Going to CEA CAPA and studying abroad in Barcelona was something that really enhanced my experience abroad and is something I will cherish forever. Two topics I want to touch on in this blog include requesting accommodations for my classes abroad as well as the courses I was enrolled in during my time here.  

Accommodations  

  As a student who receives accommodation at my home university in Tulane, it was definitely something I was apprehensive about before going abroad and not knowing if the school would approve them. Initially, CEA CAPA staff members were super easy to work with to approve my accommodations and made it a seamless process where I forwarded my approved Tulane accommodations to CEA CAPA then filled out a form indicating what I received and waited for approval.  

In addition, the staff on site was right at my disposal when I needed to reach out to them to coordinate exams with them. On the other hand, at Tulane I would have needed to go through paperwork, meet with a supervisor to review my applications to then see if they would grant any of my accommodations. They were super approachable and accommodating to meet my needs for my exams, which I greatly appreciated. 

Best memories in Budapest 

Courses 

Next, the plethora of courses offered in various disciplines at CEA CAPA was something nice to take advantage of. As a communications major at Tulane that still needed to get some communications classes out of the way while I was abroad it was a relief to know that they were pre-approved. I found my Communications and Global Competence class to be very eye opening as it gave me the opportunity to learn about a multitude of other countries' cultures, their norms and what is acceptable and unacceptable there.  

It also gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in the culture of Barcelona and to go out on field trips in my own time, which is something I would never have done without taking the class. This class made me feel more comfortable to have conversations with natives of Spain, especially when I had to speak in Spanish to order coffee at a cafe.  

Sightseeing in Paris 

In addition, my Food and Culture class strengthened my knowledge of food and drinks in Spain. I enjoyed learning about the origins of the Mediterranean diet and how it was a very prevalent diet that was followed in Spain for a more sustainable and healthier lifestyle among individuals. I found it fascinating to learn that almost half of the wine made is manufactured in the country of Spain. Lastly, it was fun to be able to go on class field trips to the markets to learn about different kinds of food and their significance during this course.  

My sports marketing course that I decided to take for elective credit was a favorite of mine. It furthered my knowledge about sports and the soccer league in Spain and about how the system works. It also piqued my interest to analyze how American sports differ from European sports in terms of a draft system and salary caps. This class was something that made me like sports more as I chose to keep up with it more, especially with my state’s basketball team that I follow frequently.  

Madrid for the weekend 

My classes instilled a new joy of learning as I am able to talk about these exciting facts that I learned and apply the sports knowledge to America as we focused on it. 

Lastly, my Social Media: Digital Identity and the Virtual Community was the last class I enrolled in. I found it very interesting and the course to be very relevant to the world we live in now and the material is very relevant to the material I have learned since being back at Tulane. I liked learning about how big data and Artificial Intelligence are impacting individuals' lives as they are both ever changing and will continue to play a major role in the future and take away jobs.  

Monaco and more 

Being in a Sorority 

In addition, I am also a member of Sigma Delta Tau sorority at Tulane. While it was strange to not participate in frequent sorority events or go to social events with my other sorority sisters, it was an amazing experience to be able to travel the world for the semester. In addition to not going to frequent events, it was no problem to go about the process of telling my sorority I was abroad as I just needed to fill out a google form and pay a fee for being abroad. It was also nice to not worry about accumulating points to be able to go to my formal at the end. 

Accommodation Setup  

Since many of my classes were project heavy, I would only utilize my accommodations when it came time for midterms and finals. A few weeks before, I would reach out to the accommodations center and notify them of the date and time of an exam for my classes. They would then email me back asking me to come into their office. During this time, I met with the head guy who handles accommodations where I would have a set schedule of the day and time that I would be taking the exam.  

No complaints 

On testing days, I would go into their office, and they would guide me to a private room setting to take the test. They would be available to answer any questions as well as teachers there since I would most often try to take it while the rest of my class was taking it. Lastly, I would check in with them when I was finished and left their office making it very efficient. 

Closing  

In addition to all these topics, studying abroad was a time where I was able to mature, rely on myself more and become more independent than I was previously. This was an ever-changing experience for me, and I would highly recommend it for others to get out of their comfort zone as it truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity to take advantage of.