“You only live forever in the lights you make”
– The Kids from Yesterday, My Chemical Romance

If you’re an Island person like me, or if you just love warm weather in general, then being near the beach is the best place to be. Although Fall is not exactly beach season, I went to visit Sitges because everyone told me it was a very pretty place. They were so right.

I loved this welcome sign and its message.

Sitges is around 1-hour away from Barcelona city in Renfe. The station is near the center of the town, so you can walk around without the need of a taxi or public transport. As I headed into the small Sitges paths I was instantly reminiscing my walks around Old San Juan. The buildings, the narrow roads, the sun, everything felt so familiar.



And then, after 8 minutes walking, there it was: the beach. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed the coast until I got there. The sound of the waves, the smell of the salt. There were some people sunbathing and swimming. I honestly don’t know how they weren’t freezing because 70°F degrees is not my kind of warm. But hey, I’m a tropical coquí used to 90°F degrees so let’s not get into temperature matters.





After the infatuation, we headed to Palau Maricel, a beautiful palace and museum. We were planning on visiting but by the time we arrived to the ticket center, there was only one ticket left. The lady offered us the option of visiting Museu del Cau Ferrat instead. So we did.

Tip: Although in the web page it says that you have to reserve your space prior to getting to the museum, when we called we were told the opposite. I recommend getting there about 1 hour prior to the desired entry time to the museum and if it’s high season, around 2 hours. Also, they offer tickets discounts for students. The university ID is enough for them.

Museu del Cau Ferrat

This was the house of Santiago Rusiñol, an important artist from Catalonia. The house has his art collection comprised of paintings, sculptures and ceramics.







Eating at Sitges

After over an hour walking around the house, we headed out to eat. Our desperation to find a place won us over and we ended up eating at a beachfront restaurant. Needless to say, it was average food at a high price.

Tip: There are plenty of restaurants beachfront. While it’s a beautiful view, I recommend to walk into the streets and find a place that is not meant for tourists. The prices are so much better.

Walking around

Palau Maricel 




Parròquia de Sant Bartomeu i Santa Tecla




Since it was around 4 PM, I stopped for a coffee. (What would I do without it?). This time we visited a small place called L'Atelier with better prices and great coffee. This clock and its colorful mosaic was part of my view:



Back to Barcelona

After an afternoon spent in a place so similar to home, I promised myself to go back next summer when the weather allows me to enjoy the beach without wearing a scarf.

Traveling always seems like a fantastic idea. Exploring different places and cultures is life-changing. But when we do so, it is difficult to grasp the real lifestyle of other countries when we spend there 1 or 2 weeks as a tourist. Studying abroad is often the solution for people like me, who want to truly experience what is it like to live and get used to a whole new city, people, food and customs while getting a degree. As students, we have so many benefits in terms of mobility. We are young and free. I couldn’t see myself growing roots in a place at such a young age. I couldn’t see myself getting a career job at 20-something years old. What if a best life was out there and I didn’t get to it because of fear and comfort?

If you’ve followed this blog, you know by now the deepest reason why I decided to study abroad. Probably the thought of studying abroad has also crossed your mind but you’re not sure whether you should do it or not.

During nearly 3 months on this journey, I’ve identified the mindset needed and things to acknowledge to make the most out of this experience:

1. Be humble – have respect towards the country you’ll be living in and its people. You’re the foreigner, you’re the one who must get used to the way things are done there. You can’t have the “we do this better” attitude. Arrogance won’t lead you anywhere. It will only make your stay miserable and reduce your chance of growing.
2. Keep an open mind and be tolerant – these should be obvious. University is a place where you work with people who see things a different way. Group work is often the norm and if you don’t have the disposition of opening your mind, accepting other cultures and points of view, then an abroad experience isn’t for you.
3. Be serious about it and work hard – it would be very foolish to invest money on paperwork, study permits, tuition, rent, food, transport, and airfare only to focus on partying 24/7. There’s a time and a place for everything and I promise that you can have fun without neglecting your studies. Once you enroll in your program, there’s no coming back. Understand that it is a serious decision and not a weekend plan that you can drop off in the last minute. 
4. Be patient – oh, patience, the virtue that we all should have but never actually work on. That, until you move out and discover that the world won’t do as you please, that you have no control over most things. You’ll need to have patience if you don’t want to lose your mind. 
5. Learn to live with others – unless you’re super rich and can afford an apartment only for yourself, chances are you’ll share a dorm with someone else. A person you don’t know. It will be inevitable to give up on some privacy. There will be habits you won’t like and frankly just won’t understand. But it’s part of it. The whole experience will make you more tolerant, but you must be willing to it. 
6. Be emotionally independent – when you make the decision of studying abroad, it is a reality that you’ll most likely be apart from the people you love. You must learn how to deal with it. Your happiness and stability can’t depend completely on others. I won’t lie, it is not easy but the more attached we are to things and people, the less we allow ourselves to grow. Relationships are super important, but it’s just as important as learning how to be comfortable just with ourselves.

So are you up to this? Are you ready? Then start (or continue) saving money, evaluate your options and jump in. You won’t regret it.

Student tip: Entrance is free every day for students with a university ID (the ID provided by the university is enough). We discovered this after nearly 45 minutes on the line so it wasn’t worth it to leave and come back another day. We were already there.