Hello everyone!

My name is Carli Cebulla and for my Beyond the Classroom experience, I studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain for the Spring 2023 semester. This experience has influenced my outlook on life and helped me grow into a much more understanding person of the world. Although my actual project was based in Barcelona, I was able to go on so many adventures throughout Europe and Africa, that affected me just as much. 

Growing up in a small farm town, and then moving to Missoula was like I entered a whole new world. I never could have imagined how much I would thrive in a city consisting of 2 million people, having only grown up in a town maybe consisting of 1,000 people on a good day. There was so much I had to learn the first month I was there, but luckily my roommates were from Spain and helped me out a lot my first couple weeks. Without them, I would have not had as great of an experience and put myself out there as much. 

There are so many wild adventures that I could put in here, but that would make this post into a whole book. However, my favorite memories of my time abroad mostly have to do with the insane nightlife scene, and all the new stores that I could shop in. It still has not sunk in that I am no longer there and probably will not be back for many years. But as for right now, I still feel like all my adventures were just last week. 

My time abroad really showcased how different lifestyles can be. It was a little bit of an adjustment that first week, but after that I learned to love the work to live mindset. This experience opened my eyes to a whole new side of people that I did not see when I first moved by myself several years ago. I created great friendships with people all over the world and learned even more about other countries because of that.

Throughout my time there, I had a couple visitors. Everyone that came mentioned how much happier everyone is over there within the first day or two of being there. And I have to agree. The way of life is much simpler, and even though Spain is less developed than the United States, everyone seems content and not overly stressed. It was refreshing to see a world that has more to life after college than just working.

Overall, my experience in Barcelona still feels like a fever dream. And I keep reliving all the little moments, which I hope to continue to do. I will never forget the impact this experience has had on my life and how I view the world!