Anne Marie Heywood, Studying in Barcelona, Spain
Two trains and 40 minutes later, I enter Room MF 1.09, drop my bag on an open desk, and join my classmates on the balcony for some fresh air. Welcome to a typical Monday morning as my business studies continue nearly 6,000 miles away in Barcelona! Studying abroad allowed me the opportunity to enroll in Principles of Finance at Universitat Ramon Llull, LaSalle.
As my professor asked each of us to introduce ourselves on the first day, the diversity of my peers began to reveal itself as the first significant difference from SCU. Most of my classmates are from Barcelona, though Liverpool, India, France, and the USA (obviously!) are also represented. Instead of learning among students from a range of states, I am learning among students from a range of nations.
Another notable difference is my commute. For two years, I walked less than 10 minutes from Dunne Hall for my business classes. Now? I hop on two trains and give myself about 45 minutes to get from the door of my apartment to my desk at LaSalle. I try to arrive early because timeliness is very important – the door to the classroom locks when shut, so don’t be late! We spend most of our class practicing problems, but a problem that would take 10 minutes for a professor to explain at SCU takes 30 minutes at LaSalle. Why? We work individually while my professor provides one-on-one assistance to nearly every student. It is not uncommon to hear her fluidly switch between Spanish, French, and English during this time. Studying French for seven years in high school and studying Spanish at SCU makes it feel as though all my worlds are colliding in Barcelona. I may be abroad, but as always, Go Broncos!