Maren's Abroadventures

Welcome Back to Maren's Abroadventures!          This week, I wanted to tell you about what the people of Barcelona will be celebrating this weekend, and just as a hint, it is not Halloween like in the United States. November 1st is when All Saints' Day will be celebrated in Barcelona, but sometimes they even celebrate on October 31st as well to combine two holidays as "Castaween."         What does this mean? This means that this weekend, as we enter the month of November, there will be celebrations marking the beginning of the fall season and the chestnut harvest. Chestnuts were a main source of  food in the winter months long ago, as they were easy to store and provided the nutrients people were looking for. T he tradition of eating chestnuts is even connected to the practice of keeping vigil for the dead during All Saints’ Night.            Sometimes on this holiday, boys and girls wi...

 Welcome Back to Maren's Abroadventures!          This week, I would like to introduce you to one of my friends from my university in Barcelona, Judith. I met her through the Buddy Program offered when enrolling in CETT Tourism, Hospitality & Gastronomy University. This program offers locals and study abroad students to get to know each other while attending free excursions throughout the semester together . Even when we aren't on the planned group trips together, Judith and I always make time to talk. Whether it is through text or her helping me during class, we continuously try to make the most of our time in the four months I am studying at CETT. We even took the opportunity to try one of the student-run restaurants on campus together, and if it wasn't for her, I would have had no idea where it was in the building. Our lunch included four courses, which included bread, pasta, chicken with salad, and a pastry for des...

  Welcome Back to Maren's Abroadventures! This week is all about how to save money on your study abroad trip, since you may be surprised by how much you spend so quickly. Time really does fly by when you're having fun! Metro Card           To make your Metro experience as easy as possible, it is handy to get the unlimited one-month MetroCard when you first arrive. This gives you more time to relax and plan when you will go to an in-person appointment to get your unlimited three-month card. The smartest way to do this is to plan on getting your three-month card right after you have less than three months left. For example, after arriving on September 1st, I obtained my one-month unlimited card. Then, I made sure to get my three-month card at the end of September, before my one-month card expired. This way, you will avoid having your card declined and won't have to worry about it again. Free Sites         As Jameson has previously men...

  Welcome Back to this Weeks Blog! CETT Tourism, Hospitality & Gastronomy University         This week, I will be discussing what it is like being an international student studying at the CETT Tourism, Hospitality & Gastronomy University in Barcelona. I find that studying abroad here is such a unique experience since it is catered to my specific major, and I am surrounded by like-minded people in each of my classes. While everyone in my classes is from all around the world, it really puts into perspective how Hospitality and Tourism are affected, no matter where you are in the world, and it is an important topic to so many others as well. CETT Entrance While the university is around a 30-minute commute from my apartment, it has actually helped me navigate the metros more efficiently, especially since I have to transfer metros from L5 to L3 every morning on my way there. Thankfully, the university is located right outside of the L3 "Mundet" stop, which ma...