How Barcelona happened?

It's kinda funny when people ask me why I chose Spain, why Barcelona. Plot twist, I didn't, it just happened, as I always say ''I didn't choose Barcelona, Barcelona chose me.''

Let me tell you how, just be aware of too many details, sorry not sorry...

End of 2016 a german friend went to Brazil and we met with some of her friends (all germans) and that day I decided to restart my german classes and in the end of 2017 I would go to in Berlin for a month to study german there and practice the accent. I started saving money, but I mean, saving 90% of my incomes, no shopping, no parties, no dinner with friends, the only thing I was doing with the other 10% was paying my german classes. Only my dad and my best friend knew my plan, no one else, I mean, NO ONE.

By march I had already talked with the school, just needed to do the papers which I decided to wait because I had time and wanted to be 1000% sure, had already booked my apartment in Berlin for a month and also an apartment in the south to spend the last week of the year all by myself just relaxing and looking at the landscape of Bavaria covered in snow.

In april talking with one of my teachers at college, I told him what I was planning and he told me our university had an agreement with a college in Ravensburg and for the money I would spend in Berlin during a month, I could spend it there in three months. Of course I applied for that immediately! But then I started looking for colleges in Germany and student visas, as I would have to leave my job and Brazil was in a middle of a huge crises, and I started planning to maybe finish my studies in Germany. But I got no answer of ANY of the universities I sent an email, from 20/25 I got zero replies and here's why... Too early to apply. Anyway, I was still looking forward to go to Berlin or Ravensburg.

Few days later, one of my aunties called me and out of nothing she said ''Why don't you come to live in Spain?'' and I said no immediately, to be really honest, Spain never called my attention, and as my main idea was to learn a new language, coming to Spain would be a ''waste'' for me, as I was already fluent in spanish.

But one day, I got bored at work, and looked for some Tourism Universities and emailed two of them asking some info. Not even a week later, one of them called me and we arranged an interview, I remember to be so nervous, as I've only hear big universities did that and the interview was setup at 7am on Saturday (so cool), I woke up early, put some makeup on to pretend time wasn't an issue and I was up for hours, but deep inside killing myself hahaha.

Interview was good and much easier and different from what I expected, in the end the lady said ''So, I hope we can meet here in the campus in September. Hope you join us''. Can you guys imagine what was going through my mind? I was speechless, but the best was texting my dad to tell it and he replied with two thumbs up, nothing else. Until he calls me few hours later asking me ''How so you were accepted? What does it mean?''.

I had no reaccion for hours, didn't know what to think, what to do or even what to say. So I decided to take some days to think about as we were in May and I should leave to Spain in September. Seriously, everything happened so fast, my plan was to spend a month in Berlin and suddenly I had ''an offer'' to move to Barcelona with one way ticket only, and that scared me af. After a few days I still had no answers from universities in Germany, and for me, not having an answer is already an answer and I decided to go for it and come to Spain, still planning to spend holidays in Germany.

One thing I remember the most is when I was talking with my dad and he asked me if I was sure of what I was doing as I would leave a good job, good university, my family and friends to something completely unknown and would had to face it all alone. And I immediately said that I knew that, but my life there was pretty easy, pretty perfect for my age, and life shouldn't be that easy, if i wanted to grow personally and professionally I would have to make mistakes, fall and stand up again and again, be uncertain about the future. And that was the only way I could be a better person. And after two years and eight months here I can assure you I've never been so right about something in my life.

In mid June I started all the visa process and waited until I had it in my hands to tell everyone else. By then I had 3 weeks until I come and everybody (specially mom and family) wanted to kill me hihi. But I regret nothing!

If there's something I can say to you, if you're planning to leave your city or even your country is that you've no idea how it is until you feel and live it, and everybody has a different experience, for some of us it's worse, for some it's really good, so NEVER compare your experience with someone else. Even if they post super happy and smiling pictures. It doesn't mean anything.

In 2.8 years I met people that destroyed me in a way I never thought it was possible; I thought about giving up and going back home many times; Can't even count how many times I've cried alone in my room, in the bathroom or even in the street; I've been judge by people who said it was easy and I shouldn't complain about anything as I was living in Europe; I lost shit lots of money; I made mistakes but I also learned with them; I traveled a lot and wanna keep traveling as much as I can; I stood up to try again and again a lot of times; I made friends that they mean everything for me and I can't spend a day without talking to them; I tried new food, things I hated before I'm eating now; but the most important of all, I got to know me much better all the good and bad on me, learned to be patience, to have faith when everything goes wrong, to control my anxiety (still in the process, but I'm getting better).

It's not always easy, there's a lot of ups and downs but now I'm happy to say that Spain and Barcelona are home for me, I love the food, the cities I've been, the culture, everything. Now it's always hard for me to leave and I start to get really stressed when I'm more than 5 days away. It's crazy!

Let me know if you like this post.

See ya!