We caught up with SAI Ambassador Victoria, who answers some questions about her time in Barcelona.  

Favorite week abroad

My second week abroad in Barcelona had to be my favorite week out of the six. My sister came to visit me for her birthday and I got to show her around some of the places I have discovered in my first few days but I also saw a lot of Barcelona that I will never forget. We toured La Sagrada Familia and actually got to go up into the towers. I will never forget the view from up in those towers and it was an amazing experience that I got to share with my sister and roommates. During that week I also got to go to Park Guell for my second time and I think I could just walk around the park for hours just taking in the beautiful architecture and scenery. The best part of my week was at the El Born food festival. SAI sent out weekly newsletters of activities, events, and things to do around the city and one of them was this food festival. My roommates, sister, and I walked to this festival in El Born which was packed with good people, good music, and good food. During this festival is when I really thought of Barcelona as a second home to me, I loved the people I was with and the energy of the locals, Barcelona really is an amazing place that I never wanted to leave.

Me!

El Born Food Festival

How has studying abroad impacted life goals?

Studying abroad has impacted my life goals extremely. First off I am form New Jersey and I chose to go to college in Alabama and that was an extreme change for me that I was worried about but ended up having the best experience I could have. I never saw myself studying abroad and never actually sat down and thought about doing it until one day I realized how important it was for me to travel and experience new things. I believed that studying abroad at this phase in my life was a once in a lifetime chance and I had to take the opportunity. I believe travel is extremely important and seeing different cultures, meeting new people, and trying new things are all part of my life goals and if I didn’t study abroad I would have never come to that realization.

Sagrada Familia

What has study abroad teach you about the world?

My study abroad experience has taught me a significant amount about the world itself. I have been so stuck in my own little bubble of my family and friends and my culture in New Jersey that when I saw how people do things very differently it was eye opening. The world has so much to offer from different cultures, foods, people, and more I feel it is so important to explore all of that and educate yourself on new places and what they have to offer.

Parc Guell

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Victoria was a summer 2018 SAI Barcelona student from the University of Alabama.