Find out what our amazing Summer Staff Member has to say about her past summer experience in Barcelona!
When you were a counselor in Barcelona, what were some of the coolest parts to the program and top experiences you got to share with the students?
It’s hard to just choose one! The places that we visited were all amazing, but the most special thing was being able to connect with the students throughout the weeks. When they first arrived, they were all just faces, but when the weeks past and we connected with them and seeing them excited about the different activities and then going to the French Riviera, it was so special seeing them and sharing those unique experiences with them knowing that in the beginning we didn’t know them at all. Visiting those places and hearing them saying to you, “Oh you’re so sweet, your such a good counselor, thank you for listening to me.” So building this relationship with them was the best thing for me!
The top thing most of our staff say is building these amazing and meaningful relationships.
Yes, I was also really excited to see all the places, but I really didn’t expect being able to form such close relationships and confidence in three weeks. It’s so quick and happens so fast and at the same time you feel you lived a lifetime!
Can you share what are some of the activities that you guys do during the program?
In Barcelona, in the morning we have the electives, they can be Spanish courses, business courses, photography courses, cooking which the kids loved. Then in the afternoon, we visit the most popular places in Barcelona visiting the Sagrada Familia and Casa Battlo. We lived near Las Ramblas in the hotel so it was really easy to access everything. A lot of museums too, and actually one weekend we did Monserrat and Sitges, and the other weekend we did the French Riviera. We basically went to every touristic place in Barcelona which was really fun. We offer several activity options for all the kids, they can have the opportunity to choose what they want to do that day. The kids would say oh no the options are so hard to pick from because all of the options were all so good.
What would you say is the number 1 activity or adventure that the kids really loved?
They all really loved the beach. Every time the beach was offered, they were always really excited about that and also shopping! Because in Barcelona, there is a huge street with all the stores which is really cool and it’s not a mall and it’s close to the hotel. It’s fun for them because it’s different than the US. I think that was the most requested activity actually.
Is there anything that you would like to share for someone who is on the fence about joining the Barcelona program for next summer that you could give some insight to?
Barcelona is a program where kids really enjoy because some of them know a little bit of Spanish and the vibe of Barcelona is really nice for them and the weather is really nice. The electives are really fun! The food, they really enjoyed a lot like paella, pasta, tapas, and Barcelona has many things to do depending on what you like so it makes a great time for everyone. You can go to the center where its more busy and you can go to places that are more calm like some spots of the beach. There’s a lot of restaurants that are really good. I feel that Barcelona has a lot of things to offer based on your likings.
That wraps up our instagram live!
Watch here: ACA’s IG Live with Silvia
