Hola Sevilla!

I’ve been in Seville, Spain for six days and I am already in love. I feel that in the past few days, I have experienced a lifetime of happiness. Classes have officially started today, and I am happy to have a bit of structure in my schedule.

I arrived to Sevilla on Tuesday afternoon. My flights were delayed by a couple of hours, and I had no time to reflect on the fact that I was moving to a different country for a few months. I was mostly worried about the terrible turbulence and the fact that I already missed my flight from Madrid to Sevilla.

I came to my homestay exhausted and surprised I even arrived at a reasonable hour. I walked into my room and was greeted by my roommate Mia. We were so excited to finally meet after a few weeks of texting. We were both too tired to explore, so we stayed and had dinner with our host mom and her son.

The next day was orientation. We got to meet the other students who were also studying at the International College of Seville. Wednesday was also our placement test to see our proficiency in Spanish. I placed in the advance Spanish class, so I was proud of myself. I explored the city with my friends Boitin and Felina and took in the views.

At nighttime we went to Los 100 Montaditos which is known for its mini sandwiches in lots of flavors. We were introduced to our professors and got to know our classmates a little better. I loved how casual the faculty was and how friendly they were to the students.

On Friday morning we had a “Desayauno Andaluz” which consisted of tea with toast. I got the mint tea and the toast with Nutella on it. At nighttime, we went to the “Teteria Bagdad” and had Moroccan mint tea with green tea mixed together. A belly dancer also performed for us while we drank. I loved the tea and I hope to go back soon.

Late in the night, I took a walk to the Plaza De Espana and thought about grateful I was to finally be in Spain. After a year of planning and worrying if I was even capable of going abroad alone, I realized that worrying will get you nowhere. If you have your eyes set on a goal, do whatever you can to make it happen!

Saturday morning, we went to Las Setas de Encarnacion and ate churros dipped in chocolate; I felt sick that day, so I didn’t really get to explore much of the city. I took some medication and took a nap because we were going to a flamenco show that night. At night, we went to the Museo del Baile Flamenco. In the audience was the legendary Cristina Hoyos. We ended the night by talking a group photo with the musicians from the show.

As I reflect from the past few days, I realize how different my life in the United States is. Back home everything was so fast paced. I would wake up early, go to school, work, and stay heavily involved in extra curricular activities. My schedule was so packed, that I didn’t have time for myself, nor did I have time to eat. Seville is different. Everyone lives at a nice slow pace. It is taking me a while to get used to, because I am impatient, but I realized that I need to take it slow occasionally. I have already fallen in love with Spain, and I know I will make more beautiful memories as I continue my study abroad experience.