Isabelle from Sweden

Name: Isabelle Åström
Age: 19
City and country of origin: Västerås, Sweden


1.When, where and for how long did you live or have you been living in Barcelona?
I was in barcelona for four months and two weeks.



2.What made you move here?
Life took its unexpected turns, I had a one way ticket to this incredible town in my hand. All of a sudden I was sitting in a flat in the middle of Barcelona, planning to stay. I've always thought that Barcelona is a really cool city, with a lot of chilled out people. So why not?



3.What made you leave / stay?
There are three main reasons why I decided to leave Barclona. The first reason why I left was because I felt that I never landed. I could never really relax when I was in Barcelona, not mentally, even though everything was rolling on so nice and I enjoyed every moment of it.
The second reason was because of all the drugs. I found it extremely annoying to see it everywhere. I actually don't care a lot what people want to do with their bodies or lives. But it was just too mutch. Very trashy.
The third is the simple one, I missed home. I missed my family. I missed my friends. I missed Sweden.



4.What you like the most about Barcelona.
Barcelona is an extremely beautiful city. There is a special happy spirit about Barcelona that makes you just smile, especially in the summer. Summer in Barcelona is great!


5.What you dislike the most about Barcelona.
Well, I dislike how people dare to be so open about drugs. It made me see a very dark side of Barcelona. I know it's a big city and I dont think that there are more or less drugs in Barcelona than in any other big city, but there is no such thing as being sophisticated over there.
One more thing was how things are getting handeled over there, with payments, dates etc. You know, important things, like getting the key to you apartment on time. I felt that I always had to argue to get anything on time, or to get anything to work.
And one more thing! All the disgusting men (not all men of course) that think that they could say or do what they wanted. Never seen so many of them in one town.



6.Name a special place in Barcelona.
A special place, hmm. There are a lot of special places in Barcelona. But now I have to be totally regular and say the beach. That is where I had some of my best and loveliest days.



7.Name one word you would relate to Barcelona.
Oh, one word, thats so hard. For me it has to be "hectic", just because it's simply the first word that came to my mind, and also what I think about life in Barcelona. Totally hectic.
Thats how I see it, from my point of view.