Let’s state the obvious — Being a student in America is much different than being a student in Spain, let alone, Europe — and we learned very quickly that we would never truly be anything other than those “Stupid Americans”.
Christine, my best friend and travel partner for the next semester, and I landed in Barcelona, tired and exhausted. With mascara smudged below our eyes, we lugged our oversized (and overweight *yikes*!) bags across Barcelona looking for the beautiful Universitat de Barcelona. Running on solely adrenaline, airplane coffee, and excitement, I was that “Stupid American”, who couldn’t feel her arm because she packed too much and who couldn’t stop smiling ear to ear. Everything excited me.
The beautiful buildings, the obscure graffiti, the dog peeing on the tree in the middle of La Plaça de la Universitat, it all blew my mind.
After sitting in a classroom for 2 hours going over the “Dos and Don’ts” of being a true student in Barcelona, I was discouraged by our program coordinator. Although she didn’t mean it out of spite and more so wanted to keep us safe, she made sure we knew that, no matter how hard we tried, we would truly never, nunca, jamás be from Barcelona.
I was always going to be a “Stupid American”, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked it.
I was a tourist in the city I lived in, and I was here to learn more about myself, the Spanish language, and to, ultimately, make some mistakes.
So, to being the Stupid American! The one who completely embarrasses herself by asking the waiter for el cuento (the story) instead of la cuenta (the check).
The one who takes a “First Day of School Pic in Barcelona” photo for her mom in the middle of the University’s main garden.
The one who stops for a glass of Sangria in between class, only to order 3 pitchers.
The one who needs to remember to stop taking photos of every meal she has and every street corner she passes.
But most importantly, the one who tries to live and to catch every moment these next 6 months has to offer and to cherish them always.
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