Hi, I’m Deborah Zinn. I’m an FIU International MBA and MS HR Management joint-degree student from Caracas, Venezuela.
I chose FIU for my studies because of its reputation, the diversity in its student body, and the options the graduate school provides. The most important ones for me are the possibility of pursuing a joint degree, learning a foreign language (Mandarin Chinese) and a great summer study abroad program (in Qingdao, China).
Barcelona
On our way to the study abroad program in Qingdao, China, my classmate Monica and I are making a few fun stops. The first part of our travels is Barcelona, Spain. We arrived on May 22nd after over 25 hours of travel time, including transit between flights. We explored the airports in Philadelphia and Munich, Germany before finally arriving in Barcelona.
The architecture is my favorite part of the city. It is remarkably beautiful. The streets are very old but well-preserved and absolutely gorgeous! I can imagine them being exactly like this years and years ago (minus the Gap and McDonald’s, of course!). The city is also, like any big city, a bit overwhelming. Nearly everyone we have met has warned us about pickpockets, robbers, and weird people on the Metro system. We have definitely listened. It’s better to be a bit overprotective of your stuff and not regret ignoring the advice of so many people. Also, our hotel is beautiful and very comfortable but it’s in the middle of a somewhat suspicious area. We have to walk about four blocks to the Metro station. Scary. We did it once today and possibly won’t do it again! Once you arrive at the center of the city, though, all your worries vanish. The city is so alive and bursting with energy that you can’t help but feel the same way.
We had a lovely Spanish dinner of paella (for Monica) and spanish tortilla (egg, potatoes and onions) with grilled veggies on the side (for me) at La Poma. After dinner we walked up and down and all around the bustling street of La Rambla (think Lincoln Road and multiply that energy by one thousand!) where we saw a number of street performers and artists, as well as beautiful historic buildings mixed in with fun shops. All this with (now) 37 hours of no sleep…and on that note, I will now attempt to recuperate some of those lost hours…Good night from Barcelona! 🙂
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