Blake Page
AIFS Universitat Autonoma
Barcelona, Spain
Spring 2020

March 26

As this comes as no surprise, unfortunately I am typing my farewell blog from my home
and not from the beautiful city of Barcelona. As a result of the current health pandemic we know as the virus Covid-19 my program, just like every other student studying abroad this semester, abruptly ended and all students were informed they had to return home. Although I am disappointed my time in Barcelona was cut short, I can not overlook the time I did get to spend in Europe, which I will be forever grateful. I met a lot of wonderful people, made numerous friends, experienced beautiful places, and most importantly made lifelong memories that will stay with me forever.

As I have had time to reflect on my study abroad experience in self quarantine for the last two weeks, I realized that choosing to study abroad was one of the best decisions of my life. I was blessed with wonderful and loving host parents that I was sad I had to leave. But they enhanced my experience and without them my experience would not have been the same. My classes were also a part of my great experience because they were all classes that fit my interest in art and architecture, but also they were fun and interactive.

In three out of my four classes we were able to learn in the classroom and also have walking field trips around the city in an interactive learning experience. But my favorite part of the whole experience was being able to travel to places in Europe and different places within Spain with my program and also with my friends. I was able to travel to Seville, Spain, Milan, Italy, and Lisbon, Portugal just to name a few.

Getting to experience the different historical places, cultures, and cuisines were times I will cherish forever and hope to be back to visit again someday. Thank you for taking this journey with me and I encourage any and every student to look into studying abroad so it may change your life just as it did mine!

All the best,
Blake Page