For my STEP Signature Project, I traveled to Barcelona, Spain to study Spanish for one month. During my time abroad I took two Spanish classes: Spanish Art and Architecture and Spanish History. The city of Barcelona (and Spain in general) is overflowing with rich culture and history, which can be seen through buildings on the street, traditions of the country, art, and so much more. Throughout my time in Barcelona, I enjoyed taking the two classes mentioned above because they greatly expanded my knowledge of the Spanish history and culture. However, it was great to be able to learn on my own too, and to step outside into the city and see for myself what we were talking about in class. This trip was truly the experience of a lifetime, and I will never forget all the people I met, things I saw, and information I learned over the course of this month.

My trip to Barcelona was my first time to Europe, and just my second time out of the United States. That being said, in the weeks leading up to my departure for Spain, I was very nervous and anxious, but also incredibly excited. I had no idea what to expect; how the people would be, what the city would look like, if I would experience culture shock, if I would be able to communicate, etc. However, apart from these worries, I was so excited to experience a different part of the world with a new culture, and to practice a language that I have come to love over the years. I have been taking Spanish classes since grade school, and more recently with the Spanish classes I have taken at Ohio State, my love for the language has grown. I hope to one day be able to incorporate my Spanish speaking abilities into my chosen profession, speech-language pathology, and to become a speech therapist that will be able to work with both English and Spanish speaking patients. One of my main goals for this trip was to practice my Spanish as much as possible to better my speaking skills. I was not sure how much I would actually be able to speak when I arrived, as I have never been immersed into a Spanish speaking country before. Although I was nervous, I feel as if I really challenged myself in practicing the Spanish language with those around me and increased my confidence in my ability to speak the language.

During my time in Barcelona I stayed with a host family. The family consisted of a woman named Pepa and her two grandsons, Jon and Pau, who lived in an apartment across the street. Another host student from China, Alicia, also lived with Pepa, and two OSU students, Jeremy and Bennet, lived with Jon and Pau for the month. Pepa cooked meals for all of us, and at dinnertime (which was normally around 9:30 or 10 PM!), everyone came over to Pepa’s apartment to eat. There were easily seven people at dinner each night, which showed how important family and spending time together eating dinner altogether is so important to many people in the Spanish culture. At dinner, we would often practice Spanish by having conversations or commenting on the food in the language. Pepa didn’t speak any English, but Jon and Pau did. I was surprised at how encouraging and open they were to us Americans trying to practice our Spanish, which at times went horribly wrong. Pepa never treated me differently when I attempted speaking to her in Spanish, and she acted like I was just another one of her Spanish friends. I know that not everything I said to her was grammatically correct, or that I had the best accent when speaking, but she was always so encouraging of me speaking Spanish and corrected me when I said something wrong. I really appreciated this, as it made me more confident in being able to speak with someone in Spanish. Jon and Pau also helped us a lot, as we would ask them questions about Spanish, and in return they would ask us questions about English. Along with my host family, a lot of people I encountered in Spain, such as my teachers, the ISA staff, and restaurant or shop workers were very open to me starting up a conversation in Spanish, even though I obviously wasn’t a local. This was surprising to me, however it showed me how open the Spanish culture is and really how friendly they can be.

While I was busy practicing Spanish, it was surprising to find that a lot of people in Barcelona spoke both Spanish and English. Maybe it was because Barcelona is a very tourist-y city, but a good percentage of the people we encountered could answer our questions in both Spanish and English. This was very eye-opening, seeing how many people in Spain could speak English almost perfectly, while at times I struggled to say something simple in Spanish. It made me realize how many people in the United States know only English, but how many people in Europe know at least two languages, and sometimes even more. This discovery really re-affirmed my desire to continue studying a second language, and how learning a second language should really be incorporated into more schools and curriculums in the United States. Learning a second language can connect us to a different set of people across the world, as well as open the doors to a whole new culture and way of life. 

Pepa’s apartment was in the gothic neighborhood of Barcelona, which is the oldest part of the city. I could easily step outside of the apartment, walk a few minutes, and suddenly I would be standing in front of a massive gothic cathedral, old roman walls, or the ancient roman palace. My time in Barcelona really opened my eyes to the incredible history of Spain and Europe, which is a type of history that you just can’t find in the United States.  It was amazing to see the structures that the romans built thousands of years ago, and that they were so close to where a lot of people live in the city. While we learned all about the history of Spain in my Spanish history class, we also took a few class days to walk around the city and see parts of history for ourselves. We saw the old roman walls and aqueducts, palaces, churches, and refugees where Spaniards would stay during the bombings of the Spanish Civil War. I loved learning about the history of Spain, and I also learned how proud the Spaniards are of their history, and how much they know about it. Personally, I could not recite anything besides the basic facts about the early years of America. However, it was obvious that the people of Barcelona were very proud of their history and were willing to talk about it with anyone. One night we were studying for our Spanish history exam the next day and asked Jon, Pepa’s grandson, if he knew the answer to a certain question. He immediately answered the question and even elaborated further on many of the kings of Spain and wars that were were studying. It was surprising to me how much he knew, and it was very cool to experience the rich and proud history of the people of Spain. I will miss walking past the architecture and buildings of the gothic quarter everyday; they were not only beautiful, but also a great example of how far the city has come and how it came to be.

The Barcelona Gothic Cathedral that I would often walk by

Ultimately, my time in Barcelona was truly a transformational and unforgettable experience. I feel as if my understanding of myself transformed and I gained confidence in myself as I traveled to and lived in a foreign country by myself for a month. My confidence in my Spanish speaking abilities also increased, and now more than ever I feel determined to continue speaking the language and hopefully reach the point of fluency in the future. Along with transforming personally, my views of the world also changed as I experienced a new culture. It was fascinating to learn about the Spanish culture and discover how open the Spaniards are, how family is very special to them, and how daily life in Barcelona is. I also really enjoyed learning about Spanish art and architecture and Spanish history, as these classes opened my eyes to a whole new world of history and art in Europe that I was not aware of. It’s evident that Spain is full of amazing history, and I hope to return at some point in the future to discover other amazing history and art the country has to offer.

All of these new things I experienced and learned will greatly benefit me in the future. As I hope to incorporate the Spanish language in my profession of speech and language pathology, I feel that my time abroad gave me a lot of practice with the language and gave me the confidence I needed to continue to reach for the goal of becoming a bilingual speech-language pathologist. All of the Spanish culture I also experienced will also benefit me as I begin to work with Spanish speaking patients, as I can hopefully relate my experience abroad to their culture or lifestyles. Furthermore, this trip showed me how important and valuable it is to travel when you get the chance to and to take the time to learn about the history of other culture’s. After experiencing all I did in Barcelona, I have decided that I would like to travel more in the future and to learn all I can about other cultures outside of the United States.

Living abroad for a month was one of the best experiences I could have asked for, and I will never forget all of the friends I made, people I met, places I saw, and things that I learned. I feel as if a small part of me will always be in Spain, which just gives me more of a reason to go back one day. I am so thankful that Ohio State STEP helped in my completion of this Signature Project, and I will forever be grateful for this amazing opportunity!

– – Claire Schuster

Sporting Ohio State gear on top of Montserrat Mountain, Spain

O-H-I-O on top of Montserrat Mountain, Spain