only here to see buildings, and am unable to truly experience French culture. Knowing Spanish in Barcelona meant that we could go to more authentic restaurants where they don’t know English, and talk to people in the streets. While living in Barcelona doesn’t appeal to me, due to the unreasonable amounts of tourists, I hope to return again one day, fully fluent in Spanish, and see how much more of the city I could discover.  I also intend t use everything I have learned back in the United States. I purchased a small Catalan cookbook that I am so excited to use! I will undoubtedly have to suffer through a few bad attempts before I can make anything as good as my host mom’s cooking, but I will never stop trying! We are Facebook friends so I am going to message her when I also have a new appreciation for art after this trip. I have questions! I have always loved art, but being able to see famous paintings and learn the history and impact of them has caused me to look at them in a new light. I have always thought of art as a personal thing. I always thought of the artist having an impact on an individual painting. But here, the city would impact the artist, who would then paint, and then the painting impacts the city. I also have discovered new artists, like Ramon Casas, that I love and other artists, like Joan Miró, that I do not enjoy. Barcelona is a beautiful, vibrant city and I will miss it very much. I also have a new appreciation for art after this trip. Art, food, language, architecture, nightlife, and traditions all make Barcelona what it is, and in my opinion Barcelona is a beautiful, vibrant city that I will miss it very much.