In February of this year, nine UTC students and I signed up for the Creative Journey in Barcelona and today four months later we have spent five days-exploring and experiencing this city.
There’s a very surreal element to experiencing a new culture and for this trip it is especially true. Everything is different: the food, the culture, the architecture, the language, etc. Even the Mundane like the type of cars people drive and the plugs in the walls are different. At times it can feel like you have entered a dream or stepped into someone else’s shoes in someone else’s life when living in a new country.
This feeling is by no means bad, I guess it is a form of culture shock, but I’m not really shocked, just intrigued.
I’ve loved every moment of this trip so far. It’s been incredible and the only thing that has made it better- as cheesy as it sounds – is the people that went on the trip as well. Everyone really compliments each other very well and in only five days there are so many countless memories we’ve made together.
At lunch one day in Plaça Reial, we got a long table where talking to people from the other side of the table was difficult, specifically Trevor and Mason who were at the heads of the table.
At one point Trevor looked over to the other side at Mason, but he didn’t notice. I nudged Mason to get his attention and they began to play rock, paper, scissors throughout the meal. We joked it was like we were political parties and the games were elections deciding who would be president next. The games were so discrete, they would often be missed by most of the table. But to that we joked, “That’s politics. Discrete and under the table.”
It’s these simple moments that make the trip all the more memorable. But, when we’re not working together as a class on projects or just hanging out, it’s the moments of true immersion in the culture that makes the trip so rich.
At the mall in Glories picking up groceries for a group meal or walking on in the alleys of Barri Gòtic past the incredible architecture with sometimes even more incredible architecture, the Creative Journey is an opportunity I am glad I didn’t pass up.
With Love From Barcelona,
Oliver