When I was getting ready to leave for Barcelona, I was so nervous to see where I would be living for the next three and a half months. I Googled my apartment address to try to find what it could look like inside, but all I could see was the outside. I tried looking up blogs of where people have lived on their study abroad trips, but I could not find much from previous Barcelona students, so I wanted to write about my experience to alleviate some of the stress for future ones.
I assumed my apartment would be super tiny, but I was very pleasantly surprised! Walking into it for the first time, I found that it was so much bigger than I had pictured in my head. We have a large entryway that leads to the main hallway. From there, we have one bathroom, one single bedroom, one double bedroom, and the kitchen. The kitchen has everything we need to cook and clean, which was great because we did not have to spend money as soon as we got here to supply our apartment. The kitchen leads outside to a washing machine and clothes lines to dry our clothes. After the kitchen, we are led into the living/dining room which has a large table, a couch, and a TV. There are two bedrooms from this area, one being a single and the other being a double — which contains the second bathroom. From the living room, we have a large balcony that has a great view of the mountains.
One of the best aspects of our apartment is not what is inside, but our location. We are only a ten-minute walk from La Sagrada Familia (seen above)! Coming to Barcelona, I was most excited to see La Sagrada Familia, and now I live here and walk by the amazing sight every day on my way to school. We are also on the same street as one of the two UAB campuses (Sant Pau), so it takes less than fifteen minutes to walk to class.
After months of worrying about my living situation, I realized that I had nothing to be worried about in the first place. AIFS takes great care at making sure we are in a safe location with enough space to live comfortably. Everything is fully furnished so we could spend our first few days exploring the city rather than going out to buy supplies for our apartment. No matter what housing option you choose as a student in Barcelona, whether it be a homestay, a student residence, or an apartment, do not worry because it will be something that enhances your study abroad experience.
This post was contributed by Megan Longerbeam, who is studying abroad with AIFS in Barcelona this fall.
