I always dreamed of living in Barcelona, and being an architecture student, there was no better city to have this experience. I was hesitating at first, when applying to the Connect-123 program, I was afraid to believe in it too much, to get my hopes up. Even after everything was set, I still didn’t believe it was actually happening…And then, I was here! Here in Barcelona living the life I always dreamed of, and it turned out to be the best decision I have ever made! For me, this was not just an internship program, it was a life experience. I had to grow on so many levels and i can already tell that now, I’m a changed person. The architecture internship was better than I expected, I was working with a team of passionate people (small office, big projects & even bigger minds), I had the chance to experiment, to design, and I was trusted and given big tasks from the get go. Not speaking Catalan or Spanish made it harder for me to fit in within the social context of the office, it was challenging, but I managed to bond with every single one of my colleagues….and that was the hard part, realizing how much of an impact the people around you have on the quality of your experience. I was out of my comfort zone in every possible way, and I managed to adapt. Throughout my stay in Barcelona, I was in contact with the Connect-123 office, I met some of them, they introduced me to other interns and made me feel like I was genuinely cared about. At the end, looking back at this experience, I can say that I truly LIVED in Barcelona, I walked every street, met so many people from all from so many places, worked till my eyes shut closed, danced till my feet hurt, sang at every corner, laughed and cried my heart out…it was one of the most intense periods of my life, I loved every second of it, and I will do it again in a heartbeat!