The three-week Pro-seminar was essential for settling into the city, especially with the Catalan introduction course that made me feel more comfortable reading Catalan on street signs and in stores. This orientation period was also an incredible bonding experience—almost like summer camp—with the CASA cohort. Together, we embarked on the same journey before branching out in our individual paths during the regular semester. CASA’s support only grew deeper as the semester progressed, from providing tutoring to organizing cultural immersion activities, like a delicious cooking workshop and tapas night.
Barcelona was a unique place for an intensive language immersion experience. My confidence in Spanish grew exponentially as I listened, thought, and spoke it daily, while also using it to learn the basics of Catalan. CASA Barcelona also had an amazing emphasis on experiential learning with excursions throughout Catalonia. These day and weekend trips to museums and historical sites brought the region’s rich history to life and created unforgettable memories with my CASA peers. I loved how this emphasis on history and culture remained a focal point in the CASA-instructed courses. My favorite course of the semester was definitely the art history CASA course on Picasso, Miró, and Dalí. Our professor’s passion was infectious, and I often felt their artistic spirit as I walked throughout the city.
I appreciated having full flexibility over the courses I could take during the semester. I complimented my two CASA courses with two Economics courses at the University of Barcelona, allowing me to fulfill my major requirements while abroad. I also spent time interning as a Research Assistant at the university’s School of Economics, an experience coordinated through CASA to fulfill the Pro-seminar requirement. This role challenged my Spanish as I tackled communicating new technical concepts, and it helped me build tangible research skills that became assets in future job interviews. Aside from taking all of my coursework and internship in Spanish, I was able to further develop my fluency with CASA’s “Café en Español” sessions. In these wholesome weekly sessions, my peers and I met with a professor at a cafe to chat about anything, which was invaluable in boosting my confidence in everyday Spanish conversations.
CASA Barcelona exceeded every expectation I had. I developed a deep connection to the language I’d been studying for years, learned so much about myself and the world, and made lifelong friends with an incredible group of people. It was far more than just a five-month study abroad experience—it was truly the experience of a lifetime.
