Learning Beyond Borders: The Buddy Program

• #Buddy Program
• #International Relations

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This academic year was my second year participating in the Buddy Program, and I would do it a third time if I had the chance.

This year, I had the pleasure of meeting my buddy Aanya, a 20-year-old British-Indian girl from Dorset eager to explore every corner of this enormous world. I’m not going to lie, the first time we met for coffee, her British accent was a bit hard to catch, but I eventually got used to it.

What I truly love about the friendship Aanya and I have built is not only how well we get along or how much we laugh together, but how much we continue to learn from one another.

In Spain, we don’t usually study Indian history in much depth, so hearing about the events and experiences that shaped India is always captivating. Realising how different two cultures can be is both surprising and fascinating for both of us.

I believe the main purpose of the Buddy Program is to make incoming international students feel supported and comfortable in the new country they will be living in.

However, for some of us, it becomes much more than that. Of course, I’ve helped Aanya with university-related matters and cultural doubts, but I did so not just because I was her buddy; I did it because we became friends. And that is what I value most about this program: it provides an easy, natural way to meet people from all over the world and build genuine connections.

Luckily, Aanya is staying for the rest of the year, which means we still have many hikes, nights out, and coffee afternoons ahead of us. But at the same time, I’ve also met amazing people from Italy, the Czech Republic, and Australia who are already heading back home, and I truly hope they had the best time in Barcelona.

I truly believe that both ESCI-UPF students and exchange students should take a chance on the Buddy Program. Everything that comes with it is an advantage: improving your English, meeting people from different countries, learning about new cultures and languages, and even making friends abroad.

Whenever either of us travels to the other’s country, we already know we’ll be reaching out to each other. If I ever decide to go to England or India, Aanya will definitely be the first person I text. And she also knows that whenever she wants to come back to Barcelona, she’ll always have a place to stay here.

Would you like to join the ESCI-UPF Buddy Program? Fill out this form and do not miss the opportunity to take part in the program’s next year’s edition!