Barcelona Buzz: My Unbee-lievable European Adventure!

I was recently given the amazing opportunity to study abroad at the university UAB in Barcelona as part of a UTS global short program. I decided to challenge myself and try something new by studying Beeology- a combination of beekeeping and the biology of bees. With no background in this field, as my core degree is in business, it was undeniably a challenge, for the most part, to understand concepts that once pushed me to drop these types of subjects in high school.

However with perseverance, the will to challenge myself, and hours of studying It became an extremely rewarding and memorable experience which took me outside of my comfort zone and inspired me to take more risks. My marks were able to reflect this.

While I haven’t developed a raging passion for beekeeping, it was fun to learn something new! I met a lot of amazing people along the way whether it be at uni or outside of uni at hostels and bars, it was an experience ill never forget and a story to tell! I would highly recommend everyone to take that risk and try something new, because its not every day you have an excuse to take off work and travel to Europe. One of my highlights was extracting honey and getting to try it. While I don’t have a particular interest in bees this is something that is almost considered a rare opportunity.

And that’s what the program is all about. It’s a great way to make friends from across the world, grow as a person and travel that’s suitable to the uni timetable.

Lily Platzer
Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation
Beeology: Honeybee Science from Theory to Practice at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Global Short Programs Travel Scholarship Recipient