One month in BCN

Today marks a full month in Barcelona - hard to believe, as it seems like we just got here yesterday.
The experience here is always new and exciting. Everyday, I learn something new about the city and its history. The same follows for my personal experience. I came here excited and eager to see new things. Now, while I am the same person in some ways, my experience has been broadened by the spontaneous as well as by things I expected. I'm learning to embrace the differences. Something as simple as a trip to the grocery store here in Spain has a more profound impact than life in the United States provides. The nature of pedestrian life provides time for a person to be introspective - focusing on the intimate interaction of feet with the ground - as opposed to the fast-paced, immediate-gratification nature of everything I've become accustomed to at home. I only hope I can maintain the habits and lifestyle I'm experiencing here when I return to Clemson.
I'm also surprised by the multitude of paradoxes in the city; from the juxtaposition of the natural and built environment within the city to that of of the city blocks and the variety of experiences within these spaces. Each time I'm confronted by these I continue to find something new and exciting. I only hope I can utilize these experiences to my advantage in my transformation as a person.