The Home Stretch Abroad

If there’s one piece of advice I have to give to students wanting to go abroad, it has to be do not get sick. Obviously, this is a bit inevitable. However, taking care of yourself abroad is so important and so easily forgotten about!

I was extremely excited to go to Germany this past weekend for a music festival. The plane tickets and trains were booked. Of course, I ended up getting really sick and having to go to the hospital. Traveling every weekend and doing activities on half energy for four months straight isn’t really realistic, yet everyone does it. It definitely caught up to me all at once and actually made me miss a trip I was looking forward to the most.

Abroad is really all about traveling and experiencing new people and cultures. People think that building in a break is a waste of time, but I promise it makes the experience so much better! Spring break is around the corner for us and we have started dipping into work for final presentations. Everything is always coming at you at once here for sure. It’s all supposed to be good fun and learning experiences, but it can become exhausting at times. Having gratitude for the experience helps, but even a strong mind can’t always save a tired body.

There are so many cool gyms and workout classes to take in Barcelona. I highly recommend two of them out of the dozens!

HOTCORE

The classes get up to 35 degrees celsius with a chill room just in case. The classes are all mat workouts with groups and always such fun upbeat music. They have free weights, bands, and ankle weights to work with. Definitely a bit more expensive but so worth trying out for sculpt and cardio classes.

HOTCORE Studio

Viva Gym

Such a cool option for students especially. They have many locations and the cheapest price I have found so far at €35 per month. That includes vitamin water, full gym, pilates, cycle, yoga, cardio, dance, and many more classes with the membership. Open late and super easy to sign up.

Viva Gym!

Along with physical health, staying connected to people at home has really helped with the homesickness that sometimes comes up. Calling family and friends to work around the time difference is easier than you think. Connecting to people around you is even more important. I love to safely solo new locations and food spots, but ultimately feel the happiest surrounded by people at simply school. Knowing you’re in the same boat is really comforting towards the end. Everyone is starting to book their flights home and plan their last-minute weekends. Don’t wait to start journaling to remember your experiences and take them home with you!