As I stood and took in the beautiful scenery of Barcelona at Parc Guell, I knew I had made the right decision to study abroad. The vibe that Barcelona gave off was something that I had never experienced before. All different cultures and people from all over the world are located in this city. I felt very comfortable and at peace with myself while on this Creative Journey with the communication department.
This trip has opened my eyes to all of the job possibilities I have in my specific major. All of the workshops that were offered on this trip were insightful and interactive. I particularly liked the cooking and mosaic workshop that the group participated in. Interacting with all the different individuals at these workshops made the experience much more enjoyable. Speaking with them about their experiences and jobs was very eye-opening. It made me realize that this field has many options and opportunities.
Since I was young, I have always had a passion to travel outside of the country. This trip solidified my interest in that. On our 3rd day in Barcelona, we met with a YouTuber named Patrick, and he gave us a tour around the old gothic part of the city. He told us about how he went there to study abroad for 1 year at a university. He fell in love with the country and has remained there for 13 years. I can definitely see myself taking a similar path to him. He opened my eyes to all of the possibilities for my life and career. I do not have to stay in the United States for the rest of my life. I would love to start a job in a foreign country that I fall in love with.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to experience all of the different food and cuisines. Barcelona has a multitude of options, and I was happily overwhelmed with all of them. I loved all of the fresh markets that were out on the streets. They had the best fresh produce and baked goods. I enjoyed many different foods in Europe. Every morning I would go down to the cafe in the building where we were staying and would get a cappuccino and croissant. The meal that stuck out to me the most was when the group took a weekend trip to Paris. We went to a very nice restaurant on the first night there and I had a sturgeon and risotto dish. I still think about it one month later. If I could go back just for the food I would go immediately.
A Creative Journey was the perfect opportunity for me to get to travel and get college credit at the same time. It was honestly a miracle that this program was for my major and in a country that I have always wanted to visit. I learned a lot about myself and about a completely different culture. The differences I saw expanded my perspective on certain things. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Anthony Cepak and the administrators for making this trip possible for me. Without their help and support it would have been difficult to gain this experience.
Kinslee Greene (BS Communication) spent the Summer 2023 studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain as part of a Communications department faculty led trip through API. Kinslee had the following to say about studying abroad, “I loved going to Barcelona because it gave me the opportunity to experience new cultures and open my eyes to all of the different job options available to me.”
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