Alex Karcher

What was your favorite place to eat in Barcelona? Favorite food?

My favorite place to eat was anywhere that made tortilla con patatas and croquettas. Those have become my favorite thing to eat here because they taste so good and are good almost anytime of the day. I can’t wait to try and make the tortilla at home for my family to try!

What was your favorite tour, day trip, or cultural activity? Why?

My favorite trip was Morocco…and I’m sure a lot of my fellow students probably felt the same way. While it was such a culture shock for me, it was also an amazing experience. I have never appreciated being an American citizen and being able to have an American passport more. Being in what’s considered a developing third-world country truly makes you look at your life in a different way. I have a better understanding of their culture and their way of life, and how they might not be able to do everything I’ve been fortunate to do…but they are happy. Kids are running around with no phones and live in homes with no electricity but are happier than the kids I see here who are extremely privileged with no realization of it. The community is full of the most generous and welcoming people I’ve ever met, and the people I met and experiences I had in Morocco are ones I will never forget.

Is there a site in Barcelona that you would recommend to future students that may be a little more “off the beaten path”?

If any future students want a nice relaxing place to go then this chai tea place – it’s PERFECT! It is called Caj Chai and it is in the Jewish Quarter. It’s not totally “off the beaten path”, but there have never been many people there when I’ve gone.

If you had one perfect day in Barcelona where would you go, and what would you do?

I would probably go to a Barcelona soccer game, ideally for a big game like FC Barça vs. Real Madrid. That was one of the best nights I had while I was here. It was so cool to see people of all ethnicities joined together for the love of one sport. It was also really cool to see all the Catalan pride people had for this sport.

Then, maybe I’d go to the beach when it’s warm – since I studied abroad in the spring and it wasn’t quite warm enough.

Why was Barcelona SAE the right program for you?

Barcelona SAE was a really good program for me because it was the perfect length. Other programs last 4 or more months, and although I would love to stay longer, I was glad to be returning home as 3 months was a good time without getting too homesick. 

Another reason that I loved my experience with Barcelona SAE is because the classes were really fun and I liked attending them. I learned a lot, but at the same time, got to see the city from a historical point of view. I liked all the field studies we went on, and it really made classes more bearable. The staff was really organized with our day trips and weekend trips too. We were able to do a lot of cool things that I probably wouldn’t have done or gone to by myself, like Pais Vasco.