ICCS Magazine Mobility UAB 2023

BARCELONA

INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCES: GUIDING PRACTICAL INSIGHTS THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE

ICCS Mobility Week

Barcelona is the jewel of the Mediterranean, the history of Barcelona, Spain dates back to the Roman Empire when the city was founded as Barcino in the 1st century BC. During the Middle Ages, Barcelona became a major trading center and a center of Catalan culture and language. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Barcelona experienced rapid industrialization and growth, leading to its status as a major economic and cultural hub. During the Spanish Civil War, the city was a Republican stronghold, and it suffered significant damage during the conflict. After the war, Barcelona underwent a period of modernization and urban renewal, including the construction of major infrastructure projects such as the Olympic Village for the 1992 Summer Olympics. Today, Barcelona is known for its rich cultural heritage, iconic architecture, and vibrant city life. Furthermore, Barcelona has been influenced by a variety of cultures throughout its history, which has contributed to its rich and diverse cultural heritage. The Roman Empire, the Visigoths, and the Moors all left their mark on the city, shaping its architecture, art, and language. During the Middle Ages, Barcelona became a major center of Catalan culture and language, which remains a distinct and important part of the city's identity to this day. The city's port location has also made it a hub for trade, attracting immigrants and influences from around the world, including Europe, the Americas, and Africa. These influences can be seen in the city's diverse cuisine, architecture, and festivals, making Barcelona a unique blend of different cultures and traditions

Overview

Section 1

Individual Reports

Spanish Cuisine

Craft beer in Barcelona

Getting to know the city through partying

Lack of research

Architecture

Intercultural beach life in Barcelona

Jumping deep

Finding cultural values in architecture

Barcelona - an intercultural city

L'urgence

Barcelona—An intercultural city

No limit for you

Is the architecture in Barcelona awed by its citizens, too?

Estoy perdido en Barcelona

Cultural gems of Barcelona

The glasses of Barcelona

Barcelona - My intercultural experience

Barcelona's convenient transportation

Your main content goes here. Feel free to use long paragraphs, or break them up

Section 1

Individual Reports

Home of paella

Surrealism in the city: the magic of Gaudi

Unexpected

Making new connections in Barcelona

Culture within language Companionship

The Barcelona Experience: vibrant and lively

Section 2

Group Reports

Tibidabo

From Sagrada Família to MUHBA Turó de la Rovira

Let us ...

"Break your neck and leg!" - Exchange of languages

Journey through time

Learning through workshops

Takeaways from ICCS City stroll

Section 1

Individual Reports Individual Reports

Spanish Cusine

I consider myself a foodie- I enjoy trying out different dishes, flavors, and textures in food There is always more to a dish than its ingredients and preparation steps, every dish comes from someone, something, and somewhere It may be an ancient recipe or something someone invented in earlier years, either way, there is so much culture in a dish That is why trying out local food in a restaurant is a great and effective way to really experience a country and its culture My stay in Barcelona has allowed me to try Spanish dishes commonly referred to as “Tapas”, a set of many different snacks in small portions so that a person has room to try them all in one sitting At first I was surprised and thought, these dishes are so small, why would anyone order them? But then I understood everything behind them Spanish tapas are not just about the flavors -although they are really tasty- they are about the experience that comes with them They represent socialization, going out to eat with friends after uni or work and just ordering many plates and sharing while talking about how your day went It is a way to relax and spend quality time with those you love, and also gives you the opportunity to meet new people I’ve experienced that first hand first hand during this mobility week Everyday, some students and I have gone out for lunch in the city center and have ordered tapas These lunches have alloweed me to get to know them better, and build friendships with them even though we all come from different cultures and backgrounds It has been fun to talk about the ingredients of a certain tapa and see the faces my friends make when they try something they are not particularly fond of These also open the floor to conversation about traditional dishes in our own countries. For example, the other day we tried a Spanish dish called, “tojilla” which was like a deep fried cinnamon roll It reminded me to a Christmas dessert we have back home in Honduras called torrejas which tastes alike I shared this memory with my friends In the same way, they share similar memories about their food back home- quite an intercultural exchange!

Laughing and eating over a glass of cold Sangria has been one of the many highlights of my trip to Spain

Spain also has this distinctive tradition called “la sista española” which translates to the spanish nap In essence, its this period of time in the afternoon where people take 2-4 hours off of work to go home and rest A lot of shops close during this time usually between 14-17 and re-open in the evening. This also gives them time to have tapas for lunch and relax midday of a working day I think it is very cool because, looking at the bigger picture, they dedicate time to themselves and their relationships instead of living life focusing strictly on a job A cool thing about tapas is their versatility, you can order them at a restaurant or make them yourself at home Usually they consist of a toast of bread with different fillings or toppings Anyone who comes to Spain must enjoy this wonderful culinary experience!

“Spanish tapas are not just about the flavors, -although they are really tastythey are about the experience that comes with them.“

craft beer in barcelona

I’m not a wine lover It’s acidic and hurts not only my head but also my wallet Beer on the other hand, has always been my friend I’ve spent some time during this trip to try and find interesting craft beers that hopefully I’ll be still able to find back home

So far, I’ve found two incredible places that helped me fulfill my hobby – the bars Lucky Schmuck and 33/45

Lucky Schmuck offers a great selection of really tasty IPAs on tap, and the bartenders are willing to help you out to pair different kinds of beers to really see the contrasts between them I’m really happy that i’ve got to try Elvis Juice IPA and Roadkill Romance lager, who both have a hoppy taste (with the IPA having a pleasant bitter aftertaste), great color, and a nice not too high price to accompany them Not going to lie, the interior accompanied the beers they offer perfectly

it’s funky and youthful, with a free karaoke space and fun decorations We got lucky to see a live music performance too

during our evening there, a blues duo from Barcelona “Lust and Found” made the beers I’ve tried taste even better

The 33/45 bar has very knowledgeable bartenders who are willing to chat about their selection, even give recommendations of other bars with better beer options, and most importantly tell you some fun facts about their beer For example, CitraMango IPA was a fresh fruity beer, that did not have that usual vomit aftertaste most mango beers in my experience have, and it’s made in Barcelona My favorite beer on this whole trip was also from this bar – Red Mullet Redcurrant Berliner Gose is a refreshing sour beer from a Spanish brewery that tastes exactly like the redcurrant berries you pick in the summer. Sour and a little sweet, it brought me right back home – and I wasn’t expecting to feel that way all the way here. This would be an amazing summer beer to have while camping near a lake or after taking a swim at the beach.

Back in Lithuania, I have a group of friends who are all craft beer lovers It started one extremely hot summer evening in Palanga, Lithuania’s most popular beach town, when we got bored of the same old lager every bar and restaurant sells, and started shaking our wallets for some more exciting tastes Now, whenever one person from our group travels somewhere, we’re all patiently waiting for reviews and tips and tricks for future travels and explorations of local craft beer

I truly would recommend trying to explore different countries not only through learning about their historical architecture and museums, but also through their night life and bar culture How else will you feel like a local? In Barcelona, the weather is warmer, the prices are lower and the variety of beer is really exciting

the bars the beers

Are the rumors true?

Getting to know the city through partying

You may ask yourself: what is Spanish culture? Is it the food, the language, or the architecture? But don’t forget the partying because Spain is known to have an incredibly vibrant nightlife. Before I left my home country to attend this mobility week, I got told that Spain and especially Barcelona, is one of the best cities to party in Let me tell you this: If you thought partying in your home country was good – you haven’t been to Spain yet Bars and clubs are open all night, and people party until six in the morning or till sunrise, sometimes stopping for some churros or food in general before finally going to bed

You may ask yourself: ‘’But in most others countries, they also party until late? So, what makes Barcelona so special?’’ It’s mostly because of the atmosphere. The Spaniards know how life is more than just going to work They have to ability to live life to the fullest For instance, in Norway we don’t sit beside each other on the bus That is not good and almost like an unspoken rule

Here in Spain, everybody sits beside each other, everybody talks to each other and everybody have fun together. Even though there is a bunch of foreigners from diverse nationalities, I know that they’ll party as hard as the Spaniards.

Another important aspect of Spanish nightclub culture is the emphasis on late-night socializing. Spanish people are known for their love of dancing, and nightclubs are a great place for them to showcase their skills on the dance floor. The social atmosphere in Spanish nightclubs is highly conducive to meeting new people, and it is not uncommon for partygoers to make new friends on the dance floor.

In conclusion, Spanish party culture is a rich and vibrant aspect of the country's cultural heritage It reflects Spain's diverse history and its willingness to embrace new ideas and influences. In an intercultural context, Spanish party culture offers a fascinating insight into how different cultures can interact and influence each other. Whether it's through music, food, or dance, Spanish party culture is a celebration of the country's cultural heritage and its place in the world

Marcel Loua

Barcelona is a city that has a lot to offer for both worlds. You can stroll through the picturesque streets admiring the architecture during the day, visit a few museums or art galleries, and showcase your moves on various dance floors while listening to your favorite music at night. Moreover, it has lovely nature both inside and outside the city which can be easily considered as a separate piece of art. I mean nature is so pretty it could be exhibited in a gallery.

However, even though it all sounds so nice, Barcelona, like any other big city, has a side of it that's usually avoided by tourists and not recommended by locals. It is simply not as posh as you see in vlogs or IG pictures, and is considered to be dangerous. Like elsewhere, there are plenty of homeless people, beggars, unsafe neighborhoods, or plenty of rubbish on the streets. As I said, every bigger city has this side, so there is nothing to be ashamed of.

My fellow girls from Lithuania and I happened to live in a place that’s referred to as “not the best neighborhood”. We found that out only after the city guide told us during the tour that took place on our first day. We should have done better research beforehand, I guess.

The place was close to La Rambla's street which is one of the places of tourist attractions. La Rambla is considered to be one of the most famous and busiest streets in the city. It has many restaurants and a variety of shops in it, so it gets really crowded and touristy. Because there is constantly so many people in there, it can get tricky, and you can get easily scammed or pickpocketed. Luckily, neither happened to any of us.

However, you could meet all types of people there – starting from lost tourists with their backpacks wandering around, ending with aggressive locals doing drugs in the middle of the street. So, the street has weird dynamics to say the least. But that’s what I liked about it – its uniqueness.

I remember during the first night in Barcelona we went out clubbing. We were so frightened of the idea of walking in that neighborhood alone at night, we made some boys promise they would walk us home later that night. Now it’s pretty hilarious and silly when we think about it. But, because of the poor choices we made as well as our cowardice, we made a bunch of new friends that night, so in the end the risk that we took paid off.

So, even though every vlogger or tour guide screamed how dangerous the neighborhood was, I am glad that we've lived there and got to experience Barcelona as it is - different and colorful without only sticking to the posh side of it. I believe that it is fun to end up in such places as La Rambla street or to live in not the best neighborhoods. It brings some exhilaration to the whole experience.

Architecture

Cities are full with architecture. Everywhere you look there are houses, offices, train stations, churches, restaurants and cafés, all built with a specific structure. These buildings all have a certain function to be retrieved and the goal to fit the type of function they are built for. However, the main interesting thing about buildings is the way they speak. There, architecture comes in. Architecture is about the art that a building brings to a city, like the way that the sun brings light after dark days.

Discovering the architecture of a city is like discovering its true identity. The exterior of a building speaks a thousand words, just by the looks of it. It reveals its purpose and adds a feeling to the city. Architects do architecture and great architecture is done by great architects. One of the greatest architecture’s name is Antoni Gaudi. Born in Catalunya and moved to Barcelona at the age of seventeen to study architecture. During his graduation ceremony, the director of the university phrased his doubts: “We awarded the diploma to a madman or a genius. Time will tell.” From that moment, he started taking over the Catalan architectural culture.

Several architectural masterpieces were created by Gaudi. Casa Batlló, La Predrera-Casa Milà, Parc Guëll, and of course La Sagrada Familia were all brilliant designs of him. In total, Gaudi created seven pieces of architecture spread throughout Barcelona. When visiting these structures, the voice of nature speaks to you. Nature was the main inspiration of Gaudi and the organic shapes and structures are they can be recognized throughout his architectural designs. His buildings stand out from the rest of the architecture in the city, while blending in with the style of nature.

Sanne Duwel

While walking in Barcelona, every time a work of Gaudi was in sight, a glimpse of recognition striked everyone’s faces. His work is a masterpiece in the culture of Barcelona Personally, I think Gaudi is one of the greatest architects in the world In general, the architecture in Barcelona is very different from the architecture of my hometown, Enschede. In Enschede, the buildings are mainly functional and straightforward. There are no architectural pearls in the city, except from a few pitoresque theatres and the church in the city centre The culture in Enschede is similar to her architecture: it’s functional When entering the streets of Barcelona for the first time, I immediately recognized this difference. The styles are fairly different and unique in their own way. The Mediterranean vibe of Barcelona is in direct contrast to the brick-style of Enschede

For me, the difference in culture can directly be seen in the architecture of a city. A glance on the structure and style immediately shows what the history and the identity of a city is Culture is not only the behaviour and lifestyle of citizens, it is much more than that I am grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me to explore the cultural differences in the city of Barcelona and it was an amazing experience to see the work of a great architecture like Gaudi in real life

Intercultural beachlifein

Barcelona

The Barceloneta beach is the most well-known and visited beach in Barcelona. People go there to relax with friends, swim in the mediterranean, and to enjoy the sunshine. In July and August the temperatures in Barcelona often reach 30 degrees Celsius. To help the beachgoers cope with the climate, a whole ecosystem of salesmen has developed around the beach. Most of these people selling souvenirs, accessories, and beverages are immigrant workers. This creates an interesting environment where immigrants from outside of Spain serve tourists from all over the world on a beach in Catalonia.

I visited the Barceloneta beach in the start of February. Despite the winter, the air temperature was nearly 20 degrees Celsius and there were many tourists and locals enjoying the warmer winter day on the beach. With beachgoers, also the salesmen on the beach were active. I saw many different products being sold, blankets to sit on, massages on the beach, and sunglasses. However, most of the salesmen were selling beverages. What surprised me was the number of people selling cocktails on the beach.

Cocktails are not the easiest products to sell. Especially when the cocktails were ready made, so if not sold soon enough the ice in them will melt and the cocktail has to be thrown away.

This made the cocktail salesmen really persistent. I was approached by several people on the beach. Most of them left when I did not show any interest in buying anything.

One of the salesmen took a different approach. At first, he asked me whether I would like a good mojito for a special price, like all the other salesmen on the beach. This man however did not take a no for an answer. To the point on being tiresome he continued trying to sell me a mojito. In the end I only managed to send him away by asking him to come back after five minutes.

Oscar Rajantie

There was no sign of the man after five minutes so I continued enjoying the warm winter day on the Barceloneta beach. After a while though the man came back. This time I asked him what rum he is using. I was still not interested in buying a cocktail so I told him that I only like Havana Club. This turned out to be a mistake. The man said that he can get me a mojito with Havana Club if I pay him enough. I ended up again asking him to come back after five minutes.

A few minutes later the mojito man was back and now he really wanted to sell me a mojito. He changed his tactics, focusing on the cheap price of the mojito and tried to get me to make him an offer. He was persistent and in some peculiar way our interaction was like a one between friends. After all, he wanted to make me a mojito on a warm and sunny day on a beach.

Even though the man was continuously trying to sell me a mojito, our interaction was friendly. When the man wanted to take a break from selling mojitos. He came to me and asked me whether I could buy a mojito for just a few coins. He was visibly disappointed when I turned down the offer.

On the beach, the dynamics between cultures and people are not as simple as they may seem. I was the customer so I was for the whole time in control of the situation and the salesmen were there to offer me products. However, the mojito man's culture was the dominant one in our interaction. It is fairly uncommon in Finnish culture to sell products so relentlessly. Neither were his actions consistent with the Spanish culture. In a wicked way, the mojito man was the one determining the culture on the beach.

Oscar Rajantie

Jumping deep

A few years ago during my studies I encountered the concept of the zone of proximal development, this was firstly introduced by the psychologist Lev Vygotski in the early 1930s, and it represents the distance between what a learning is able to do unsupported and what they can only do supported.

I believe this concept applies to to mostly everything around us, for example in music we don’t enjoy a piece that is repetitive but we don’t enjoy when it is just random notes that are chaotic, the zone where music becomes enjoyable is when you are able to follow to some extent whilst still not know what comes next.

This applies in sports as well, the constant research for our performance limits, pushes us to reach a point in which we are not completely in control of everything, hoping that we will learn and improve This concept in my opinion is what best describes travel and culture and what the true raw experience should look like, this is the reason why everytime I travel I try to find a way to experience the culture I am in and embrace it fully, and therefore this is what I have been doing this past week in Barcelona. The best way to combine my passion for culture diversity and personal growth is to push myself into uncomfortable positions while traveling. This usually implies little to no preplanning before a trip and practicing new activities wherever I go, such as bull running in Pamplona or freediving in Greece.

One activity that I wanted to try was bunjee jumping, It always fascinated me because falling is one of the innate fears of humans and I admired the mental strength it requires to let yourself not be stopped by your fears, but instead consciously deciding the path you want to take. Therefore when it was confirmed that I would be coming here I decided to go bungee jumping in the nearest place to Barcelona, it is an activity that I have been wanting to try for a few years but never got the chance to do.

Lately, I was starting to feel uncomfortable about doing it, therefore to not be controlled by fear I had to do it. When I was standing ready to jump, staring down, 85 m from the ground, I was a little uncomfortable, with my subconscious increasing my awareness of the dangerous position I was in, making me a little hesitant to jump. Even so, I counted 3 seconds and just consciously decided to let go of what was keeping from doing what I wanted and just jump. The experience was fantastic, because as with other adrenaline based activities, it allows to just be present, with no background thoughts or feelings, and only feel the moment you are living. This is what I appreciate the most about it, because this moment is all that truly matters and the only thing we have, and all of us get caught up on our activities, worries, thoughts and overall lives that often we don't remember to enjoy the now.

I tried to this activity with other people coming from other universities to Barcelona, but opposed

to what I was expecting no one seems interested. Contrarily, when I asked my friends to go skydiving in Italy, which is actually more extreme, many of them agreed. This made me reflect on how different cultures approach opportunities and look at risk takers in their societal structure and how it could be reflected on the overall system.

The controlled part of this week experience has been connecting with people from very

different cultures and explore the city with them, allowing us to bond over the smooth Gaudi shapes around the city.

It has been fascinating to see how we are all attracted towards different aspects of the same item, as well as discuss with them on a broad range of subjects.

This has allowed me to better understand how even a small geographical/cultural shift can cause a very big difference in the way we live life.

Giacomo Clima

Finding Cultural Finding Cultural Values in Architecture Values in Architecture

I always thought about Spanish culture as this loud and lively party vibe However, I realized that Spanish culture is so much more. The first impression might still be loud and unrestricted when it comes to expressing emotions However, I soon realized how unfeigned, authentic, and blunt the people in Barcelona are. They just express themselves and take care of their emotional and psychological needs. In this way, they are straightforward and do not care about westernized moral standards Compared to me as a German, I realized that my values are more of rational nature while the people in Barcelona are very emotion and need-oriented which adds a component of irrationality.

I was particularly amazed by discovering most of these findings by studying the local architecture in Barcelona Hence, I was really surprised by the design of the “Institute de Ciéncia I Tecnologia Ambientals”. The building was introduced to us as an example of a sustainable building with a future perspective. However, next to the sustainable component, it was characterized by the composition of metal pipes, plants, unprocessed wood, and concrete. I personally liked the composition that was created because it reminded me of modern art. However, I realized something important about the culture in Barcelona by looking at this design composition. I realized that people in Barcelona do not care about decorating their ideas or hiding the not-so-beautiful parts In this regard, everything that was a fundamental part of the building construction could be seen, in particular, the holding concrete frame. Furthermore, neither the concrete nor the wood walls were further processed. Hence, there was, for example, no additional layer of material that made it nicer to touch or to look at Relating these observations to culture, it can be said that the people in Barcelona have a rough frame of social norms within which they are acting However, all the basic needs, emotions, and quirks are expressed in their true form within this frame while not being criticized but accepted by society. People cry, scream, laugh and speak loudly in public without needing to think about what the people around them are thinking. And my hypothesis is that the social environment does also not care because it is just accepted and normal to be true to your feelings and to express them.

Finding Cultural Finding Cultural Values in Architecture Values in Architecture

By By Lisette Lisette

The second building that I like to mention in this article, is the “Cathedrale de Barcelona”. Once again, I recognize the bluntness in the design since the majestic facade is nothing more than a facade that is between one and two meters thick. The cathedral was built as a gothic church. However, the design was not perceived as extensive enough Hence, a facade of circa one to two meters was added in order to change the design to something that aligned more with the idea of a gothic church of the local people. I was really surprised by this act because it was a huge bluff that is still part of the city landscape and the sights of Barcelona. Furthermore, it is even possible to see it because the façade ends where the other houses block the sight, and you can see how the facade was added to the church. In this way, I realized that it is accepted in Barcelona to act upon your intrinsic motivations. It feels like people in Barcelona ask way less if something is accepted or allowed than Germans. They just do it if they feel like it. Furthermore, I realized that architecture is not something public that can be judged, compromised, and restricted by everyone. However, it is a form of self-expression that is shown to the public while the social environment is highly accepting of the expressed intrapersonal urges.

All in all, it can be said that the culture and architecture of Barcelona can be expressed as if you feel like it, then do it. If you feel like having a tree in the house, then do it. If you feel like the church is not extensive enough, then change it In this way, the architecture as well as the culture in Barcelona is shaped by a personal component and by not changing or refining things in order to match the expectations of other people because it is accepted to have quirks, habits, and a degree of roughness.

Barcelona—Aninterculturalcity

Barcelonaisatrulyuniquecitythatisimpossibletocategorize,asitishometosuchawiderangeof languages, religions, ethnicities and cultures, which is reflected through the incredible diversity presentinitsarchitecture,art,cuisineandeventhestructureofthecityitself. Thiscanbeexplainedbythecity’srichandcomplexhistorythathasledtoauniqueanddiverse blendofinfluencesfromallovertheworld.

When I first arrived there, it was this diversity in every aspect of the city that struck me: The buildingsIsaw,peopleImetandlanguagesIheardonthestreetsshowedmehowcomplexand beautifultheinterculturalityofthecityis.

In this article, I will explore this exceptional interculturality; I will show how my experiences duringtheweekIspentthere,thinkingIwoulddiscoverthelocalculture,insteadshowedmethat thecityismadeupofsomanydiverseculturesthatitisdifficulttonarrowdownwhatthelocal cultureis,exactly

The first thing that struck me was the diversearchitectureofthecity

Alreadyonthetripfromtheairporttothe hostel, I was shocked to find that no one building looked like the other It seemed likeeverybuildinghaditsveryownstoryto tell. Buildings ranging from thousands of yearsoldtoincrediblymodern,somegray and out of stone, some red, one with hundredsofeyesattachedtoit,andsome madeentirelyoutofmetal. Another thing that struck me was the varietyinculturesandoriginsofthepeople Iencountered:ImetSpanishandCatalan people, of course, but also French, German, Italian, American, Chinese and Korean people. The sheer amount of different languages I could hear walking down La Rambla painted a picture of diversity and interculturality. Many of thesepeople,onemaythink,weretourists, butonehastoconsiderthatthemonthin whichIwasinBarcelona,February,isone inwhichBarcelonahastheleasttourists.

And talking to many of these people, it seems most of them were just citizens of Barcelona: Two of the tour guides I met wereItalians,buthavinglivedinBarcelona formanyyears,studentsImetattheUAB wereoriginallyfromChina,butnowliving inBarcelona;aFrenchpersonImetatmy hostelexplainedtomethathawasstaying there while looking for a place to settle down,ashehadfalleninlovewiththecity upon visiting it many times. The hairdresser I went to, Ruben, originally fromthesouthofSpain,explainedtome that Barcelona was the most intercultural cityhehadeverseen.Heexplainedpeople fromallovertheworldweresettlingdown here,afterfallinginlovewiththecity,not unlike my previously mentioned french compatriot.Theywouldcomeforasimple visit,butwoulddecidetostay,fortherich history, art, diverse cuisine, stunning architecture, warm climate or beautiful nature.

And indeed, the cuisine was something special:IntermsoflocalSpanishcuisine,I tried many types of Tapas, I tried paella andItriedChurros,butIalsowenttoan Italian place, saw French bakeries, Lebaneserestaurants,Japaneserestaurants, an Irish pub and even a German bar, alongside of course the usual American fast-food chains. I was impressed to see such a high variety and so much choice: coming from Versailles, my options had alwaysbeenlimitedtoFrenchrestaurants, oroneofthefewsushiplaces.Thisvariety in cuisines also showcases the interculturalityofthecity

All these different cultures can be explained by Barcelona’s history: As all tour guides repeatedly explained, the city was originally founded by the Romans over 2000 years ago Throughout it’s history, it has been a hub for trade and culturalexchangeduetoitslocationonthe Mediterraneancoast.Itwasoccupiedand contested by many groups, namely the Visigoths, Moors, Franks and in the MiddleAgesvariousEuropeanpowers.In the early 20th century, the city went through a wave of immigration, and still today it is a destination for immigrants fromallovertheworld.

One of the tour guides, Alessio, showed how these influences were visible in the architecture: some buildings had roofs in the shape of stairs typical for Dutch architecture, as the family that commissioned the house was originally Dutch,somewindowsofotherhouseshad shapestypicaltoIslamicarchitecture,while yetotherbuildingswereinspiredbytypical Parisianhouses

All of this makes Barcelona the open and interculturalcityitistoday,infact,thecity is actively embracing and promoting its interculturalityanddiversity: https://ajuntament.barcelona.cat/dretsidiv ersitat/en/barcelona-diverse-city. It is even part of the Spanish network of interculturalcities: https://www.coe.int/en/web/intercultural cities/spain.

SeeinghowinterculturalanddiverseeveryaspectofthiscityishasbeenastarkcontrasttowhatI havebeenusedtoallmylifeintheParisregion,andhasmademeappreciatethecityandmobility weekevenmorethanIalreadydid.Ihopetobeabletocomebackverysoon.

L'urgence

Sometimes, things are uncontrollable and unprepareable. Sometimes, situations are unusually difficult to manage. Sometimes solutions are demanding to find. And sometimes, one decision generates the biggest difference in the world for one individual. Once, when we were at our layover in Paris during this ICCS module, we came across such a situation. Truthfully, it was a position I wish upon nobody, yet I am glad for this experience because I do not desire to imagine what would have transpired if I would not have been there.

You are probably quite curious about what kind of situation we encountered in Paris and why it affected me that severely. For this, let me give you a bit of background information about the bystander effect. Some of you might have already heard of it, considering how dangerous this effect can be and how many lives it claimed by now. In simple words, it causes people not to aid in emergencies, unless they see someone else already helping and therefore breaking the bystander effect. Above all, the more people surround you when witnessing a crisis, the less likely it is you will help. Nevertheless, that does not signify the chance of help decreases in a crowd that much, though. After all, there are always people less affected by the bystander effect than others, so your chance is adequate that will react. The question remains whether the time it took for someone to respond was enough to make the difference between life and death.

This year in Paris, we saw the danger of this effect first-hand. When an older man lay on the street in rescue position hardly conscious, many people passed by not paying any attention to that man, including everyone else in my travel group. But I could not. In fact, I took one glance and all thought fled my brain. So I walked up to him, using my mediocre French skills, and tried to get his attention. Luckily, he awoke and seized my hand, and we were able to communicate with each other in a mixture of French and English. This way, Reinier and I managed to locate French citizens to call an ambulance and find out that the man had a heart attack. While that occurred, I took it upon myself to keep him conscious, responsive and calm, as well as conveying any necessary medical information. Everyone managed to help in their own way, some organising the ambulance, others helping me in telling me what to say to the man when I stumbled to continue, some giving advice how to help with a heart attack, again others getting people to help and stay with him. And once we needed to leave, we made sure that the locals could and would fully take over.

Many of you are probably assuming "that would be me!” and "I would have done something!”, but statistically speaking, I know most of you would not. Statistically speaking, the situation would presumably only have to vary a bit for me to wander past without a further thought, just like everyone else. Because technically, everyone is affected by the bystander effect and only the situation changes our behaviour. Did I notice the emergency? Did I recognize it as an emergency? Do I feel capable to help? Is someone else helping? How serious does it look like? Do I have the time to help? How affected am I by similar situations? Do I feel responsible? For many in our group, the fact that we were in Paris alone was enough to stop them from helping, thinking about the city size, the scammers, the insecurity in the emergency number and the language barriers. In short, our position in a different country, and therefore its intercultural barriers, worsened the bystander effect. For me, however, this situation precisely aligned, which resulted in a chain reaction of helpers, first in our group, and than locals, to arrive and aid until the ambulance arrived. Though I do not know what transpired once we left, I

Anyone who ever was themselves or had important people in this situation can imagine how horrifying it is to see a situation like this and see people pass by without doing anything. Just imagine a family member lying unconscious on the floor, or people driving by your friend’s car accident without alerting rescue services. This was my situation. My memories are filled with my mother having heart attacks or strokes and me calling an ambulance, of leaving school early because my brother called from the hospital after an accident, of funerals because nobody helped my great-grandfather lying unconscious on the street. Every one of these situations filled my head when I left the man with the locals to wait for an ambulance and take care of him. It triggered memory after memory, until I ended with a mild panic attack in front of a Parisian bakery, Lisette staying with me to calm me down. But I would not change this in the slightest way because the man had a change to survive, even if I was inconvenienced.

To finalize this, I am entirely grateful for the chance to be there and be surrounded by a wide variety of people with divergent capabilities. I am grateful for this course to have helped me deal with such an intercultural situation. I am grateful because without us, the situation would have been worse.

Jessica Brack

It is easy to presume that travel prospects such as the ICCS are not for people with disabilities or impairments in any way. I mean, simply reflect on all the instants even everyday tasks become a chore throughout a single week. Moreover, it hardly matters whether the difficulty is physical or mental. It is a serious struggle; we all know that, especially if your disability cannot be seen from the outside For instance, I frequently get the judgemental glance of disapproval if I dare to take a seat somewhere or eat something that consists of more than vegetables Simply put, people notice my weight and infer everything about me, they assume I do not have tangible issues. But I promise you, in my experience, the ICCS micro-module is nonetheless worth participating in, and you should not hold off on the mobility week whatsoever, because the people here are different. And with people like this, it is all possible for you!

My name is Jessica, I am 23 years old, I study Psychology at the UT and I would like to portray to you how you can travel abroad with the intercultural communications micro-module – even if you might not be at the top of the physical or mental capacities!

But let’s start from the beginning. Essentially, my family and I struggled with mental and physical health for as long as I can recall. Both my older brothers and I were not even supposed to survive until birth During both pregnancies, the doctors informed my mother that either she dies or we do, just like my little sister died in a miscarriage when I was ten Hence, from my first conception, I have been a sickly child, catching every circulating disease, struggling with movement and family matters all around. Throughout the years of my growing up, these physical issues have grown considerably, with me currently being overweight and forbidden to do numerous kinds of sport, forbidden lengthy walks uphill, floundering with chronic nosebleeds that caused a hospital stay more than once, having circulatory and bone-position troubles, hypothyroidism, sleep apnoea, etc Further, my mental health is not faring any better I have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, PTSD, adjustment disorder, and other such ailments throughout the years after witnessing my family die or suffer from major illnesses, my brother going to prison after his daughters death as an infant, my mother being diagnosed with leukaemia, and numerous further problems. In general, my family’s life has been quite the battle

These issues have been with me for as long as I can remember and it is rare to have a single day not filled with one health problem or another Of course, this includes the mobility week, during which I had to take care of my issues just as much as during other days However, this time felt different than all my previous experiences After all, the ICCS students and teachers were far more accepting to my issues than anyone before – even before they understood the reasons for these struggles! With each passing day, I felt more welcome and included It was a feeling hard to describe, the group being open and loving to get to know each other, their stories, jokes, and feelings, going from the surface to the underlying person without ever overstepping After weeks of working on the communication in this micromodule, we all learned to take our emotions to heart and care for each other. So, the group did a good job at making me feel included and adapting to me because they had been taught how to, and they showed the care to learn and apply it when in Barcelona For instance, they took breaks when I needed it, offered to carry my bags, made sure that I had water, felt comfortable, etc Once, Lisette talked me down from a panic attack Henceforth, they adapted their behaviour according to anyone's needs. Sure, it tended to be me who they needed more adjustments for than the others, but it was a give and take that felt more like trust and care than I could ever put in words It felt like a home in a way, because we all accepted and opened up to each other And I am sure you will make the same experience if you join this course

There is nothing more enjoyable than sitting on a beach, surrounded by a group of friends you spent the last few days discovering a city with and spent weeks working together, many of which you met face to face for the first time, talking and joking and trying to throw stones into a cola can, everyone cheering for everyone and curious about you for different reasons than your inability to go with the same speed as them. And there is nothing more empowering than knowing what you can and what you can’t do and your group making sure you feel welcome anyway, by just being you, and making sure everyone is fine the entire time. The world might not be as open for people with disabilities and impairments yet, but the ICCS certainly is.

Jessica Brack

Is the architecture in Barcelona awed by its citizens too?

Reinier Algra

Barcelona and The Netherlands may have a lot of differences, but one of the most striking contrast that I noticed between these two places is the way the people talk about architecture

In Barcelona, it seems like the architecture of a building is always a topic of conversation

Everywhere you go you'll hear people marveling at the city's beautiful and unique architectural styles, from the smooth, and playful designs of Gaudí to the more classical and elegant structures of the Gothic buildings People here are proud of their city's architectural heritage and are eager to share their knowledge with visitors In every tour that we have followed as a part of the mobility week through the university as well as the city a large amount of time was always spent on describing the thought process behind the design

On the other hand, where I’m from in The Netherlands, I rarely hear people talking about the architecture of the buildings they’re in and around them While the country does have its own unique architectural style, it seems to be less of a focus for us

Of course, this is just my observation, and there are certainly people in The Netherlands who are passionate about architecture and appreciate the beauty of our buildings But overall, it seems that the culture in Barcelona places a greater emphasis on the importance of architectural design.

So, Barcelona has much to offer in terms of architecture and design, and arguably The Netherlands too, but the way that people feel the need to talk about it is quite different

E S T O Y P E R D I D O

E N B A R C E L O N A

I'm an international student in his first year of studies abroad, and maintaining the status quo isn't my thing I love travelling and visiting new countries, learning new customs and meeting new people with different backgrounds

ICCS project was the right choice to make During the course, I discovered what a citizen project was and how to develop one while engaging, indeed, citizens for a good cause

This led me to one of the most dynamic and exciting adventures of my life until now This program would never be complete without its mobility week This year Barcelona was chosen and I couldn't have proposed a better capital for this activity The Spanish and Catalan cultures are an incredibly unique source of inspiration, creativity, and amazement in how they have shaped the country into what it is today

Starting with the Mediterranean food and moving on to the people's openness this opportunity made me discover the architectural and historical richness of what was once Barcino shaped by the influence of the Romans, Moors, and Christians in their own unique way

Sagrada FamiliaGoogle Pixel 6

Christian Romeo

E S T O Y P E R D I D O

E N B A R C E L O N A

I quickly found that like the protagonist in the film "Lost in Translation I was somehow “lost” in a foreign city but with a new appreciation for the beauty of intercultural differences

I gained a deeper appreciation for the beauty of intercultural differences and came away with a newfound respect for the complexities and richness of different ways of life

The workshops have given me a deeper understanding of Citizen Science and how it can be used to make a positive impact

In conclusion, the Mobility Week program and the experiences at UAB offered a genuinely transformative experience. By stepping into a foreign culture and embracing the challenges that come with it, I came away with a deeper understanding of the world and a newfound appreciation for the diversity of the human experience the I look forward to share with others

Casa Batllò Casa AmatllerGoogle Pixel 6

Christian Romeo

BARCELONA

By Carl Vemer

This week at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) was a truly unforgettable experience With a diverse range of workshops and activities aimed at improving our understanding of Citizen Science, we were able to immerse ourselves in the rich cultural heritage of Barcelona and gain new insights into the city's history and development

One of the highlights of the week was the interactive guided tour in Barcelona called BCN > 2000 years This tour took us on a journey through time, exploring the city's rich cultural heritage and allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of how Barcelona has evolved over the centuries.

The tour covered the Gothic Quarter, the most historical and vivid neighborhood of the city, and delved into the latest changes of lifestyle of the whole area, which has become a tourist attraction. We were amazed by the beauty of the Gothic architecture and the intricate details of the buildings, which spoke to the city's rich cultural heritage.

One of the most memorable moments of the tour was when we learned about the different cultural elements that have shaped the city over the centuries. From the Roman Empire to the Gothic era and beyond, Barcelona has absorbed and merged different cultural elements, resulting in a truly unique and vibrant city. This cultural richness is evident in the city's architecture, food, language, and way of life.

The week at UAB also gave us the opportunity to visit some of the city's most famous cultural landmarks, such as the Casa Batlló. Iconic structures such as this, designed by the famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, are known for their unique, imaginative and colorful designs. We were able to appreciate the masterful work of Gaudi and understand how he combined his artistic vision with his love for nature and natural forms

As a group, we also learned from each other's backgrounds and interests, and found that each of us had something to contribute to the tour. We observed and learned from each other as we explored the city, and interacted with the tour guide and other tourists. We also learned about the different Citizen Science projects presented to us and how they relate to our own work

In terms of intercultural experiences, we learned that visiting a new place can be an incredibly enriching experience, and that it is essential to understand the culture and way of life of a place to truly appreciate its beauty and richness We also learned that one of the best ways to learn about a new place is to immerse yourself in the local culture, by participating in local activities, trying local foods, and speaking the local language

Overall, our experience at UAB was a truly enriching one that allowed us to learn about the cultural heritage of Barcelona and gain a deeper understanding of Citizen Science It was an unforgettable experience that has left us with a greater appreciation for the beauty and richness of different cultures, and a deep desire to continue exploring and learning about new places and cultures.

Atfirstglance,"TheglassesofBarcelona"mayseemlike amysteriousnametoaninexperiencedreader. However,forlocalsandinternationaltravellersalike whohavespentsometimeexploringthecityof Barcelona,thisphrasetakesonawholenewmeaning.

Afterafewdaysofwanderingaround,onebeginsto noticethesubtledifferencesinarchitectureandculture thatdistinguishBarcelonafromothercitiesaroundthe world.The"glasses"ofBarcelonaareareflectionofthe city'suniquecharacterandstyleandcanbeseenin boththebuildingsandthepeoplethatinhabitthem. AllowmetotakeyouonthejourneyIhave experiencedbyelaboratingfurtherwithafew examples.

AntoniGaudí'smasterpiece,theSagradaFamilia,isan awe-inspiringarchitecturalwonderthatstands170 meterstall,stretches60meterswide,andspansan impressive90metersinlength.Itisnowonderthatthis religiousbuildisconsideredthetallestofitskindinthe entiretyofEurope.Withitssoaringspires,intricate carvings,andunparalleledbeauty,it'snosurprisethat theSagradaFamiliaattractedanoutstandingnumber ofvisitorsin2021-anincredible1011visitorsperday!

TheSagradaFamiliahasundergonevarious transformationssinceitsbirth.Originallyachurch,it waslaterelevatedtocathedralstatusbeforebeing declaredabasilicabyPopeBenedictXVIin2010.The projectwasfirstconceptualizedin1882,butitwasn't until1926thattheactualbuildingofthismagnificent structurebegan.Thislongandarduousjourneyonly addstothefascinatinghistoryoftheSagradaFamilia, makingitevenmorespecialtobehold.

Despiteitsgrandeurandiconicstatus,theSagrada Familiacontinuestocaptivatevisitorswithits stunninginterior.Whiletheexteriormayseembusy ndgrey,onceyoustepinsidethebasilica,youwillbe awestruckbyanarrayofvibrantandcolourful stained-glasswindows.Theminimalistichyperbolic forest-likearchesthatadorntheceilingofthenave willleaveyouspellbound.Asyoubaskinthesheer magnificenceofthisremarkablestructure,you'll oticehoweveryaspectofitsdesignwasmeticulously plannedandexecuted.Ifyoustandatthebackofthe nave,you'llbeabletoclearlyseethedivisionofthe colourscheme,withwarmcoloursononehalfand coldcoloursontheother.Andifyouhappentobe nsidethebasilicawhenthesunisshining,thesightis nothingshortofbreathtaking.

Mysecondexamplerevolvesaroundtheinhabitants ofBarcelona,the“glasses”ofthepeople.Oneofthe mostintriguingthingsIhavecomeacrossin Barcelonawalkingaroundthedifferentsizesand arietyofstreetswasthatessentiallyeverystreethada shopwithglassesinthemostuniquecoloursand forms.Thepeopleofthecityarenotonly characterisedbytheirclothing,buttheydistinguish hemselfbyaddingasmalltouchtotheirpersonality andindividualitywiththepowerofasimplepairof glasses. Inconclusion,Iwanttoreinforcethatexperiencing the"glassesofBarcelona"isamustforanyonewho wantstotrulyappreciatetheuniquecharacterofthis remarkablecity.

My intercultural experience in Barcelona

I knew no one when I was traveling to Barcelona, but got the contact info of the fellow travelers studying at University of Stavanger. We got in touch and arranged to book a hostel together for the stay. It turned out that they were international students taking their master’s degree in Norway It was truly an intercultural experience from the beginning. We were people from four different nationalities, so we got to experience some cultural barriers along the way. The first barrier on the trip was not amongst us, but when we were trying to buy the metro-card at the airport train station. The lady at the counter did not speak English and referred us to someone else who did, but the machines would not accept our card. Eventually we managed to buy it directly at the counter, where our cards worked for some reason.

A R C E L O N A

We missed the stop we were supposed to go off, so we had to find another station nearby, and take the metro back. First, we tried to ask someone at the station, but when no one spoke English, it was hard to understand each other. But thanks to google maps, we figured it out. Contrary to the first experience, one thing that surprised me about Barcelona was the amount of Spanish people we met who spoke English. When visiting Spain on previous trips, my experience was completely different. This made it so much easier to communicate, even though you usually manage either way.

Hostel life

It was not the first time staying in a hostel, so it was not a new experience for me. But someone was smoking cigarettes in the bathroom, which was annoying since it is clearly not allowed. The beds were making a lot of noise when moving, so waking up several times in the middle of the night was not uncommon. The windows were opening and closing, while I think the windows should be open when 8 people are sharing a room with bad ventilation, others did not agree. The hostel was what you can expect for 15 euros a night. Okay, but definitely prefer hotels.

The workshops at the university were enlightening, and it was cool to see the university facilities. Also, meeting the people from the other universities. Doing a micro-module on intercultural competences was a unique experience. In addition to grow and improve our intercultural competences, we learned a lot about citizen science projects, which was completely new to me. We also had a lot of free time in the afternoon to explore the city.

I spent my free time visiting La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell and just wandering around the city. I love food, so trying different restaurants and cafes was a main highlight of the trip. The guided walking tour on the first day was also really cool, and learning about the history of the city was really interesting.

To conclude I would say the trip improved my intercultural competences. It was the perfect mix of workshops and free time to explore the city. I hope they continue doing these micro-modules as you can learn a lot in a short amount of time, and it is an unique opportunity. Would definitely recommend.

Jing A. Tvinnereim

Barcelona’s Convenient Transportation

Mobility week at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) was an experience that will live with me forever. We were given the opportunity to immerse ourselves in Barcelona's rich cultural legacy and learn new things about the growth and development of the city through a variety of workshops and activities designed to increase our awareness of intercultural competencies.

One aspect that made our tour easy and convenient was Barcelona’s robust public transit system. The tourism industry has always depended heavily on transportation since it connects visitors to different tourist destinations. Everyone agrees that improved transportation networks lead to greater tourism growth. Despite being a large and populous city, Barcelona, the current public transportation system is also very affordable, especially when compared to other major cities around the globe.

One of the quickest and most convenient methods to get around Barcelona is the Metro system. It takes hardly any time to navigate and is really simple to use. Moreover, there are buses and trams that are a part of the large public transportation system. These three are incredibly convenient and wellliked by both locals and visitors because they run until late at night.

Visitors to Barcelona can use a variety of alternative public transportation options in addition to the Metro, buses, and trams. There are also several taxis, night buses, sightseeing buses, local trains, cable cars, funiculars, and railways available.

Every Metro station in Barcelona has pay booths with helpful employees inside where you may purchase Metro tickets. As an alternative, you can use the ticket machines, which are quite user-friendly and have numerous language settings, including English. A zone 1 ticket provides access to the entire city, some suburbs, and the majority of Barcelona's attractions. Hence, you shouldn't require anything else for your visit.

I explored the city using Barcelona’s mass transit system during my spare time and went to Park Guell and La Sagrada Familia, Camp Nou, Beach walk, The Bankers and just wandering around La Rambla street. A major pleasure of the vacation for me was trying out various eateries including Pakistani food because I adore eating. The first day's guided walking tour was equally fantastic, and it was fascinating to hear about the city's past.

I would argue that the trip enhanced my ability to work across cultural boundaries. There was a proper balance between seminars and free time to explore the city.

Abdur Rehman Iqbal.

H O M E O F P A E L L A

This is my first visit to Spain, therefore everything is very fresh to me. Growing up in Asia, we do not get much influence from Spain as it is far from us. We have a few Spanish restaurant in the capital city but just one two or no Spanish restaurant in smaller cities. I think not much of us know what is Tapas or Paella. But well done Spain, we all know Spanish wine.

Landed in Barcelona on Sunday and went straight to city centre where my hostel located. The moment I came out from the train station, I saw a few Gaudi's building and a lot of people around the city (been living in Stavanger for a while). That was my first picture of Barcelona.

Looking forward eagerly to try the real Spanish food, went out and started to look for Spanish restaurant after meeting up with my team mates We had Tapas as the first meal in Spain It was good, foods were fresh with stronger taste and heavier volume of spices

Went to university the next day for the programme and met a lot of new people from different universities with different background. Some from the same country as the university and some of them are international students, coordinators, coaches and professors. It was fun and interesting about sharing my culture and understand others culture. I learned more about other cultures, for example their daily diet (I eat rice everyday), how they spend their weekend (we seldom go to picnic, hiking or park, all our activities cost money), the price of their alcohol (a glass of beer is around 9 euro at the bar in Norway), etc.

We mostly go back to the city after the meeting and start going places. We went to La Sagrada Familia during a rainy day, roaming around the city looking for the best looking and highest google map's rating restaurant, we walked through and back of La Ramblas, we visited to the Gothic quarter, El Raval and El Poblenou areas as well

After saying goodbye, I got into a train and head to Valencia as my flight departs from there Spent two days in Valencia and found that is it a very nice city to visit. It was calm and less touristic but offers the same interesting attractions. Besides, the pricing here is lower as it is a smaller city compared to Barcelona. Definitely a recommended city to visit. And not to forget, Paella was originally from this city, Valencia. The main ingredient for paella was not seafood, not chicken but a cute little animal called rabbit.

SURREALISM IN THE CITY: THE MAGIC OF GAUDÍ

GAUDÍ'SBARCELONA: AVISUALTOUROF THEARCHITECT'S MASTERPIECES

Barcelona is a city of architectural wonders, and none more so than the works of Antoni Gaudí From the whimsical curves of Casa Batlló to the otherworldly spires of La Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's creations are a feast for the senses Through my trip to Barcelona, I had the opportunity to witness some of Gaudí's most famous works and explore the unique blend of modernism and Catalan tradition that defines the architect's style

Among many of his marvelous architectural creation, I got the opportunity to visit Parque Güell La Pedrera-Casa Milà and La Sagrada Familia In all of the articetural wonders of his, I saw an influence that extends far beyond the realm of architecture His work reflects a deep appreciation for the natural world and his designs are infused with a sense of spirituality and wonder

GAUDÍ'SARCHITECTUREANDPARKGÜELL:ACREATIVE MASTERPIECE

Trip to Park Güell in Barcelona was amazing! The park is a stunning mix of nature and art, showcasing Gaudí's unique creativity with colorful tiles and organic shapes The views are breathtaking and it's clear that Gaudí's vision was ahead of its time If you're ever in Barcelona, make sure to visit Park Güell - it's a mustsee destination!

LASAGRADAFAMILIA:A LIVINGHISTORYOF BARCELONA'SICONIC CATHEDRALBYGAUDÍ

With high hopes of experiencing La Sagrada Familia in the best possible way I took the guided tour to But unfortunately luck was not by my side that day Just an hour before the tour, it started to rain with strong winds

The tour guide tried his best to show the external architecture and the details of the 3 facades But it was hard to see due to the bad weather

Nevertheless inside of the cathedral was mind blowing The mix of Gothic and Art Nouveau styles are a true reflection of Gaudí's unique design philosophy, and it was fascinating to see the way he incorporated nature into the structure of the building Other than the beautiful architecture, since we all 4 were from different countries and culture, we had a wonder time exchanging interesting facts about our cultures An interesting fact about the cathedral is, it is still under construction even after 100 years, but the intricate details and the sheer scale of the project are breathtaking

Basedonhowtodealwith unexpectedsituationsonyourtrip. Whatifyouaresuddenlysick,orget foodpoisoning?Howdoyoustillmake itfun?

Unexpected

As I woke up on my second day in Barcelona, hoping to feel ready and energetic forthenextday,Iknewsomethingwaswrong.IfeltthisoverwhelmingnauseaandI immediately knew that I had food poisoning. I saw the amazing trip I had envisioned, fall into pieces. How would I ever get over this? I could not attend my first workshop and the fear that my whole vacation would be spent on doing nothing started to overwhelm me. But I am glad to tell you, reader, that I did not giveuphope.IinfactmademyselfatreatmentplananddeterminedthatIwould get better I ran across the city looking for the right meds I would not have been abletodothisalone.Myfriendsstuckbymeandgavemethemotivationtokeep going After a day or two, I finally started to feel better again, And I, full of happiness,startedenjoyingmytrip.

Sohowwouldyoudealwithasituationlikethat?

Wouldyousimplygiveuporkeepgoing?Iamhere totellyouthatyoushoulddoboth.Thismight sound insane,buthearmeout.Itisimportanttotake yourrestwhenyougetsick Eventhough,you might bereallytemptedtojustkeepgoingandgoing. Your bodycanonlyhealwhenitisfullyresting.Onthe otherhand,youdonothavetogiveuponyourtrip and simplyjustwaituntilyougetback.Keepthehope, sinceyourbrainisverypowerful Ifyoutrulybelieve thatyourtripinBarcelonaisover,thechanceis great thatyourbrainwillthinktheexactsame.

Howtohandleunexpected circumstances?

1)Rationalizetheeventsthatarehappening Itisveryeasyinmomentslikesicknessor panictogiveintoyourinnerthoughts.However, itisimportanttorationalizeyourthoughts

2)Discusswithyourfriendswhatyour possibilitiesare Yourfriendsmighthavedifferent insightsthanyouwhenitcomestothesituation thatyouaredealingwith.Incase,everythinggets toomuchandyouarereallyemotional,itisworthit toaskyourfriendsforadvice.

3)Makeaplan

Inordertonotlosehopeandtohaveaclearendin sight,makeaplan Itisimportanttobeoptimisticto acertainextend.Ifyouexpecteverythingtogo wrong,thenthereisnopointinmakingaplan. However,keepinmindthatbeingtoooptimisticis alsodetrimental.Itisimportanttotryandfinda middlegroundthatyoucanwalk

4)Bedetermined

Yourbrainisaverypowerfultoolandmakesureto tellitthatyoudowannamakethemostofthis holiday.Beinchargeofyourowndestiny!

Making new connections in Barcelona

How a bike ride led to an unforgettable experience

If you are looking for a city that offers beautiful sights, kind people, and good food, Barcelona is a must-visit destination. With its stunning architecture, rich history, and cultural diversity, this amazing city has something for pretty much everyone. But how can you possibly explore all that Barcelona has to offer in a short time? Well, it turns out that one of the best ways to explore the city is on two wheels!

As a Dutch person, biking is like second nature to me, it is practically in my genes. So, it was only logical that on the second day of our week-long trip to Barcelona, I searched for the nearest bike rental shop. Forgetting that it was Sunday, and some stores are not open in the morning, it took me a while to stumble upon a place that rented out geared bikes for a day I picked a bike with a little box in front for my water bottle and set off to explore the city.

Now, having lived in a country where the entire city infrastructure is built around bikes, I was not quite sure what to expect from this big city. I was very much surprised to find out that Barcelona is an incredibly bike-friendly city. Many of the big streets have designated bike lanes, and the traffic lights are easy to follow. And if there is no bike path, do not worry - it is acceptable to bike on the walking path or even with the cars or buses!

Barcelona is famous for its architecture, and I was excited to see it all up close. And honestly, biking through the city is a great way to do it. Being able to navigate quickly through the city, from the Gothic Quarter to the works of Gaudí, every sight is easy to reach. Not to forget, Barcelona has some amazing views of the sea and the parks, it even offers a path made specifically for bikers that goes past some of the more mountany parks. And if you have the energy to bike more uphill, you will be rewarded with some of the most breathtaking views from the mountains.

But my adventure did not end there. As the day passed by and I made a round trip through the city, I decided to go back to the sea shore to catch the sunset. On my way, I heard a mix of music that sounded familiar while I passed by the Arc de Triomf I walked with my bike towards the crowd of people watching a parade of people dressed in colorful outfits, dancing to a variety of music pieces.

I started a conversation with a family standing next to me and asked them if they knew what this parade was for. They explained that it was a Colombian parade, common in many Latin American countries. I mentioned that I had seen similar parades during my time in Nicaragua, and to my surprise, they told me they were from Nicaragua! The woman in the group told me about her move to Barcelona over a decade ago and how she started a family with a Catalan I told her about my year in Nicaragua, where I went to learn Spanish after high school, as my family is from both the Netherlands and El Salvador. I asked if they knew other Nicaraguans in the city, and she told me they only knew of around ten in total, which is not that many! The odds were so small for this encounter, we were both amazed. Who would have thought we would cross paths in such an unexpected way?

We chatted in Spanish, shared stories and experiences, and they even gave me recommendations for some delicious El Salvadorian food in the city In Latin America, it is quite common to treat strangers like family. So it was only natural that she started calling me “cariño”, which translates to sweetie or love, and of course she also gave me her contact details and told me to give her a call anytime I am in the city. Moments like these make travel so special, when you find unexpected connections with people from different parts of the world. And in Barcelona, that sense of community and diversity is everywhere you look. The city offers so many different communities the opportunity to showcase their culture and make everyone feel at home in a different way.

So, if you are ever around Barcelona, rent a bike, explore the city, and do not be afraid to embrace the unexpected. You never know who you might meet or what wonders you might discover

Susanne Fuentes Bongenaar

Culture within language

When I started my linguistic studies and chose to learn Spanish, I saw language as a rather technical tool for communication. Only later I learnt that there is more complexity to it. It is sometimes said that language always carries meanings and references beyond itself and that the way a particular language is used represents the culture of its speakers. In a sense to speak a language means to do so with the culture which is its reference point. Perhaps we could not truly understand a culture without speaking its language and we also could not properly learn a new language without at least some understanding of the culture that speaks it. Learning a language, therefore, is not only learning the alphabet or grammar rules, but it is also learning the behavior of the society and its cultural norms.

My first encounter with the Spanish culture was through exactly that –language. Although during my first or perhaps a few dozen Spanish lectures at the university it did not feel like that. There were a lot of grammar rules and words to memorize so it all seemed a bit tedious. Only after a couple years, all of it started to connect and I could somewhat understand how it all works. I also feel incredibly grateful that my Spanish teacher was a native and perhaps one of the most

valuable things he shared with us were the real-life stories about Spain and its people. However, I still could not even begin to fully grasp what was Spanish culture as I was in some sort of vacuum living in my own Lithuanian environment.

Coming here to Barcelona was a great opportunity to get to know Spain just a little better. However, I must say that my Spanish speaking skills are really not advanced as I only managed to order a few cafés con leche para llevar and asked to pay con tarjeta. But there was something so nice about trying to simply blend in with everyone else ordering the coffee like one of the locals, without using English even when it’s the more comfortable and safer option. I also enjoyed just observing how people react and respond to me speaking as well as noticing how people’s conversations sound like. I must admit, however, that I wasn’t aware beforehand that Catalan was spoken much more commonly in Barcelona. Although I was able to understand less of what people were saying because it was Catalan and not Spanish, I feel like I learnt about and got to know the uniqueness of Barcelona and its people just a bit more than before. And most importantly, spending this week in Barcelona inspired me to continue learning Spanish so that I could do a bit more than just a coffee order in Spanish.

Gabrielė Bražėnaitė

Companionship

The mobility week in Barcelona has been a great learning experience in multiple ways From facing unexpected situations like getting sick on the second day of the trip to pushing myself to still join as many activities as possible and make the most out of this mobility week, it has been an eventful week. This trip presented many skills that I could improve, learn and treasure on, of which the main one being companionship. For someone like me, who is apprehensive when it comes to travelling alone or travelling with people that I am not very familiar with, feeling safe and comfortable with the group is very important.

Companionship is the feeling that you have someone in all situations. In this trip, the students that joined this mobility week were from different universities, taking different courses and coming from different countries Most of us did not know each other and for me, I was not even familiar with most people that came from my university In this situation, I was initially a bit apprehensive of how it would be like spending a whole week with people that I do not know However, unlike what I expected, this experience turned out to be a wonderful one, with many exciting incidents In a trip like this one, feeling safe and secure with the people you are traveling with is extremely important.

The first instance of companionship that I saw in the mobility week was when me and my friends got sick in the first few days of the week. Being sick in a foreign country is often hard as you are unfamiliar with the place, and you do not know where to go for help. However, the roommates I shared a room with were kind enough to inquire how we were feeling, and this simple gesture was the starting step to the companionship we all shared throughout the week.

Another incident that I observed at the end of the mobility week was when an unfortunate incident took place where one of the students’ wallet was stolen He had lost his money and some personal belongings After this incident took place, many students were willing to help him financially or any other help that he needed, and these students were not people who had known him for a long time They were all people who became friends during the course of this trip A situation occurred where the same person was not able to travel back with us as their ticket was cancelled. Even in this situation, I was able to see some students waiting with him till the last minute, not worrying about their own train, seeing if they can be of help in some way. These gestures are what make us all feel safe and willing to go on more adventures like this.

T r e n d i n g

I believe that a skill that everyone will take away from this mobility week is looking out for each other, making sure that everyone is comfortable and making everyone feel included Having these essential skills will motivate anyone who is trying to come out of the comfort zone and explore new things

THE BARCELONA EXPERIENCE: VIBRANT AND LIVELY

4TH-12TH OF FEBRUARY 2023

KARIM SALEH

Well, I guess if you were to look for a place that merges various aspects such as elegance, charm, taste as well as heart, then you could find that distinctive mix in only one place, and that is Barcelona. A city well-known for its exquisite architecture, and its infectious pride in art, culture, and politics, it once started as a roman colony at some point in time, and has thrived ever since throughout the course of history, now having its own language, and even a different flag than that of Spain. It all began at the Saint Jaume Square, the centre point of Barcelona with two iconic buildings, now known as the City Hall, and the Palau de la Generalitat. And from that particular spot, a new city was born.

Since I have mentioned architecture, it is of the utmost importance to mention the iconic name of one individual, and that shall be no one but the infamous Antoni Gaudi. He was known for his sophisticated, yet remarkable work. If you were to ever visit Barcelona, make sure to check the following infrastructures: Sagrada Familia, Casa Milà, Park Güell, and many more!

In addition to the infrastructure, walking in the streets of Barcelona is also considered to be a pleasant experience, with La Rambla being one of the top candidates, where tourists could do all sorts of things whether eating, shopping, having coffee and many more. And whenever you feel like you want to get away from the buildings and streets, then you could always head to my personal favourite part of the city, and that is the sea-side. A place where you could find the tranquillity and quiet as the waves hit the shores, and possibly enjoy some guitar music or some other instrument played by a random person. In case you choose to do so, then make sure to visit the Barceloneta Beach.

KLASSISCHE FRISUREN

Verschiedene zeitlose Frisuren für deinen Hochzeitstag

HOCHZEITSLIEDER

Genug vom Hochzeitsmarsch? Wir haben eine Liste mit schönen und berührenden Liedern zusammengestellt, die dich auf deinem Weg zum Altar begleiten

DEIN TRAUZEUGE

Dein Bruder, bester Freund oder Sandkastenfreund? Wir helfen dir bei der Auswahl

Aside from sight seeing, one should mention a very important thing, and that is food. I guess what makes eating in a typical local restaurant in Barcelona so peculiar is the fact that people on the same table share their plates together! To some this may sound odd or even unusual, but honestly it is one of the most satisfying feelings you could ever experience. It tends to bring people together, initiate conversation and have some sort of an intimacy with others, because in Barcelona they believe that the whole point of eating together is about the company, rather than the food itself. However, one can not deny that the food is absolutely delicious. So as you go into a local restaurant, make sure you order tapas and do not be worried about the small quantities as you will be ordering a lot and will be sharing everything with the rest of the people.

So to conclude, visiting Barcelona is a wonderful experience in all possible ways you could imagine; you should try it sometime. And make sure to remember two important phrases: "Visca Barcelona" and "Visca Catalonia"

Section 2 Group Reports Group Reports

Tibidabo

"I was just outside Barcelona hiking in the foothills of Mount Tibidabo. I was at the end of this path and I came to a clearing and there was a lake, very secluded. And there were tall trees all around. It was dead silent. Gorgeous. And across the lake I saw…a beautiful woman…bathing herself…but she was crying…"

The above story is from the series Friends. When we saw the scene we did not expect Tibidabo to be a real place. After all, the name of the mountain sounds funny and the story could as well be all made up.

However, while being cultured and visiting the Gaudi house casa mila, we saw a hill with a church at its top through the window. In fact, this hill was the highest one we could see from the city of Barcelona. Our innate instincts kicked in and our urge for adventure and exploration made us want to hike to the top of it.

We had no knowledge of how to get there or what the place was called so we decided to pursue our goal on another day.

The following morning, while tiredly walking towards the breakfast room to order a tasty cappuccino and crunchy croissant, we started wondering how we were going to reach the hill, and therefore started doing some research and found out that the hill was indeed called Tibidabo, making the Friends story a reality to some extent.

To get there we had to use multiple means of transportation: a train, a funicular, and a bus. We decided to go in the afternoon, but since we wanted to try a different approach while also saving a quick buck, we chose not to take the funicular but instead catch two buses.

The afternoon came by and we were ready to go, the weather was on our side as the sky was clear with a refreshing cold breeze. Everything was going according to plan, until we took the wrong bus, that before bringing us to our desired destination, circled around for over 20 minutes.

Catching the second bus was even a tougher challenge, due to the fact that we mistakenly took the wrong road, and to get back on the right track we had to walk uphill, therefore some members of our group were getting tired.

Giacomo Clima, Sanne Duwel, Oscar Rajantie

At the end of the steep part, we looked and noticed we had to go, despite our best efforts, we failed to get up to the peak. Mistakes were made and we had to head back down. We were sure, however, to try another day again.

Right the next day we decided to try again and head to the top. This time we decided not to be unique and used the funicular going up the hill.

The funicular took us to a small town called Vallvidrera. There we waited for a minibus to take us to the top Luck was not on our side on this day either The weather was horrible. Nevertheless, the bus picked us up and we were finally heading towards the peak of Tibidabo.

On top of Tibidabo, we found the church, the Temple of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was magnificent. If it would have been a sunny day the views from the top would have been great. The hill was visible from all over the city so the whole city should be visible from the top of the hill. However, sometimes the weather is not on our side and this was one of those times. Nevertheless, we stood on the terrace and tried to use our imagination to paint a view for us of what the city could look like. All of us thought then that we have to go to the top of Tibidabo again on a clear day.

Our journey back down into the city had almost as many misfortunes as the first day when we tried to walk up the hills of Tibidabo. Naturally, the Google Maps bus schedule was wrong so we ended up going to the bus stop right after the bus had passed.

It was still raining cats and dogs so we decided to head back inside the church and wait until the next bus. The next bus of course was early. We heard it stopping outside and decided to run for it. Luckily the bus driver was friendly and waited for everyone to get inside the bus. Now we were on our way back down to the funicular.

We went inside the funicular station to catch the next ride down. We waited for five minutes and then five minutes more. No funicular came. Finally, a station attendant started shouting something in Spanish. We only understood one word, “taxi”. That was our cue, we walked out of the station and tried to hail a taxi. All the other people waiting for the funicular had the same plan. It was absolute chaos outside the funicular station. Only a couple of taxis came for the tens of passengers stranded on the hills of Tibidabo. However our luck turned and suddenly 20 or more taxis came up the road to the station to give us a ride down. We selfishly skipped the queue and took the first car. After all, we were in a hurry to make our entrance time to a music hall in the city.

Giacomo Clima, Sanne Duwel, Oscar Rajantie

IThe taxi ride down was not as fast as the funicular would have been but it was still quick. When we got to the train station on the foothills of Tibidabo we ran out of the taxi to catch the next train. Now we were safely on our way back to the city.

Tibidabo is not as popular tourist destination as one would think. It is not easy to get to the top and back down. However, the top still is mostly an attraction for tourists. Tibidabo used to be more of a place of worship for the locals. This change from an important spot for the locals to a tourist destination is visible throughout the city of Barcelona. The tourists bring in a part of their own culture, thus making Tibidabo, an intercultural hotspot in the city.

Giacomo Clima, Sanne Duwel, Oscar Rajantie

From Sagrada Família to From Sagrada Família to

MUHBA Turó de la Rovira MUHBA Turó de la Rovira

By Ali, Jing, Kazi, Lisette & Tong

By Ali, Jing, Kazi, Lisette & Tong

The mobility week was a nice intercultural exchange and opportunity for our group to learn more about our fellows and the culture in Barcelona. In order to indulge into the regional culture, we visited several sights in Barcelona and discussed our different perceptions and experiences. In this short report, we want to share our insights and experiences that we gained while visiting the Basilica la Sagrada Família, Park Guéll and MUHBA Turó de la Rovira.

Sagrada Familía

On Tuesday our group visited the probably most famous church in Barcelona, the Basilica la Sagrada Família. For most of us it was the first time visiting Spain and, therefore, Sagrada Familia. Hence, we were equally impressed by the extensive design of the building. Sagrada Familia was first designed in the year 1882 by Francisco de Paula del Villar and then taken over by Antoni Gaudí in the following year. Keep building it until today by a few designers throughout the progress. It was named Unesco world heritage in the year 2005 even though it hasn't been completed until today. There is a saying that Sagrada Familia will be ready in the year 2026. However, according to our guide, this is very unlikely to happen since Corona caused some delays. Currently, the third side of the church is under construction, and the main tower. After finishing the tower, Sagrada Familia will be the highest building in Barcelona as well as the highest church in the world. However, this height still aligns with key principles of catholic beliefs because the constructors pay attention to not building it too high and offending god in this way.

This is not the only way in which the church and rituals within the church respect the catholic religion. Hence, the church included many key numbers from the bible in the construction and amount of ornaments. Almost everything you saw in and on the church had its roots in the bible like the number of pillars, the height of specific ornaments as well as the church depicting Jesus' whole life. It was very impressive for us to see how much thought Gaudi put into these details and constructions. Furthermore, it was very interesting to see how proud our guide and the people in Barcelona are of Sagrada Familia and Gaudi in general. Hence, we realized that the people identify themselves with his artful buildings and style and that the Christian religion is deeply rooted in Barcelona.

We visited Sagrada Familia on a rainy day because we thought that we would spend most of the time inside the temple. However, when we reached there, it was so windy and raining cats and dogs. We insisted on the visit as it was the most important attraction that we must visit for our week. (We bought our ticket in the rain as they sell it only online). After a short briefing inside the building, the tour guide brought us out of the building. Under the rain, she explained to us the stories behind the design of the building by Antoni Gaudi. She was holding an umbrella but all of us were without one. It was a very funny situation where she had to finish her job no matter what and we had to finish listening to her explanation as we all paid for it. I supposed if it was free, no one would stay under the rain for the tour. I think we spent about 30 minutes in the rain. Furthermore, our tour guide took care of an older woman that participated in the tour. It was really interesting to see how much she cared about her, kept her under her umbrella, and kept her close. At this moment, I realized that taking care of and respecting older people is a value of the Barcelonian culture.

After the audio tour, we stayed for quite some time inside Sagrada Familia and toured the building by ourselves. When we were about to leave it was still raining and some of us put our caps on in the church. However, it only took the staff in the church some seconds to come over to us and explain to us that we are not allowed to wear caps in the church. This rule was also explained to us by the tour guide. However, it was really surprising to us how seriously the people in Barcelona took this rule, particularly, considering the rain.

Park Guéll

What is the first thing that pops-up in your mind when mentioning Antonio Gaudí? Let me guess, it’s probably the world renowned La Sagrada Família. While the marvelous still-underconstruction church is Gaudí’s magnum opus, it is hard to miss Parc Güell when browsing Gaudí’s oeuvre. This unique work was one of the projects which the industrialist Eusebi Güell commissioned Gaudí to build. Gaudí was tasked to build a residential area on top of the Carmel Hill, not far from the city center. The construction of the suburban utopia commenced in 1900 and was meant to house 60 of Barcelona’s elite. Alas, the project was a failure as the no buyers were found for the two built houses. It is then that Gaudí decided to move into one of the houses (now a museum) residing there till 1925. While the project was rounded in 1914, the park only opened its doors to the public in 1922. Aside from being a national monument, the park gained a world heritage status in 1984.

The psychedelic, colorful, fairytale-like, yet abstract construction, is an example of an artist taking freedom of self-expression to the next level. The park is an architectural burst of free jazz full magical symbols and hidden meanings. An engravement of Gaudí’s patriotism and religious devotion including elements of Catalonia’s past through integrating Roman, Morish and Gothic elements alongside the Catholic symbolism; a fuse of the east and west. A maze of paths and bridges intertwining at different levels and stretching across acres of floral gardens and wild woodlands. The tiniest details planned by integrating bird nests into the viaducts. The serpentine-like mosaic bench weaved around the esplanade offers a panoramic view of the city, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and offering a view of La Sagrada Família allowing visitors to take a break from the hectic city life. It is by visiting Parc Güell that one feels as if they transcendence into an earthly heaven borrowed from a fantasy world built by one of the pioneering architects of the 20th century.

The weather forecast was reporting about the sun the day we were going to Park Guell. But it was not long before we experienced a few raindrops. Luckily it was only a little and did not last long. Trying to navigate the so-called map of the park was harder than we thought, and we ended up going in circles a few times. A better map was greatly missed. But when we finally found the first place we wanted to see, the Private House, it was easier to navigate. Most of the time in the park was spent taking pictures because it was beautiful and we wanted the memories. Not easy, when other people are trying to do the same.

Some parts of the park gave off a little “Game of Thrones” vibe, which was very cool. Some spots were more popular than others to take photos, and we ended up standing in a queue a few times for the best spots. Even though the weather was not the best, luckily we had dressed for the occasion. We spent so much time taking pictures that we actually missed two parts of the Park because we were so preoccupied, and only noticed when it was too late. It was not natural to go there, so that was why we missed it. Be sure to check the map, to ensure you don’t miss a spot if you ever go there. And, the longest queue is at Gaudi's house at the end of the park. Some people thought it took so much time that they ended up leaving the queue.

We were also people from three different nationalities, and we met for the first time on this trip! So, we would say we got the most of an intercultural experience. Spending some time discussing differences and similarities. It was fun getting to know each other and experiencing Park Guell together.

MUHBA Turó de la Rovira

During our 3rd day in Barcelona, we stumbled upon a hidden gemthe MUHBA Turó de la Rovira. It's a former anti-aircraft battery turned open-air museum and viewpoint, and it offered us stunning views of the city along with a fascinating glimpse into the history of Barcelona.

As we hiked up the hill, we were all excited to see what awaited us at the top. And when we finally arrived, we were blown away by the panoramic views of Barcelona. It was an incredible spot to watch the sunset, and we spent a long time just taking in the beautiful views. When we hiked to the top, it was already evening. As a result, we missed the visit to the museum there. Nevertheless, we were all impressed by the combination of history, art, and breathtaking views that the MUHBA Turó de la Rovira offered. It was truly a unique and unforgettable experience that we'll never forget. After reaching the top, our joy increased when we found out all the other students of the mobility program were already there. We got the opportunity to sit there, watch the nightlife of the entire Barcelona in a panoramic view. We took some pictures as memories, sat there for a while, enjoyed the serenity and had some great memories to cherish for. It was adventurous for us while we were coming down from the top, as we lost our ways several times. But even being clueless of the way, it was fun to be lost with good companions.

If anyone’s planning a trip to Barcelona, we highly recommend making a stop at the MUHBA Turó de la Rovira. You won't be disappointed!

2023.02.03. WhenyoustayinBarcelonaone ofthefirstactionsyoutakeafter alongtraveljourneytothis wonderfulcountryisofcourse grabbingsomefood.Whenwe arrivedonSunday,lateinthe evening,thatisexactlywhatwe did.Droppedourstuffatthe hostel,andwalkedintothefirst cuterestaurantthatwefoundfor somelong-awaiteddinner.Asit wasforbothofus,thefirstdayin Spain(ever),oureyeswere wateringupontheinitialsightof tapasandsangriainbetweenthe twoofus.Whenwedine,wesee itasateamexperiencealmost. Oftenorderinguniquedishes thatcanbesharedbetweenthe twoofus,sothatwegetto experiencemorenovelmenu items.Tapasmadethisthe perfectfirstdinnertogetherin Barcelona,allowingustoreceive atasteofasmanyuniquemealsas possibleonourfirstdayand introduceourselvestotheirfood cultureandessence.Thiswasthe perfectintroductiontothe culturaldifferenceofdiningin BarcelonaandinEnschede, whereyou’llgenerallyordera singledishofwhatyouwishfor andforonlyyoutoenjoy.

WestartedourdaybywalkingtowardsGaudi’sCasa Milaalongthemostexpensivestreetinthecity,pastthe PatekPhilippewatchesandtrendyclothing.Following this,wewalkedacrossthepigeon-filledCatalansquare, busywithpeopleandsurroundedbythesightof humongousbuildings.Havingseenenoughofmega buildingsforabit,wepassedthroughslimandcosy streetswithanicedcoffeeinourhandtowardsa collectionofthemanypaintingsthatPicassomade throughouthislifetimeintheformofamuseum exhibition.Loadsofromanticadventurouscitywalkinglater,welookedupontheredwallsofthe Catalanparliamentsurroundedbyalivelyparkfora quickbreak.

Afterwatchingthesungodownthehorizoninthecold bythebeach,andanenergeticboulderingsession,it wasfinallytimefordinner.Onceagain,weoptedtogo foratapasrestaurantandseehowthedisheswe thoughttobethestapleonesdifferbetweenplaces.The foodwasamazingandvariedinitsownway,especially comparedtothedaybefore.Itfeltlikeanother experiment,makingitmoreenjoyable.Ibelievethat therearemanydifferentdishesatuniquerestaurants andevenmorevariationsinthem,thusnevermakingit boringandalwaysexciting. Dinnertooksolong,thatwewenttobedstraightafter. Thishighlightstheleisuretimethatitsymbolizestous.

Eatingtapastogetherisnotjustthemechanicalactof eatingandsatiatingthestomach.Itisaboutconnecting witheachotheroveratablefullofminivarietiesto bondasyouwouldwithcoffeetraditionallyinThe Netherlands.Tapasculturecreatesanatmosphere whereyoudon’tnoticethetimegoingby,butwalkout satisfiedafterdiscussingforalongandgettingtoknow yourdiningpartner(s)better.

Imaginethefollowingsituation.It's8pmand youhavebeenwalkingaroundthecityforhours. Thelastsubstanceyouhadwasasandwichanda coffeeinthemiddleofthecityat2pmsoyouare terriblyhungry.Youandyourpartnerwith whomyouhavesharedthisjourneydecidetogo onaquesttofindtheperfectdinnerplaceto makethedaycomplete,butyourinternet connectionneedstoberecovered.Youcan'tlook upanythingonTripAdvisororgenerallythe browser.Uponmutualagreement,youfind somethingintheareawhereyoustartedyour day.

Whilewanderingbetweenthesmalldampstreets ofBarcelonahungryandtired,youlookahead andyoufindyournewdestination.Itseemslike asmallcosyrestaurantwithbigdarkoaktables, mismatchedchairs,wideabstractpaintings,red brickwalls,andthelingeringsmelloftapas.You walkinandyouknowyouhavearrivedatthe placeyoudidn'tknowyouweresearchingfor. Youmanagetosqueezeyourselfthroughthe smallplacesbetweenthemirrorandtwoyoung ladiesontheirdate,andfinallysitdown. Contrarytothepreviousdaysyouordersome beerandaplateofoliveswhileyoudecidewhat furtheractionsyouwilltaketowardsordering theperfectamountandvarietyofdelicioustapas.

Asyouhavefinishedthe4platesoftapas,your beerandthelastchorizo-flavouredolive.You starttofeelthatyourdesertstomach'scravings arenotyetfulfilled.Soasawell-fedchildaftera longdayofwork,youchoosetosurpriseyourself withaglassofsweetsangria,aswhatisadayin Spainwithoutone?

Now,whyarethesestories importantyoumayask?

Barcelonaisahotspot,a collectionofrestaurantsand placeswhereyoucanonlyfind goodfood.

Thehighlightofthefirstdaylies inchoosing,tryingandsharingof theperfecttapasthat,evenifone ofyoudislikesone,theotherwill helpyououtwithit.Tapas bringsafantasticelementto diningasitisasharedadventure withyourfriends,familyand partner.

Themaintakeawayofthesecond dayisthattapasnevergetsboring andisaboutconnection.Tapasis infinitelyrepeatablewithitsvast varietywithinoneplacenoteven talkingaboutthevarietyin location,anditsprimarypurpose istoconnectandbond.

Theimportanceofthelaststory liesinthefactthatevenifyouare justwanderingaroundthecity centreandsitinthefirstplace thatyoubothfindinviting,you willhaveoneofthebestfood experiencesinyourlife,sodonot beafraidtolivefortheday.

"Break your neck and leg!"

Exchange of languages

Walking around Barcelona, we can hear ourselves speaking to each other.

“Hey, how do you say ‘traffic light' in Spanish?” asks Jessica.

“It’s semáforo, pronounced se-ma-fo-ro,” replies Suzy. “Oh, got it. El semáforo está rojo!” says Jessica.

To start with, let us introduce ourselves. We are two university students, Jessica from Germany and Suzy from the Netherlands, studying at the University of Twente. Both of us are fluent in English, but also have a second language in our skill set. And finally, both of us are multicultural in some way through our family background and enjoy learning new things about culture and language. Hence, during our mobility week in Barcelona, we take advantage of our daily walks and commutes to teach each other Spanish and German.

To portray this, imagine Spanish and German languages. For starters, Spanish is spoken in many countries, each with its own unique expressions and regional vocabulary. For instance, there is a big difference between Spanish in Latin America and Spain. Since Suzy learned Latin American Spanish through speaking and listening, she often points out that the way she learned to say something might be different from how a native Spanish speaker would say it, or how the standards in Spain would strongly differ to the language she speaks. Even our week in Barcelona portrays the locational differences of language, with Language, of course, is very location based, and strongly based on the way you learned it.

Barcelona laying in the area of Spain that speaks more Catalan than Spanish, a language build with strong Spanish influences, but considerable a language of its own standing, neither Jessica nor Suzy able to understand it. This language use, in turn, has influenced the Spanish language usage in Barcelona, making for interesting changes to the Spanish spoken in central Spain.

Jessica, however, learned the language with her parents, her family coming from Russia to Germany a few years before she was born. Above all, she learned it as a first language and studied the Grammar like any local in school. Her German is based on North-Western Germany, often telling Suzy "I know it is different in the South, but I don't remember how Either way, they should understand you!" With both languages being widespread around the world, how you speak depends greatly on the region you learned it from.

To demonstrate, the North-Western German being very close to Hochdeutsch, the legal standard of learning and speaking German A bit further north, you would often be hearing Plattdeutsch, a German dialect In the SouthEast, Baverian is more common, and if you leave Germany to the south to go to Switzerland, you would discover Schweizerdeutsch, another beautiful variant of the language With Jessica only speaking Hochdeutsch, hearing someone speak a dialect of German is significant in her understanding and emotion towards the language, often making her feel similar to Suzy hearing Catalan, Italian or Portuguese. The similarity between such languages or dialects might make understanding not exactly impossible, but certainly makes you feel like a foreigner listening to a language we just started to learn. Though learning a language can feel quite different, too.

Each of us had studied the language at school for some time, but not really successfully. However, within a short period of time, we managed to achieve great jumps in capability Jessica had Spanish in High School for two years, Suzy learned German academically for a semester Very little of either has stuck. Nothing beyond "Hola, me llamo Jessica!" and "Wie geht es dir?". By the sixth day in Spain, though, we create sentences and talk about our day or "Ich möchte diesen Sommer mit meine Bruder nach Korea und dafür lerne ich koreanisch!" "Meinem Bruder" corrects Jessica "That was really good! Perfect pronunciation!" And both of us just beam.

This portrays the difference between active and passive language learning quite nicely. As you all know, if you study a language academically, you will get a lot of passive knowledge and experience. You will be delivered vocabulary lists and grammar rules, read unrealistic conversations that would never happen in real life, usually not build upon your actual skill level but rather upon a non-existent standard they expect from you. Additionally, they certainly won't integrate your interests into your study, but follow a strict program. And most

importantly, almost the entirety of the first few months of language learning will be listening and reading instead of forming sentences and reacting. Even after many years of academic language learning, this will still be the most significant part of your learning, hardly needing your own thought process during any class. Every single one of these issues can be avoided, though, by learning a language with an active, nonacademic approach instead. The best form, of course, would be active immersion, but this is usually hard to achieve, considering you'd have to live in a community that speaks the language fluently and you have to actively seek out opportunities to talk and react. Nonetheless, what we did is quite similar. Corresponding to this idea, we have conversations in Spanish and German, talking about anything that comes to mind and using gestures to help each other understand, and react to each other in the language we used in that moment. We correct and repeat, ask follow-up questions, and work on furthering our capacities constantly, just staying on a level that would be challenging for us, without going to far beyond. This is one of the factors that aid in learning: do not go too fast or too slow, go at your speed! It has to be a challenge, but just barely so. This way, we actually learn with each conversation, keep up and train the previous aptitude, and stay motivated to continue. Additionally, our extensive gestures make sure our brains connect the language better in its pure form, aiding in remembering, understanding and constructing the language separately from another language, add in the visual part of our brain to strengthen memory and understand, and accordingly making it flow more naturally.

When we were teaching each other our respective languages, we naturally discussed cultural differences and stereotypes associated with our respective cultures. It became quite clear that the languages themselves reflect many of these common stereotypes. For example, Germans are often thought of as punctual, serious, and somewhat reserved, while Latin Americans are viewed as being habitually late, unorganized, perhaps a little lazy, and emotionally expressive.

As we explored the details of our languages, we noticed that certain linguistic elements served to reinforce these cultural stereotypes. Take Spanish, for instance, which is known for being more relaxed in its sentence structure and often leaving out words that are assumed from the context of the conversation. In contrast, German is characterized by its strict sentence structure, wording and grammar, which requires that subjects are clearly stated, syllables clearly pronounced and every word in the right place. Another example of this phenomenon is portrayed in the way Spanish is perceived as being a fast-paced and expressive language, characterized by emotional, sometimes loud, speech. This is in high contrast to the more calm, slow and quiet German language, which is often seen as reflecting the reserved nature of its speakers.

In our conversations, we often referred to these cultural and linguistic differences as a way of improving our understanding of each other’s cultures and languages. Through our discussions, we learned that stereotypes are only a small part of the wide variety of cultural differences, and that there is much more to be explored.

As we learn new words and sentences, we also discuss the cultural differences and history embedded in the language. Moreover, the use of words and idioms varies greatly from culture to culture. For instance, both of us enjoyed discussing proverbs in both languages, often causing quite fun situations.

One idiom we both remember fondly is talking about how to wish good luck in German. "Break your neck and leg" Jessica exclaims. "That's what it means literally translated?" Suzy asks with an astounded look on her face. "That is so extreme!" "Yeah. It is a running gag on German tv. Every time someone who doesn't know the language tries to say good luck, they end up saying something like 'I hope you die really painfully!'"

This particular idiom "Hals- und Beinbruch” has been around for centuries, originating from Hebrew. To be exact, its original meaning has been almost exactly "Good luck and success”, but over the duration of German language building, the words have changed through mishearing and mispronunciation until this rather fierce arrangement came by. Now, the Germans literally wish the worst on each other anytime a significant task lays before them!

To conclude, the ICCS's mobility week certainly facilitated this use of active language learning. For one, we would have not met each other or found out about our language ability without the course bringing us together like this. Particularly the mobility week established a way to converse without any specific rules and regulations or time frames separating us, and therefore enabled us to get to know each other and talk freely. We both appreciated exploring the cultural differences through learning each others languages and it has made us more curious about exploring them even further in the future.

Suzy and Jessica

Journey through time

Raphael Ritz - Christian Romeo

The journey

This is the story of an Italian and a French, studying at the same university, but never having met each other, going from total strangers to close travel companions in just two days, while discovering a city full of diverse architecture, culture, and history.

Arrival Day 1

Our journey started at Eindhoven airport in the Netherlands on a cold Saturday morning. While waiting for the departure, we started talking and getting to know each other a little.

The flight was exhausting, and upon arrival, we were quite tired.

We decided to make a quick tour of the neighbourhood we were staying at, to get to know the Sagrada Família, which amazingly was within walking distance of our hostel. Our feeling of exhaustion was overtaken by awe upon discovering the unusual yet stunning architecture of the basilica, and the entire city as a whole: every building entirely different, yet stunning in its own way. The basilica, however, is what amazed us the most. The sheer scale of the building was absolutely mental.

We finished our tour with a walk along La Rambla, and dinner in a Tapas restaurant.

Later that evening, Chris suggested to Raphael that the following day, they could participate in two free city walking tours he had discovered online. Raphael, of course, accepted.

Stepping out of the plane, however, we were amazed to find warm and sunny weather, forcing us to remove some of our many layers of clothing we had been wearing for protection against the harsh Dutch climate. Together with our other travel companions, we made our way to the hostel where we would stay at for the following days, and that would become home to many remarkable memories.

The journey cont'd

Day 2

City tours

The day started early with a tasty breakfast, after which the two of us got ready for the two tours.

Our first two-hour tour took both of us on a journey through time, starting from the vibrant and bustling La Rambla to the ancient Gothic Quarter, where the secrets, legends, and curiosities of the city's past are hidden.

As we make our way into the Gothic Quarter, we are transported back to the medieval era. Here, we are surrounded by ancient stone walls and narrow cobblestone streets. The first stop on our journey was Sant Jaume Square, where the Town Hall and the Palau de la Generalitat stand tall, a testament to the city's rich history. We then visit the Cathedral of Santa Eulàlia, whose mysterious gargoyles guard its secrets. As we walk through King's Square, we hear tales of the attempted assassination of Fernando “The Catholic.” The tour also includes a visit to the remains of El Call, the old Jewish quarter, where the history of the city's Jewish community can be explored. Next, we venture into the Born district, one of the most charming areas in the city. The street is lined with cafés, small boutiques, and cocktail bars, creating a vibrant atmosphere that is sure to leave a lasting impression. Our tour concludes with a visit to the mythical Cathedral of the Sea, a stunning structure that tells the story of the city's maritime history.

The tour guide, Pedro, is the founder of the company providing the tours: Barkeno Tours. He explains to us that he founded this company after discovering that his previous profession as a lawyer wasn’t a right fit for him. He named the company “Barkeno” after the original name Barcelona used to have: “Barcino”.

After bonding with him and having interesting conversations about the history of Barcelona and why he chose this job, he explains to us his philosophy: unlike other tour guides, he says, he never sticks to one specific predefined script for his tours, instead choosing what to explain and where to go based on the audience he has and what they are more interested in. Indeed, we noticed that he kept engaging with the audience, asking us to pick what to do and where to go, making the tour much more interactive, engaging and captivating. He also explained to us that he refuses to the same tour two days in a row, as the reason he picked this profession is that his last one was too boring. These revelations surprised us, especially in France, people often don’t tend to be particularly open to feedback or flexible.

On the second tour, we had the opportunity to explore some of the city's most famous modernist buildings and learn about the history and culture of this fascinating era. The tour began in the heart of the city, in the Manzana de la Discordia. We had the chance to admire the stunning façades of buildings such as Casa Batlló and La Pedrera, designed by the famous architect Antonio Gaudí. We also saw the beautiful Casa Lleó i Morera, with its elaborate windows and majestic columns, and the Casa Amatller, a stunning example of the modernist style. After exploring the “Manzana de la Discordia”, we took the metro to one of the city's most iconic landmarks, the Sagrada Família. This stunning basilica was the greatest expression of Gaudí's modernist style, and we were able to admire its beautiful architecture up close. This journey through modernist Barcelona was truly magical. Our tour guide for this tour, Alessio, was a great storyteller. Despite being originally Italian, he had come to Barcelona many years before and become an expert about the city, especially Gaudi’s architecture.

At the end of this day, we were quite exhausted but also filled with new knowledge about the city. We also had gotten to know each other much better: during all this time we had spent together that day, we had talked so much with each other, exchanged about our experiences and cultures, and learned so much together. Coming back to the hostel, the new people we met thought we had known each other for many years. We noticed we had become close friends after only two days.

During this journey, we also discovered and discussed many cultural differences between Barcelona and the places we were from. We had noticed the incredible diversity present all throughout the city, as much in architecture and culture as in citizens living in the city. This is something we had seen neither in Paris nor in Milan, despite both being cities also known for their rich history. Every building looked entirely different as if it had been taken from a different time period or a different country, with some buildings being thousands of years old and some looking like they came from the future. It seemed like every building had its very own story to tell. Despite this diversity, or exactly because of it, no building looked out of place.

The people we met also were also so kind and open, something that shocked Raphael, coming from the Paris region, much more than it did to Christian.

C.Romeo, R. Ritz

Learning through workshops Learning through workshops

BiciZen

During our time at UAB, we had the privilege of participating in several workshops and activities that broadened our understanding of citizen science. One such workshop was on the BiciZen project, a citizen science platform that aims to promote low-carbon mobility and provide valuable insights on urban mobility through crowd-sourced information from cyclists. It is basically a collaboration between several universities situated in different countries across Europe such as Spain, Portugal, Finland, and the Netherlands.

The project is being developed by a team of urban planners, geographers, engineers, and computer scientists and is expected to be released in October-November of this year. It aims to launch an app which would serve as a platform for cyclists to share their personal experiences as well as knowledge about various aspects such as infrastructure, safety, maintenance features, parking, incidents (harassment), and also theft via reports, photos, data results and so on. The goal is to capture the voice of the cycling community, make sure that their needs are met in an attempt to improve/develop the cycling environment for all users.

This particular project follows the CBL methodology since the cyclists will be the ones providing data (data collection), during the investigation phase, which will then be analysed using statistical and geographical tools by preferably third party members (outsourcing), whether students or even specialised firms. During the workshop session, we also had the opportunity to share our personal insights about the following topic along with possible suggestions to encourage cyclists to actually use the app since it could prove to be challenging task to make them be willing to do so.

Thus, the workshop was a fascinating learning experience, as we got to know more about the process of developing a citizen science platform and the challenges faced by the team. As explained in their presentation, the co-creation process was intense and required collaboration among team members, local authorities, and cycling organizations.

We also got to learn about the intercultural experiences of our group members during our stay in Barcelona. We were all amazed by the rich Spanish culture, which is reflected in the architecture, food, and language of the city. The opportunity to interact with people from different backgrounds and learn from each other was truly invaluable.

Overall, this trip to UAB has been a remarkable experience and has given us a deeper understanding of citizen science and how it can be used to address real-world challenges.

In one of our workshops, we had a discussing of The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The topic is really important and extremely relevant, especially with all of the news where we see companies sell your personal data. Imagine you are a citizen scientist collecting data on a rare and valuable species in the wild. You carefully document the species' habitat, behavior, and unique characteristics. Similarly, when organizations collect your personal data, the GDPR ensures that they handle it with the same level of care and responsibility.

Since a lot of us, including myself, don’t read the policy terms, we don’t know what we are agreeing on. We are letting companies gain access to all our personal information, without doubting it. To put it into perspective: If a stranger came up to me and asked me about all my personal information, I wouldn’t give him the information. But if an app I just downloaded asked me to accept the privacy terms or give them any additional information, I would not mind giving it. You see where we are going?

In other words – this workshop really was an eye opener. We gained insights of how important it is to actually protect yourself online, otherwise our information is sold to third-parties. There are companies out there that have information about our whole life without us knowing.

DuringourexcursiontourintheautonomyUniversityin Barcelona,wewereintroducedtothe3D-Labs,partof4 otherlabs/workshopsoncampus.Wegottoperceive different3Dprinters,inadditiontoabriefdescriptionof theirmechanismandthematerialused.Whatcaughtour attentionisthefactthattheytendtorecycletheleftover plasticandmakenewfilamentsoutofitforsustainability reasonswhichwefoundtobequitebeneficialforthe environmentaslessplasticisbeingconsumed.However, certainirregularitiesmayappearasaresultofmixed plasticsbeingplacedtogether,whichcouldprovetobea problem.Wewerethenintroducedtotheother manufacturingmachines,andtoldthatsuchmachinesare handledbythreedifferentlevelsoftechnicians,starting frombeginners(lvl1)allthewaytoexpertswhocould actuallyfixthemachinesiftheyweretofailatanytime(lvl3).

Translation and Interpretation

Thefollowingworkshopinvolvedusreadinganarticle bythewellknownwriterGeorgeSteiner(calledthe ideaofeurope)whichhelpedwidenourhorizons especiallywhenitcametodealingwithmultiple culturesandunderstandingthedifferentperspectives thatcouldarisefromsuchathingbyanexampleas simpleascoffeeorteadrinkingindifferent countries/regions.Wealsoanalysedhisviewsonhis perceptionofEuropeanddiscussedwhethercertain statementsmadebyhiminthatarticleweretrueor not.

By Kanan, Karim, Carl, Marcel & Abrar - ICCS 2023

Takeaways from ICCS

ICCS course

In today’s fast paced world where science and technology keeps advancing and global interactions have become more common. Integration between different corners of the world is becoming easier as days pass by. This leads to an increase in the need to understand and implement intercultural competence. One's culture often determines the way they comprehend different situations and react to it. The world culture is very diverse and unique from one another that it is often very hard to understand and interpret the traditions and behaviour in the correct way. Hence, the course about intercultural competence is a very relevant and important course in current time.

The course started off with us interacting with the groups that we were split into. The groups consisted of students from different cultural backgrounds from different parts of the world. The initial coaching session with our coach was used as an ice breaking session where everyone introduced themselves to each other and learnt about their group mates. The initial few weeks were hard to coordinate as anticipated as everyone had their own different ways of working and their own schedule. The biggest challenge that we took on in this course is learning how to coordinate meetings and get work done in a group of people who have completely different lives, studying different courses and living in different time zones. The collaboration skills that we gained through this course is the biggest asset we take back from this course.

The coaching sessions were extremely helpful in keeping us in track of the goals we had set for ourselves at the beginning of the module. With the help of the mentor’s we planned how to take small steps in moving towards our goals. We also reflected on our journey and discussed possible improvements during these sessions. The project sessions on the other hand were completely different from the coaching sessions as we had no one who had the role of coordinating the meetings. All the students had to coordinate the meetings themselves and keep themselves on track. This is where the influence of different cultures were seen taking place. For example, for some students, good performance in exams is a very important aspect that they are grown up with, that they give up on everything else when it is exam time. Whereas for others, this is not the case and they try to take part in everything even during exam time. This is just a difference in educational traditions in different countries. However, when we are working in a group, this does affect the group's work. Hence, these sessions helped us gain more insight into how cultural differences affect a working environment and helped us think and implement ways to tackle this issue.

These insights that we gained throughout the course, helped us on our trip to Barcelona as we got the opportunity to work again with people from different cultures in person in a different country, where the culture of the country also plays an important role.

Mobility Week

As we arrived in Barcelona, after a tiring journey by either train or bus, the beauty of the city took us by surprise. In anticipation of what was to come, we travelled full of energy to our hostel. Tiredness seemed to be a temporary problem and the city air of Barcelona cured the problem. After arriving at the hostel, the reality of the long awaited mobility week kicked in. Excited for the first real meal in Barcelona, we scrambled to find a restaurant. With a good meal in our stomach and excitement in our heart all of us went to bed.

Before the first workshops started, there was some free time to be spent in the beautiful city known as Barna to the locals. It is safe to say that the favourites were visited and photographed to be remembered forever.

Monday the mobility week was officially kicked off during the introduction lecture. In this introduction lecture the week was discussed and the students were told what was expected of them. It was kindly reminded to us that partying is part of this week, but to not miss out on the amazing learning opportunities that are created. The fun and light-hearted introduction by a great teacher is, without doubt, the best way to start this week full of joy. As students, we know now what we had to do this week, but also what there is to do next to the classes. After all, it would not be an intercultural experience if you do not experience the culture yourself. It would be a waste of potential if you did not attempt to learn from this city full of rich culture. We took these lessons to heart as we planned our week.

After the introduction, it was finally time for the long awaited workshops, namely “BiCiZen”, “Spanish and Catalan culture” and finally “CSI-COP Citizen Science”. The first and the last workshop centered around a citizen science project. Since in our course, we had to design a citizen science project, it was the perfect opportunity to see how these plans get implemented.

The workshops were interactive and therefore easy to learn from. The lessons represent the idea of this mobility week, fun and educational. Before the second workshop there was a particularly interesting aspect attached, namely the tour. This was not just any tour, but one packed with historical stories and true passion from the teacher. This enthusiasm quickly caught on to us and we could not wait until the workshop finally started.

All in all, it is safe to say that this mobility week was packed with information and new perspectives. For example, in the third workshop I learned how some apps gather information about menstruation to sell products to these customers. This was a take on GDPR and data safety that we had not even considered and truly opened our eyes.

During the second workshop, we learned how Europe functions and why culture is such an important part of it. This all comes back to the learning goals of the course ICSS, where we now learn how to implement many of these theoretical examples in practice.

Vithursika Vinasiththamby and Meenakshi Girish Nair

CITY STROLL

When one goes to a new city, one is usually bombarded with all the tourist attractions, the tourist deals, and the troublesome tourist tax. If not planned correctly, visiting the city‘s main tourist attractions can become stressful instead of enjoyable. Barcelona is known for being a historic city, full of special places, landmarks, and various types of architecture. Many people come to the city to see the buildings and get a taste of the famous architect Gaudi‘s taste. As a group of international students, we were not the exception. When packing and planning for the mobility week of the ICCS course, we noticed that we had a lot of free time in our hands and wanted to have a plan to explore the city. Go to La Rambla, visit Park Güell, the infamous Sagrada Familia, the many plazas scattered around the city, and also get to know more, not so famous places. We looked for different tours, because what better way to get to know the city than with a local. Coming from Kaunas, Lithuania, that idea seemed foreign to us. Kaunas is a small city that you could tour in a day if you really wanted to. Barcelona is the contrary, you can tour it all day and still be missing many other touristic parts. We were overwhelmed by the number of tours offered online, some were long, around three to four hours, others short. Some were walking tours, and others were bus tours. Some, if not all, were very pricey and after reading some reviews we realized maybe we were better off just taking a city stroll by ourselves and using tools like Trip Advisor, and Google Maps. Luckily for us, the wonderful Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona was very thoughtful and invited us on a walking tour of the city called „BCN>2000 years“. We were beyond excited and relieved that we got some help, and the experience of seeing the city in a different way.

We agreed to meet at Plaça Catalunya, and lucky for us, it was only a fifteen-minute walk from our hostel. We were a little worried because all the previous days that we were in Barcelona the weather had not been the best. It had been raining and really cold, which we were not prepared for. Back in Lithuania, the weather was ranging from minus two to five degrees Celsius, and when we checked the weather for Spain during the mobility week, we noticed that it was going to be sunny and around ten to twelve degrees Celsius. Anyhow, the day of the walking tour we had nice weather, no rain, it was just a little cloudy. We left the hostel thirty minutes before the tour started, but to our surprise we got lost in the way, took a few wrong turns, and well it made us run a bit late. We were so worried that the tour was going to start without us, luckily, we had a group chat and we could let everyone know -we kind of knew we were not going to be the only ones. Thankfully, we were the first ones to arrive, and we had some time to talk to the tour guides and get to know them while the others arrived. Since we were a big group, we were split in two and we got assigned to Maria, the awesome tour guide who spoke five languages and was born and raised in Barcelona. From the very start of the tour, she made it really interactive and fun for us. She made us introduce ourselves, showed interest in our answers -which it is worth mentioning, not a lot of tour guides or lecturers do-, and explained to us the dynamics of her tour. She gave us all earphones and a mini radio which were really useful because I think it would have been impossible to hear her in such a busy city.

Continuing with the interactive aspect of the tour, the main focus of it was to show us some of Barcelona's many facets and try to squeeze twothousand years of history in a two hour tour showing us places that were within walking distance to each other. Let's be honest, some history teachers and tour guides can be boring, filling the space with dates only that eventually we are going to forget - not Maria.

See, she was different, excited, eloquent, passionate about history and she connected with us in that sense. She told us about Barcelona’s history with such ease, as if she was singing a lullaby to a baby. It was fun, it was a theatrical experience. She sat us at the stairs of museum plaza and told us the story about the building, the reason behind Barcelona's name, the political context behind Spain and Catalunya and it was all very clear and fun to hear. While walking from place to place, Maria also took into consideration recent events and traditions, talked to us about our opinions, and kept us eager to answer her questions. One way she did this was by dividing us into subgroups among us. She would ask questions such as “who likes chocolate?” and three people would raise their hands, she would put them all into a group and ask another question, and repeat the process until we were all in groups. The name of the group in this case was “Chocolate”, and so on and so forth. We answered questions about the previous attraction, kind of like knowledge checks which kept us engaged. This allowed us to also connect and work with other people, not just among us, the four girls that went to Barcelona from Lithuania.

The two hours spent with Maria as our tour guide were enjoyable. We learned not only about the origin of the name of the city, where Romans would stroll and impose their empire, the Santa Inquisicion’s headquarters and their atrocities to society; but also, about more contemporary traditions of Barcelona such as the Pooping Man and Pooping Log. Following the same process from the groups, at the end we had a final quiz at Casa Batllo, at the street where a long time ago, three families fought to earn the title of prettiest house in the city. Here, we were asked to find different depictions of animals on the street. It was very interesting because these elements were hidden in the architecture, and if Maria had not told us about them, we probably would not have known about them. It opened up our eyes to different parts of the city, and we are sure this feature not only applies to Barcelona, but we will use this for our other trips in different cities. Since it was a historical tour mainly, some dates were asked in the final quiz, and we found out that our friend Akvilė is great when it comes to remembering dates. Overall, it was a very enriching, intercultural experience, being surrounded by so much culture, differences, and history. It was a key element to us practicing our communication skills, culture appreciation, and other cultural competences learned in the online part of the module.

By Giovanna, Akvilė, Raminta and Gabrielė