![\"Jocelin](\"http:\/\/blogs.butler.edu\/studyabroad\/files\/2023\/05\/Jocelin-Diaz3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nMy first mistake when it came to study abroad (and you will make plenty of them but that\u2019s totally okay!!) was thinking that I would be a changed person the first day I got to Barcelona, Spain. To give a bit of background on <\/span>the type of person I am: I am a super chilled, laid-back individual who is also very reserved and shy, with a hint of anxiety. Also, I have never been out of the country before. So with no major travel experience, I told myself I was going to make up for never having the opportunity to do so in my life before. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As soon as I arrived in Barcelona, I was Now this all sounds amazing, and it 100% was! I gained experiences like I never had in my life and will cherish forever. But the one problem with all of this is that I did not give myself the time to relax. My time in Barcelona is short, only 3 months. But I saw that short time as \u201cThere is no time to relax and take these moments for granted, so go wild!\u201d When I look at that statement now, that is so not true! There were nights (even while I was traveling) where I would be so stressed about so many different things at the same time. Most of the time it would be things like I have homework, my internship, making flights on time, my money situation, homesickness, etc. To make things worst, I was barely getting any sleep.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What I realized during that time was that it is totally okay to combine relaxation and exploring the country of Europe. It may not be easy 100% of the time, but it will definitely make it easier to give myself a good nights rest with a movie day every once in a while.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now that my time is almost up here <\/span> My advice \u2013 surround yourself with your support system of friends, TAKE TIME TO RELAX, and explore.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written by: Jocelin Diaz\u00a0 |\u00a0 Spring 2023 IFSA Study in Barcelona Plus My first mistake when it came to study abroad (and you will make plenty of them but that\u2019s totally okay!!) was thinking that I would be a changed … Continue reading <\/a>very much in that honeymoon stage. I explored everyday, I went out at nights, and I met so many different people. And then after the first week I began to travel all over Europe. The first month involved trips every weekend: weekend trip to Madrid, weekend trip to Switzerland, then Sevilla. Then following these weekend trips, friends began to visit from other parts of Europe and even America for days at a time (and let me tell you, hosting can be tiring, even if it isn\u2019t your friend visiting!). While in the midst of this all, I still had school (with exams around the corner).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>Finally the day hit me that I needed to chill out and take a break. And this happened because my boyfriend had visited for a week and he left to go home. Seems typical \u2013 your boyfriend visits and he goes home. But for some reason that really hit me like a rock. My homesickness HIT. I never gave myself time to relax and register that I was not home anymore or time to miss anyone. I was always go go go. But as soon as I let those feelings in (a month and half later), it was harder to push them away. I think I stayed in my apartment (obviously went to class but did not do much other than that) for almost a week after that. My relaxation that I was supposed to be giving myself\u00a0time for in the beginning was catching up to me now in a not-so-healthy way.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a>in Barcelona, I would not change a thing. After my little upset halfway through my study abroad experience, I was able to pick myself up and even spend a week in Paris, France. And since then, I have been spending my last couple weeks in the beautiful city of Barcelona. Everything that has happened, has led me to here, and again, I would not change a thing. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n