I am so grateful for the global opportunities program that offered me the chance to study graphic design for a year in Barcelona. This experience ended up being the best year of my life and has opened my eyes to living abroad permanently ; which prior to this experience was more of a dream than an actual future reality.The friends I made this year impacted my life immensely, it's crazy how fast people become family! I now visit them in Germany, Italy and Denmark. I grew massively from this experience, becoming nearly fluent in Spanish as well as completely independent, the visa process was challenging but showed how resilient and resourceful I could be if I really wanted to do something.
I would say doing a full year is the best way to immerse yourself in the country and culture, if you want to learn a language this is the best way to do it. My life was pretty much doing university work I loved, going out till 6am partying in street festivals, which happen a lot! Skating to the beach and hanging with friends and doing trips to neighbouring cities, trying all of the tapas and dancing with locals!
My classes were mostly in Spanish but some were in English, the tutors were warm and the curriculum was a great way to introduce new skills into my portfolio. Doing a year abroad is such a great way to challenge yourself, grow and differentiate yourself from other candidates in later work opportunities. I would 100% recommend this opportunity, it might be scary to go abroad alone but it's worth it, take the leap of faith.
