My CEA Study Abroad Experience in Barcelona, Spain

As an Italian European student studying abroad in the United States, going back for a semester to Europe, in Barcelona, with an American program, was not an easy decision. I had to reflect a lot about future opportunities to decide what was the best thing to do, and also on campus, I was living an almost perfect life -- I created my comfort zone, and I was making the most of my experience in America. However, making the most of my experience at my university also means becoming open-minded and getting to know the many international students on campus. I started to get acquainted with the Latin American and Spanish cultures, and soon I wanted to learn Spanish. I always like to pursue avenues of self-improvement, too, and I knew my university was offering some cool study abroad programs. After figuring out all the classes and credits, Spain and Barcelona came up. The fantastic Spanish culture has always attracted me, but I never really explored it. I also believed Spain could have become one of my favorite European countries.



A few months later, here I am in Barcelona, enjoying my experience and getting to know this extraordinary country. I am exploring the city and its culture, and I love it. I am obsessed with the manzanas and Gaudí architecture, I love the sunny weather, and I am also continually improving my Spanish. 


 
I met new great friends (I have to thank some of them, as they've helped me with my Spanish), and I am happy with the CEA program that organizes exciting activities to immerse ourselves in the Spanish and Catalan culture, such as a trip to Madrid, a tapas workshop, the Barça soccer game, a winery trip and other activities discovering the Catalunya and its capital. I am also trying to come out of the comfort zone I created at CEA by joining local events such as the Adidas running group, the Unirun “La cursa de les universitats,” and hanging out in more local areas. Now that I am in the half of my experience in Barcelona, I would like to explore more cities of Spain, such as Sevilla and Bilbao, and, as a sports fan, I also planning on attending the Barcelona Open tennis tournament, and maybe joining the fencing club in Barcelona. It will be exciting to come back to Florida with new experiences, and thanks to my newly improved Spanish skills, I will be able to get to know more people.



After thinking about my perfect place to live in the world, I have always said I want to live in a warm and sunny place where there's also great culture and history. Spain might be that place!


Carlo Pezzana is a CEA Alumni Ambassador who studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain, during the Spring 2020 semester. He is currently a student at Lynn University.