I decided to go to Barcelona, Spain this summer because I am getting to the point in my college career where work experience, cultural intelligence, and individuality are just as important as the general knowledge I’ve gained from my courses. I wanted to be able to turn the somewhat regular internship experience most college students have into something unique and exciting! I also was really looking forward to experiencing an entirely new culture. I chose the location of Barcelona because I had visited it for a couple days about 4 years back and I was so intrigued by the city’s architecture, ambiance, and cuisine that I just knew I had to go back someday. While it did come with a few shocks at first, such as dinner at 9:30pm, the cuisine, the metro, air drying my clothes, etc., I found that Spanish culture is exciting, rich, and rooted in tradition.
While in Barcelona I interned for a futbol company called CeleBreak. Being an active member of the women’s soccer team at UTC, this internship was the absolute perfect fit for me! I was able to combine my passion for soccer with my business oriented career focus in one of the most futbol crazed cities in the world! While working for CeleBreak, I was mainly in charge of marketing the company. I was given tasks like creating and managing advertisements, graphic design for posters and flyers, social media, writing blogs, and collaborating with other businesses to promote the company. I was also able to play several soccer games with locals and other travelers for free, which was an experience like no other! This internship taught me that if you are passionate about what you are working on or who you are working for, then it never even feels like work!
Outside of the internship I was able to explore the beautiful city of Barcelona, which is overflowing with things to do and see. Some of my favorite moments were hiking the Spanish mountains to gorgeous lookouts, marveling in the vastness and detail of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia, learning to cook traditional Catalan dishes, and catching the last FC Barcelona game of the season! I made some of the best friends while interning abroad, both travelers and locals, and I know that they will be a part of my life for a long time. I am so grateful that I was able to have such an incredible experience and hope that all those doubtful of the study abroad experience take a chance on it because it exceeded my expectations beyond my imagination!
Mary Meyer is majoring in Psychology with a minor in Business. She did an internship over the summer in Barcelona, Spain through CISabroad. Mary had the following to say about her time abroad, “In such a short time, Barcelona has grown to be such a big part of me. I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve had or the memories I’ve made for anything.”
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