I would say the transition has been seamless except for travel related problems. Despite being here for a week and a couple days, it feels as if I have been living here for months. Apart from arrival issues, the only hard thing has been trying to understand Catalon which differs from Spanish, but this was anticipated. Because of delayed flights, I arrived 12 hours late in Barcelona at 2am and missed the group pickup at the airport. It may sound weird but I l feel as if arriving in the night postponed my realization that I am in Europe, even though it was my first time here. I feel as if I did not get that initial feeling when arriving because at that point, I was tired from the delayed flights and uncertainty when talking to airline representatives. Also, my checked bag was left in London which made adjusting slightly hard at first but luckily my fellow volunteers were kind enough to share items with me.
On my first day here, all the new volunteers in my program did a guided tour of the La Ramblas and a part of the El Raval area. After my first day, I officially began volunteering at my placement which is at a home in the Vallcarca area of Barcelona that caters to migrant boys from the ages of 18-25. The organization behind this is BarcelonActua. The home serves as a source of shelter and cultural integration learning. The ‘chicos’ (as they are affectionately called) may sign up to take language classes depending on which volunteer is present at the home. For example, since I speak English, I can offer English lessons (in return I have been able to practice my Spanish, so it serves as a cultural exchange). Most of the boys are from Morocco therefore Arabic is a common language in the house. Many are from West and Central Africa. Most days, I arrive at 12:00pm and leave at around 3:30. The chicos and some volunteers will prepare lunch together and during this, we all play our favorite music, talk more about our respective cultures and share recipes. I was told that often, migrants, especially those form Morocco are often stereotyped so it is good to have moments when they can proudly talk about their cultures with others without feeling judged. Other times, we all play games together, (I learnt a Spanish card game called Brisca).
Aside from my placement, Barcelona has so far been an incredible experience that I will always cherish. Aside from the fact that it is my first time in Europe, I was surrounded by amazing people in my program from all over the world. I had a special experience of being present at the Día de Sant Joan festival on June 23 which celebrates the start of summer. That night, people flocked to the beach, and watched fireworks, played music and spent time with friends. One thing that I appreciate about Barcelona is that there are a lot of public squares designed for people to socialize with one another. At 7am or 11pm, there will be people sitting in the squares eating, playing football or just socializing.
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