CAPA WORLD

Maya Crawford is an official CAPA blogger for fall 2018, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Business Administration major at  University of Massachusetts Lowell, she is studying abroad in Barcelona this semester.

In this week's post, Maya talks about the study abroad accommodation she shares with her housemates this semester.

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CAPA has provided me and four other ladies a cute little apartment a few metro stops from Catalunya, the center of Barcelona. Our apartment is a 10-minute walk from the metro, which we are able to ride for free with the train passes we were provided! Our neighborhood has so much to offer, which was unexpected since it is away from the center of the city. We have many small cafes that are in close walking distance from where we live, where we can get sandwiches, baked goods, desserts, and tapas which are basically appetizers and are very popular in Spain.

The view from our living room window.

There are a bunch of little parks and sitting areas where you can sit and read, or just take in the scenery. We also have a huge shopping mall right up the street from our apartment. It is much like the malls we have at home, just with cool European fashion stores, some stores we recognize from America, and LOTS of gelato. There are also over four grocery stores on the street we live on alone. There is really so much in our neighborhood, which makes it extremely hard to get bored here!

This is my bedroom. I was lucky enough to get a single room!

Our apartment is so cute and has everything we need. I live with four other ladies and we have four bedrooms, so three of us have single rooms and two of my housemates are roommates. We have a pretty big living room that came equipped with a dining room table, a couch, a TV, some lounge chairs, and huge windows with a view of the courtyard next to our apartment.

Our living room!

We have a full kitchen that came with all the cooking and eating supplies we would need. The kitchen connects to our balcony, where our cleaning supplies, washing machine, and clothesline are located. That’s right, clothesline! Dryer machines are not common in Spain so we have to hang everything to dry! We also have two bathrooms, which is perfect for a house with so many ladies, WiFi that spreads to the entire house, air conditioning, and a map of all the fun things to do in the city our RD left for us in the living room.

Now I am going to introduce you to my housemates. They agreed to do a mini interview for this blog post!

My housemates!
Back row left to right: Ania, Sofia, and me.
Front row left to right: Amaia and Sava

First there is Ania, a 20-year-old junior from UMass Amherst. She says, “I chose Barcelona because of its history, culture, and also because the greatest player ever plays for Barcelona F.C (Lionel Messi). My favorite part has been trying new foods and the Dali Museum.”

Next there is Sofia, a 21-year-old junior from The New School in New York City. She says, “I chose Barcelona because my father is from Spain, and I wanted to experience Spanish culture to the fullest! My favorite moment was us all going to the Dali Museum together.”

Next there is Amaia, a 20-year-old junior from Emerson College in Boston. She says, “I chose to study here because I love Spain and Spanish culture, and I loved Barcelona when I visited. My favorite moment so far has been going to Sitges beach.”

Lastly, there is Sava, a 20-year-old junior from Arizona State University. She shares, “I chose to study in Barcelona because I’ve always been really fascinated with the history of the city and the culture in the art and architecture! I also wanted to improve my Spanish a lot. My favorite moment so far was exploring Girona! And also the fact that you can travel anywhere easily.”

Thanks, Maya!

Maya's journey continues every Thursday so stay tuned.