Inside Student Blogs

Damaris Rodriguez Barcelona, Spring 2012

My name is Damaris Rodriguez. I am a sophomore at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign majoring in psychology. I love to listen to music, some of my favorite artists are The Beatles, Bon Iver, Adele and Nicolas Jaar. I also love to watch movies, whether it be a chick flick like The Notebook or a psychological thriller like The Shining. I like to swim, play soccer, and play the cello. I have traveled to Mexico, Spain, and France. I love traveling and plan to do a lot more of it while in Europe. I enjoy art, architecture, and nature, so I am looking forward to see all of the amazing sites. I am a native Spanish speaker, but I am looking forward to learning some Catalan. After only spending a few days in Barcelona as a 7th grader, I am excited to return and experience it in a new light.

Damaris's Posts

• 

  Hasta Luego Barcelona.

  5/14/12 • (0)

  When I think about what was going on in my life 4 months ago, I cannot believe it. I was in a new country basically alone and in a completely new environment. I miss Barcelona a lot and my new friends, but it is nice to be home.

  Barcelona, Post-departure, Reflections, Spain

• Diada de San Jordi & Scotland

  5/08/12 • (0)

  One of the last experiences I had in Barcelona was la Diada de San Jordi or St. George’s Day. It is a Catalan tradition where the men receive books and the women flowers. It was a really lovely experience and everyone seems to really enjoy the holiday.

  Barcelona, la Diada de San Jordi, Spain

• Last Few Days

  5/01/12 • (0)

  Well, time sure does fly when you’re having fun, and by fly I mean super sonic speed. These 4 months have been some of the most amazing months of my life. I’ve had such a great time and I am going to miss Barcelona and the people that I have encountered here so much.

  Barcelona, Spain

• 

  Paris, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Oh my!

  4/23/12 • (2)

  Spring break was amazing! It was not exactly a vacation because there was so much to do, but it was amazing!

  Barcelona, Notre Dame, Paris, Spain

• Els Encants Vells, Sunrise @ Parc Güell, & an FC Barça Soccer Game

  3/27/12 • (1)

  This week has been hectic! I have a lot of work before spring break and since I have a friend coming in I want to get it out of the way. I still saved some time to do some activities.

  Barcelona, Spain

• 

  Adventuring in Barcelona

  3/19/12 • (0)

  The days have been getting warmer and my motivation to go out and explore more of this great city has increased exponentially. I have already done some exploring around where I live, the IES building, and the touristy places, but I wanted to become acquainted with more of it.

  Barcelona, Spain

• 

  Demo a Venezia

  3/06/12 • (0)

  I cannot believe that just last week I was exploring the magical city of Venice. I was extremely excited for this trip because I had never been to Italy and I had heard amazing things about Venice in particular. It is such a lovely place and it is very different from anywhere that I had been to.

  Barcelona, Spain, Venice

• 

  Montserrat and Sitges

  2/28/12 • (0)

  On Sunday my roommate, a friend, and I went to visit Montserrat, a mountain near Barcelona. We took an hour train ride and once there we took a cable car to the top of the mountain. There we had beautiful sights of the mountains and the town below.

  Barcelona, Carnaval, Montserrat, Spain

• Happy 1 Month Abroad!

  2/21/12 • (0)

  By the time this is up I will have been in Barcelona for more than a month and I still cannot be shocked by this. I have gotten so used to living here, but sometimes I think “Woah! I’m in Barcelona right now.” It is still so unreal.

  Barcelona, Spain

• Viaje a Valencia

  2/07/12 • (0)

  This semester the IES program took all of us on a mandatory (but fun!) trip to Valencia. It was a good trip because we had some planned activities, but we also had a lot of free time to do our own exploring of the city.

  Barcelona, Field Trip, Spain, Valencia

• 

  Bus Turístic Barcelona

  1/24/12 • (0)

  We went to many places: Plaça de Catalunya, Passeig de Gràcia, La Sagrada Família, El Parc Güell, Estadi Olímpic, and Camp Nou (FC Barcelona’s stadium). I learned a lot about Barcelona on this tour and saw some great sights.

  Barcelona, Parc Guell, Spain

• 

  First Few Days in the Enchanting Barcelona

  1/17/12 • (0)

  I have been here for less than a week, but I am already in love with Barça. The city, the people, the food… everything is just amazing here.

  Barcelona, Spain

• 

  Adéu Chicago. Hola Barcelona!

  1/05/12 • (0)

  Well, here I am writing this post with less than a week in the U.S. of A. Wow. Let me rephrase that, WOW!! I leave for Barcelona this coming Monday, and I can barely handle both my excitement and my nerves.

  Barcelona, Pre-Departure, Spain