Chattanooga women's soccer player Catherine "Cat" Meyer writes about her experience in Barcelona this summer.

Hola from Barcelona!!
 
I wanted to tell you guys a little bit about my trip and some of the amazing experiences I have been having this summer while half way around the world!!
 
I decided to come to Barcelona, Spain this summer because I am getting to the point in my college career where work experience, cultural intelligence, and individuality are just as important as the general knowledge I've gained from my courses. I wanted to be able to turn the somewhat regular internship experience most college students have into something unique and exciting! I also was really looking forward to experiencing an entirely new culture.
 
While it did come with a few shocks at first, such as dinner at 9:30pm, the cuisine, the metro, air drying my clothes, etc., I have found that Spanish culture is exciting, rich, and rooted in tradition. The people here are generally much more relaxed and everything is slowed down a bit. The one thing I really appreciate is that they take the time to enjoy things here, whether it be taking the entire hour for a lunch break, or enjoying tapas with friends over a span of a couple hours with absolutely no rush! Also, I discovered a deep love for pan con tomate (bread with tomato), which I will most definitely be bringing home with me.
 
While in Barcelona this summer I have been interning for a company called CeleBreak. They are a futbol company (yes, I know, what a perfect fit) that organizes games, leagues, and tournaments for locals and travelers who have a deep love for the game, but just don't know where to play. They have constructed a large, unified futbol community in Barcelona unlike anything I have ever seen before.
 
I am helping in marketing the company as well as managing the women's futbol community, which has allowed me to meet so many cool new people! Because I work for the company, I get to play in any of the games for free, which has been so awesome. I recently played in a mixed tournament for my company team and it was an absolute blast.
 
I really feel like I have rediscovered a deep love for the game over here. The people I play with are from all over the world and speak all different languages, but it doesn't matter because you all have one thing in common: love for the game.
 
Outside of work I have had so many incredible experiences. Barcelona is the kind of city that never runs out of things to see or do. A couple weekends back I got the opportunity to go to the last FC Barcelona game of the season, which also happened to be Andrés Iniesta's last game.
 
First of all, Camp Nou is INSANE. I have never seen a more electric fan base than the FC Barcelona fans. I'm pretty sure I got chills at least 20 times while I was there. Seeing Messi play was an out of body experience. I found myself absolutely mesmerized at some points. They won the game, which just made the whole experience even more incredible.
 
Because it was Iniesta's last game for Barca (which if you don't know, he is an absolute legend), they had a whole ceremony for him after the game with lights and music and speeches and it was one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of.
 
Anyway, I could go on and on about how insane that game was, but I also have had many other incredible experiences while I've been here. Some of my favorite parts have been hiking the beautiful Spanish mountains, taking a Catalan cooking class, and going to some of the most gorgeous beaches! This past weekend I took a short trip to Copenhagen, Denmark. That was a big change of pace! The people in Denmark were extremely kind, their food was AMAZING, and the architecture and boats were a gorgeous backdrop.
 
While this trip has been more than remarkable, there has also been some not so glamorous parts. I have been lost on the metro/train more times than I can count on one hand. I also got a pretty bad cold a few weeks back and the doctors all spoke Spanish only so I had to get an international translator so they could understand me (this failed the first time as I did not get the right medicine and had to go back). And in more recent weeks the constant walking around the city has caused me some foot pain, which I've been having to treat. These set-backs have not gotten me down though! They just make the sweet parts that much sweeter.
 
Overall, I have absolutely loved my experience here so far! I feel so lucky to have been able to have this experience and can't wait to see what comes in the next couple weeks! Thanks for reading! Adios!