From Sophie Xu ’27
Studying abroad in Barcelona was intimidating at first — a new city, a foreign language, and a new cohort of friends I had never met previously. I wasn't sure I would be able to communicate with my host family properly, and was nervous to leave my established support network of friends and family. Thankfully, everyone on the program was extremely supportive of this new journey. My host mom was patient with me, even when I struggled to find the right vocabulary to converse with her. We bonded quickly over our love for the arts, and she suggested many museums and architectural wonders for me to visit.
The LSA+ program brought us on excursions every Wednesday after class. Although the days were long because class started at 8 a.m., I always enjoyed these trips around Barcelona. In particular, our visit to the Sagrada Família was magical. I've always loved modernist architecture, and being able to visit the building in person with my friends felt very special. I went back many times after the official excursion as well, just to see how the colors inside change depending on the time of day.
I left Barcelona with a newfound appreciation for architecture, and a group of friends I have stayed close with. It was such a special experience, and despite my initial jitters, I had the best time and can't wait to go back someday.
From Matthew Song ’28
One of the most meaningful parts of my experience during the Barcelona LSA+ abroad last winter was getting to know my host family. One of my favorite memories with them was going to an event in the countryside with my host mom’s coworkers, where we explored a farm, had a meal and danced for a bit. While the event was a great time and the food was delicious, the most meaningful part of the experience was feeling as if I was a part of the family. This is just one example of how warm Spanish hospitality can be, as I felt immediately welcomed by not just my host family, but her coworkers as well, who taught me how to eat calçots, a traditional Catalonian food. Staying with a host family and especially getting to experience aspects of their regular lives, such as a work event, made me really feel as if I had gotten to know the country far beyond just a surface level. I’m incredibly thankful to Dartmouth for giving me this experience and I’m looking forward to coming back to visit Barcelona.
From Nicholas Lutzky ’28
Courtesy of Eden Gray
Barcelona is one of the best skateboarding cities in the world, and I am one of the worst skateboarders I know. I loved spending my time at the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, one of the popular spots I would frequent after class, working on my beginner tricks while aspiring professionals worked around me. While most people ignored me, I’ll never forget the few who approached me with advice, comments or even a bottle of water. It was a great opportunity to apply my Spanish skills in a very real way, and it made me feel more connected to one of the sport’s most historic locations.
From Julia Silva ’28
Ever since I was a child, football (well, one could call it soccer) has been a part of my life. Experiencing a FC Barcelona match was connecting my inner child to a type of bliss she never even considered as a possibility. Going abroad from Brazil to Dartmouth to Barcelona has opened my eyes to what dreaming is about; it goes way beyond the limits I initially thought I had. I am so grateful for the opportunity Dartmouth has given me to have many places to call home and for the joy of having people I deeply love with me along the way.
From Devan Amin ’27
This picture brings together two families that, before my time in Barcelona, existed on opposite sides of the world. My mom is standing alongside my host mom and dad and my host brothers, Alex and Biel. For me, studying abroad became about much more than living in a new country. It was about building a second family in a place that initially felt unfamiliar. Some of my favorite memories were actually the most ordinary ones: sitting around the table for dinner every night, talking about our days, sharing food or arguing about sports. With Alex and Biel, football, basketball, FIFA and games gave us an easy way to connect even when language or cultural differences got in the way. Over time, their home started to feel like my home, too. This picture reminds me that I did not just leave Barcelona with memories; I left knowing that whenever I return to Spain, I have a family and a home waiting for me.
From Verda Aydin ’28
One of the memories I will hold closest to my heart from our time in Spain is the day we all came together to support our friends Garrett and Hannah as they ran a marathon to raise awareness for breast cancer. We met them by the beach with posters we had made, played music and waited together for them to run past so we could cheer as loudly as possible. Since our professor Isabel Lozano-Renieblas was with us, we were only allowed to speak Spanish, which somehow made the whole morning even more fun. This was happening during our last few days in Spain. Everyone was busy packing, saying goodbye and trying to make the most of our remaining time, yet we all made time to be there for each other. We spent the entire day together, from waiting by the beach to rushing to the finish line and cheering again.
I think what touched me most was realizing how deeply we all cared about each other. I had only known these people for two and a half months, but we had built something that made everyone want to show up for each other, even when there were a hundred other things to do. It was such a simple day, but it made me feel incredibly lucky to have shared this experience with these people.
From Eden Gray ’28
Barcelona is my study abroad city, my newfound second home and the place that taught me to see the world with greater attention. Studying abroad was much more than an academic experience. In many ways, the most important lessons I brought home were not the ones I learned in a classroom, but the ones I learned by simply paying attention. Barcelona taught me the art of noticing: noticing how a city changes under the pressure of tourism, how larger issues are experienced by individuals, and how much of what shapes us comes from the people we encounter.
My classes focused heavily on the history and culture of Spain and Catalunya, including the impact of tourism on Barcelona. In class, we examined systems and outcomes. At home with my host family, I began to understand the people living within those systems. As an engineering student interested in sustainability, this distinction stayed with me. It reminded me that understanding a problem means understanding the people who experience it.
More than anything, however, I value the people who made Barcelona meaningful. Living across languages taught me that communication is about far more than finding the right words. Some of my favorite memories came from attempting to make jokes that did not quite translate, finding new ways to express ourselves, and gradually learning how to understand one another beyond language. Those moments taught me humility, patience and a willingness to be uncomfortable.
Looking back, I realize that Barcelona was shaped as much by these relationships as by the city itself. Ángel, Isabel, my Dartmouth classmates, my host family, and even the workers at our local café each expanded my understanding of what it means to encounter a place with curiosity and openness. You only have the opportunity to live abroad in this particular way once. I am grateful that Barcelona taught me not only to explore a new city, but to look more carefully at the world around me, and, most importantly, its people. That is the perspective I brought home with me, and perhaps the most lasting thing Barcelona gave me.
From Elif Sude Yanik ’28
What excited me most about the city was the way everything seemed intertwined: culture, nature, crowds and restaurants all existed alongside one another. Parc de la Ciutadella is a perfect example of this sense of having everything in one place. You enter the park from the crowded center of the city, carrying with you the energy and atmosphere of the busy streets. Then, almost immediately, nature welcomes you with vast stretches of green space. As you walk through the park, you encounter different faces of Barcelona at every turn.
One afternoon, my friend Julia and I were walking by the lake when we noticed that visitors could rent canoes. We rented one ourselves and spent half an hour exploring the park from the water, surrounded by beautiful views and greenery. Along the lake, you can also spot historic statues and monuments, which add another layer of history and character to the landscape. For me, this is what made Barcelona so exciting: The city never felt divided into separate experiences. Culture, history, nature, food and the energy of a big city were all together within the same place.
From Cayla Kwok ’28
During my last season of high school cross country, my coach’s final piece of advice was to use running as a means to explore new places. And unlike Hanover’s frigid and snowy winters, spending winter term in Spain offered me warm sunny skies and long stretches of unfamiliar city to explore. The more I ran in Barcelona, the more familiar the area and daily bustle became. During the last week of the term, I took an aimless two-hour walk around the city with no particular destination in mind. While wandering through the city, I was struck by how hard it felt to say goodbye to a place that was unknown to me a mere ten weeks prior.
I reflected on how my runs in Barcelona had slowly transitioned from the exploration of a brand-new place into a habit in my daily routine. In this city nestled between mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, I fell into the simple routines of setting the table for dinner with my host family, walking on the distinctive four-petal flower tiles to get to school, and making pit stops for cafe con leche in between classes. I walked through streets that I no longer needed Google Maps to navigate through and by cafes associated with last-minute midterm studying and nonsensical inside jokes, and listened to the familiar buzz of Catalan and Spanish around me, grateful to feel at home.
From Amanda Adams ’28
This photo was from our last night in Barcelona in Parc del Carmel. As a group, we climbed up to the top of this hill to watch the sun set over the city for the last time. We all huddled together, arm and arm, and sang “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac as the fog overtook the landscape. I remember feeling such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for both the city and the people that I had spent my winter with. It meant everything to me to learn so much about myself and the 24 others I shared my time with in Spain. From the top of the hill, we could see, in entirety, the place where we made so many mistakes, memories and everything in between. Embracing everyone on the final night felt like such a perfect end to a term that I cherish so deeply.
