Why International Students Fall in Love with Barcelona

Ok, let’s be clear from the start, we love it in Barcelona. It’s where the Expanish headquarters are based, and we’re proud to call this great city our home. But hey, we may be a little biased, so we asked around to find out what our students think about studying here.

Perry Hartley, from Texas, has been in Barcelona for more than three months as part of an extended overseas study trip. Like us, she’s really fallen for the city: “I’ve had the best time, and I love Barcelona. There’s the beach, there’s the city, there’s the nightlife, there’s the historical side with the Sagrada Familia and the Gothic Quarter.”

Perry arrived with very little Spanish, but has quickly progressed to an intermediate (B1) level. She says it’s been quite the transformation: “It’s shocking to me, my friends and my family. I’m now able to talk to my roommates and to strangers in Spanish, and I’m so excited to see how the rest of this goes!”

Short-stay students also find the city to be inspiring. William, a student from Slovakia, says he made an immediate connection: “Five years ago I visited Barcelona, and after that I always said that my body came back but my heart is still in Barcelona.” He only studied with Expanish for five days, but he assured us they were “the best days of this year”.

“I love how people treat each other - it’s one big community and it doesn’t matter where you are from, because everybody is español here”, he says.

Some of our younger students are drawn to the energy of the city - and the beach, of course. “I’ve had a really good experience,” says 18-year-old Julio, from Brazil. “I like Barcelona – the beaches are great and the parties too.” 

Fernanda, also 18 and also from Brazil, agrees. She says she previously had a really good time visiting Madrid, but then when she came to Barcelona things really clicked. “I really liked Madrid, but Barcelona is better – I love the beach, the city, the nightclubs… I really like walking around the city, getting to know different neighbourhoods.

We also asked some US university majors, who came here through one of our Study Abroad programs, what they liked about Barcelona. Stacy Sanchez says she’s enjoyed the student activities, especially climbing Montjuïc. “There were a lot of stairs but the view was definitely worth it and it was a lot of fun,” she says. “I liked the museums too. It’s always fun to see the history of every place and where the culture comes from.”

Eva McDougal, meanwhile, points to the personal growth that comes with studying abroad. “This experience has taught me a lot about cultural differences, which I realised I wasn’t so aware of until I came to Barcelona,” she says. “I’m networking a lot while I’m here because I want to move here and work here!”

Still not convinced? We’ll let Perry have the last word: “I say take the leap and get out of your comfort zone. This is one of the best things that I’ve ever done.”