Spain Study Abroad

In the Summer of 2015, I was lucky enough to go on a five-week study abroad in Barcelona. Mays Business School had a partnership with Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona where we took two international business management courses and lived in a hotel attached to the university campus. This trip was all I had hoped it to be and then some. Barcelona, itself, was a magnificent city with vibrant attractions like La Sagrada Familia, Las Ramblas, Park Güell, and the Olympic Village. Furthermore, I was able to go on weekend trips to Amsterdam, Valencia, Cinque Terre, and Munich; cities I can’t wait to revisit.

This study abroad made me a more spontaneous person. I had always carried a strength of discipline since I was a boy, but this trip taught me how to balance both being disciplined and outgoing. Establishing lasting friendships on this trip, I felt comfortable being myself and saying “Yes!” to several excursions I wouldn’t have said yes to as a freshman. Realizing I wasn’t going to be in Barcelona forever, I had the “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality most nights and embraced learning from the locals when it came to culture, politics, and what living like a Barcelonan entailed.

Another skill I developed was my leadership. It’s hard enough making decisions with a 20+ group of college students who hardly know each other, but it’s even more difficult on foreign soil. Something as simple as “What should we do this afternoon?” became difficult, as everyone had their own agenda and it was difficult to please everyone all the time.  Nevertheless, most of the time, people are just looking for someone to follow.  Whether I take the democratic, pacesetter, or any other leadership approach, if I can communicate an organized plan with the group that most people will prefer, I’ll be an effective leader.  Also, a good leader must be a great follower; effective leaders understand how to use perspective to their advantage.  If they can see from the eyes of their followers, they’ll be able to make more informed decisions.

Lastly, this trip really emphasized how much people matter to me. Before going on the trip, everything that went through my mind was about seeing this and visiting that. I surfed Wikipedia and TripAdvisor often to brush up on Barcelona’s top attractions and how I could maximize my sightseeing while in Europe. Yet, when I look back on this trip, some of my favorite memories relate to the “in-between” moments and laughs shared among the rest of the group. Comparing my study abroad to friends that had gone before me, I think I was really lucky with the “cast of characters” that went on my trip. I made some lifelong friends that I still communicate with even though some of them have gone off to graduate and move to different cities.

Keeping a daily journal was one of the best things I did during my study abroad. And when I read over it from time to time, it’s less remembering the sights that make me smile but more of the laughs and one-on-one conversations. It’s not all about where I’m going but who I’m going with.