Visiting Spain was truly one of the most amazing and life changing experiences of my life in so many different ways. I have been in school for the last 18 years of my life and in that time it has never been something "for me" sitting in a classroom and listening to lectures, writing papers, and reading has never been something that I enjoy; for my entire life I thought that this meant that I didn't enjoy learning. Turns out, I have been learning in all the wrong ways. I learned more during a week in Spain than I ever have by sitting in a classroom (no offence to all of the wonderful teachers/professors I have had throughout the years.) Not only was I able to learn so much about architecture, history, and different aspects of design like sustainability and resiliency, I also learned so much about myself and I enjoyed every second of it.

Every day and every new site held a new adventure with something truly amazing to be seen. All of the different locations we saw was amazing and different from the last; there was so much to be seen and so much to be inspired by. 

One of my favorite aspects of this trip was being able to see and experience sites and pieces that we had studied in different classes. Although these things interested me prior to our trip, seeing them personally gave me a whole new perspective and appreciation of them. 

As a designer, particularly one with a commitment to sustainability, seeing all of Gaudi's work was absolutely incredible. Antonio Gaudi was such an amazing architect and designer, using completely different ideals, inspiration, strategies, and innovations that we had not seen before him; Gaudi had such an impact in architecture and design and seeing his work in person was both mind blowing and entirely inspirational. 

Overall, the trip was a huge success and a major learning experience that will have a huge impact on me, not only as a designer but also as a person.