ALBA Study Abroad, Barcelona

I had difficulty adjusting to the culture and the different structure at first but overall it’s been pretty great! It’s interesting learning about their culture and history. The people around made this experience even better!

Above all, I signed up to study abroad to fully immerse myself in Spanish language and culture. I wanted to experience living in Spain like locals did and practice my Spanish every single day. ALBA gave me just that. I signed up to live with a local family and had an amazing time. The house was close to campus, and the family were so willing to practice Spanish with me, slowing down their conversations when I couldn't keep up, asking me about my day, and explaining Spanish traditions and holidays to me when they came up. A lot of people who had done ALBA told me I will leave with new friends, but I also left with a new family and home in Barcelona.

I really enjoyed my time studying abroad with ALBA Barcelona and I would do it again if I could! I definitely recommend for anyone who wants to push themselves out of their comfort zone, explore internationally, and immerse themselves in Spain's culture. Barcelona is a city that offers bustling events as well as quiet peaceful days. It is also very easy to travel to nearby European countries from Spain and I have explored 9 new countries this quarter, coming from someone who had never been to Europe before this. The teachers are amazing as well and I appreciate their time to teaching kids abroad. Overall, I 10/10 recommend this experience!