The University

Barcelona is a metropolis that not only has one main university. I had the opportunity to spend my Erasmus stay at the University de Barcelona. The university consists of many faculties, whereby the Faculty of Education together with two others has a special location in Mundet.

The university itself offers numerous courses that can be attended in English or Catalan. In many of my courses there were only local students, so that one gets in touch with the language and culture immediately. I enjoyed the time at the university very much, but the organization itself was often not very easy. Unfortunately, the enrolment in the courses was very time consuming, although the Spaniards made a lot of effort.

The internship

I was very happy that the university gave us the opportunity to do an internship in a school. In the first weeks we had a meeting once a week with our tutor, who organized everything. It was not so easy because we had to go to the authorities to get a criminal of record. After we had all the documents, we were assigned to our schools. My school was on a hill with a beautiful view. Through COVID-19 I only had the possibility to go to school for 3 days. The plan was to spend the whole day at school twice a week. Despite the short time I was able to take a lot with me from the Spanish school system. The teachers immediately integrated me into their lessons and accepted me as a teacher. The children are very warm and show it with hugs or kisses. The interaction between teachers and students was unique, as I have never seen before in Austria.

Accommodation

By chance I found accommodation in an Air BnB apartment with two of my friends. We lived in a great location and had excellent connections to our universities. Besides, everything we needed was right around the corner. For us it was not so difficult to find accommodation, because we had been looking for a long time in advance. But I heard from many fellow students that they had enormous problems to find the right room, because many rooms in Spain are very small and without windows.

The city

Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities that I know so far, because it is so versatile. With the new friends I met on my trip, we tried to explore all corners of the city. With the subway everything is within easy reach and you can go hiking in the mountains as well as swimming in the sea. By train you can reach the surrounding cities very quickly. You should take care of your things, because there are many thieves on the way.

Conclusion

Barcelona is one of the most beautiful cities that I know so far, because it is so versatile. With the new friends I met on my trip, we tried to explore all corners of the city. With the subway everything is within easy reach and you can go hiking in the mountains as well as swimming in the sea. By train you can reach the surrounding cities very quickly. You should take care of your things, because there are many thieves on the way.

Author: Vanessa Corra.