My phone was stolen out of my hands

It was clear to me that I felt like I was in survival mode. Not that I haven’t been enjoying my time here. But more in the sense that I kept running into inconveniences.

Situations that I had to overcome and instances that were a wake up call on how I needed to act during my time here. The night where my phone was stolen out of my hands by a pickpocketer, while I was stumbling drunk and alone in the streets of Barcelona while it was pouring rain outside, was a wake-up call. That I couldn’t drink like that during my time here anymore. Or even for my foreseeable future, drinking until you can’t drink anymore doesn’t do anyone good or serve any purpose. It causes more problems than anything. Although its fun, but that’s missing the point.

I say survival mode because I needed to make do with what I had, in a country 6,000 miles from home, with a different language, where I’m not even a citizen. And the inconveniences I ran into were far from few. Simple things like having a smoker roommate or not having a desk where I can do schoolwork are very trivial problems but still inconveniences if I’m being honest. So, I had to adapt to this new life.

That was different from Canada. Before I embarked on my Spanish adventure, I felt very lethargic about my life at the time. Very unmotivated and only thinking about my trip. And being here, I can’t afford to be lethargic. You need get shit done. You do what needs to be done, not because you want to but because you have to, in order to keep moving forward.

It's a very freeing city, Barcelona. Life moves fast and people are welcoming even if you don’t speak the language. You can move through the city silently or loudly, and no one will bat an eye. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people and made new friendships even during the short time that I’ve been here. And my journey is far from over.

Whatever your dreams are, there will always be speed bumps. Success and happiness are measured by the obstacles we overcome in the face of adversity.

And so, we move. We keep moving. Always.