As my time in Barcelona is coming to a close, I took some time to reflect on my experience here. A part of that was thinking about things I wish I would have done, or would have done more often during my stay in Barcelona.

1. Traveled more throughout Spain than other countries. Spain is very diverse; I found this out when I traveled to Granada. I wish I had seen more of Spain and that way I would have also practiced speaking Spanish more often.

Instead of one week full of finals, my finals were split up into two weeks: last week and this week. Last week I had my more stressful exams (theater performance, art history oral at the University of Nantes, and French final), so this weekend my friend Marie and I took advantage of our last free days here and decided to go out for a seafood dinner at Trentmoult, Rezé (a town - and former fishing village - across the Loire, south of Nantes).  

With finals coming up and less than a week left in this incredible city, I have been extremely reflective recently. Although my mind has been focusing on fun facts about the BBC, British Reggae, and Henry V (these are the types of cool things that I have been studying over the past semester), my mind has also been focusing on how far I have come since arriving waaay back in September. 

Less than one week ago, I was saying goodbye to the most amazing friends, taking in my last glimpses of the most beautiful places, and getting ready for a triple-flight endeavor back home to the States. Now, finally home and visiting friends at school, I honestly can't believe what just happened over the course of only a few months. 

          I found the statue soon after I discovered the jogging path along the Grand Canal. For a long time, I didn’t know its name, didn’t know the name of the figure that sat on the park bench near the water’s edge, day in, day out, no matter how stormy the weather.

Studying and running have very strongly characterized my life from my teenaged years on, which left myself little room for trying new things.

One of the simplest but most enjoyable activities I have found over my time here has been to sit out on the heated terrace of a café with a coffee or a glass of wine and watch Paris pass by.

            Tuesday morning I started crying in the middle of the city. I was with three friends, following along with the teacher who had taken us to see the Garden of Remembrance dedicated to all the men and women who died for Irish liberty. It was beautiful there, despite the cold, despite the construction happening at one end to prepare a monument for next year’s centenary. There was a fountain shaped like a cross, a statue of four swans turning into children.