An American Student Studying in Spain Loves the Relaxed Culture

• Kelsey Frampton, a business student, moved to Barcelona in September to do an exchange program.
• She takes her classes in English, but she’s trying to learn more Spanish.
• She says she enjoys a slower pace of life and afternoon siestas.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kelsey Frampton, a 21-year-old business student from Fresno, California, who’s studying in Barcelona. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

I’m in my senior year at California State University. In early September, I began studying at La Salle Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, Spain, on a five-month exchange program as part of my business-management degree.

I decided to study abroad because I really wanted to travel and experience living in another country for an extended period of time.

I have four sisters and two brothers — I’m the fifth in order. At first I really enjoyed my new environment, but recently I’ve been missing my family. One of my sisters had a baby two weeks ago, and my other sister is due within the next two weeks.

I can admit I’ve daydreamed about returning home, but I remind myself to live in the present and enjoy this opportunity.

I picked Spain because it was the cheapest option

When I decided I wanted to study abroad, I looked at Spain, Australia, and Germany. Spain was the most affordable and has warm weather at this time.

Student housing was full, so I had to choose my own place to live. I landed on the neighborhood of El Raval, which is probably one of the most dangerous parts of Barcelona. But “dangerous” is relative, as here that usually just means pickpockets and robbery. Compared to the US, I feel safer.

I haven’t experienced crime in El Raval, but my roommate’s phone was stolen near Barceloneta, a beach in Barcelona.

During the day I feel safe; there are always police patrolling the streets, and most people keep to themselves. I feel a bit less safe here after midnight — but being out late is also very common in Barcelona, because people don’t usually eat until 8 or 9 p.m.

I’ve found myself staying out a lot later than usual. The nightlife is addictive, especially when out with friends. We go to bars, drink wine on the beach, and walk Barcelona’s streets while watching performers.

So far I’ve enjoyed waking up later and spending a lot of time with my friends

In California, people I know wake up at 5:30 a.m. to start the hustle. In Spain, working life is so much more chill. In the afternoons, some Spaniards take a siesta, which is a break or a nap in the middle of the day, although it’s becoming less common.

My day-to-day looks like waking up around 11 a.m. because I was up late the night before, getting coffee and croissants with my roommates, and then going to class.

I hang out with my German and Dutch friends in between classes and then meet up with my roommates again for dinner, followed by a night of partying or sometimes a quiet night in watching one of our favorite films, “Shrek.”

I’ve also been able to travel on the weekends. Last weekend I went to Madrid. I hope to get to Blanes, Tossa de Mar, and Costa Brava before my program is over.

I didn’t speak Spanish before coming here

I took one semester of Spanish in high school, but it wasn’t enough. I’m learning as I go here, and I’m taking a Spanish course. My other classes are in English.

I’m finding it challenging, but one of my roommates is learning fast. Throughout our days she’ll say things in Spanish and I’ll try to respond, though most of the time I’m clueless to what she’s saying.

It’s very common for Europeans to speak English, though not so much for older people. Sometimes trying to get help from them in places like stores can be a challenge.

I use the SpanishDictionary.com app on my phone. When I’m planning to speak to someone, I’ll type a phrase in the translator with my earbuds in an attempt to recreate it after hearing the pronunciation.

I miss some conveniences of life in America

I miss little things about life at home, like being able to go to a store such as Target and pick up pharmacy items, groceries, and so on, all in one place. Here you can’t just go to one store for everything, so running errands can take a lot longer.

I also miss being able to get filtered water for free in places like my campus in California. Many people here just buy bottled water in jugs and carry it home. This was a bit of a culture shock for me, and I’m not drinking as much water as I used to.

I’m eating well — and cheaply

In California I ate a lot of In-N-Out Burger because I work there. I also ate a lot of classic broke-college-student meals like macaroni and cheese and ramen noodles.

Here I drink a lot of coffee, which I rarely drank back home. I also eat a lot of fresh baguettes, pasta, cheese, and salami. The food is much more affordable here compared to the US.

I had a nice moment with a neighbor in my building that made me feel at home

My neighbor and I have only had one conversation, but we saw each other in passing one day, and he asked me to help look after his dog.

Because we share a hallway, we decided to keep both of our doors open so the dog is able to wander back and forth between our apartments.

That kind of laid-back attitude is a big part of what I’ve loved about living here.

I want to study abroad again after this

My exchange program finishes at the end of January, and I’ll return home to California to save some more money. I’m excited to go home and meet my niece and nephew.

I’m interested in doing a master’s degree, and I’d love to do more traveling.

It’s not so common to study abroad where I’m from, but now that I’ve experienced it, I want more. I could see myself returning to Spain, but equally trying out living somewhere else.