Study Abroad Barcelona

In our last trip sponsored by Dickinson College we traveled to Valencia and Barcelona, the third and second biggest cities in Spain. More so in Barcelona than in Valencia we encountered an incredible amount of American students. Understandably we met up with multiple friends whom are studying abroad. As we would walk down La Rambla at night I could not ignore that fact that English seemed more predominant on the street than Spanish or Catalan. We would continuously encounter Americans in bars, restaurants and on almost every street corner. I could not but help ask our program director Mark Aldrich, why it was that there were so many American students here. He replied that after the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona a lot of study abroad programs began to focus in on the Catalonian city. Over time the amount of study abroad programs increased and began to accommodate more and more students. Some companies such as CEA or IES bring thousands of students every year to Barcelona. Someone in the group also commented about the success of the Woody Allen movie Vicky Christina Barcelona and how that could have made an impression on some Americans who wanted to study abroad this past year. After only spending a little time in Barcelona I understand why so many people would want to visit, it has something for everyone. Be it the reputation of the city or films made about it, Barcelona will continue to be one of the most visited cities in the world by American students.