The beginning wasn't easy. Arriving in a new city with few connections felt like stepping into uncharted terrain. But this has never been the challenge for me, as I already study abroad in the U.S. and I have interned in South Asia. Traveling to every part of the world has never been something unfamiliar to me, so the real challenge wasn’t the unfamiliarity—it was realizing that even in an environment designed to make me feel at ease, with English-speaking staff and classmates, I still didn’t quite belong. The university had built a comfort zone, but it wasn’t my comfort zone.
So I did. I reached beyond the campus walls and into the heart of Barcelona—where I met the people who would become my closest friends here. Among them was someone extraordinary: a Chinese-Spaniard who speaks five languages, a true polyglot, whose life was a bridge between cultures. Through her, I saw a world I hadn’t fully understood before. Inspired, I began my own research project, exploring identity and family businesses among multilingual immigrants in Barcelona. I even secured a grant from the university library to support my work.
And sometimes, our identity as "outsiders" is a gift. As international students, we see the world through a unique lens—observing what locals take for granted, questioning norms, and finding beauty in the contrasts.
Has it always been easy? No. This journey hasn’t been one of constant “hedonic happiness” (a term I picked up in my Psychology of Happiness class at the Barcelona SAE School for International Studies—thank you, Professor Nina!). But Barcelona, with its dynamic energy, has given me something far more valuable: the chance to engage deeply with the world, to shape who I am, and to witness my own growth.
So here’s what I’ve learned: be open to change. Let experience and environment mold you into a true global citizen—one who carries fewer biases, richer values, and a heart expanded by the teachings of the wider world.
Yixin Zhang
Yixin is a junior at the University of Michigan, majoring in International Studies with a minor in Environmental Science. She studied abroad with Barcelona SAE in the Spring 2025 semester, taking classes at both the School for International Studies (SIS) and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). Yixin is a museum lover and her favorite band is One Republic.
