Hello! I have been in Sevilla, Spain, for 1 month in the Spring 2022 program. I traveled with the affiliate program ISA, and have had an amazing experience up to this point. Sevilla is a city in the bottom left of Spain, within the territory Andalucia, and is known as the city of oranges for the hundreds of orange trees that are on every sidewalk and park within the city.

When I first came to Spain, it was an enormous amount of information to take in during the first week. Learning how to adapt to the Spanish accents, how to interact with the people, and completely changing schedules from what is normal in the United States was interesting. I live with a host family, and I get to eat the majority of my meals cooked at home. This is an amazing part of the experience, as my native mamá knows how to best prepare most of the traditional dishes of Southern Spain. Living in the house (with another student in the program) also gives me the chance to speak Spanish informally, and therefore improve my skills with those in their mother tongue.

Taking classes in all Spanish has made it more interesting to learn about the region and its history, as it is taught from the perspective of those who have experienced it. I have enjoyed being able to learn about the culture in these classes, and then apply the lessons to the real day-to-day Spanish life. Sevilla is one of the larger cities in Spain, and has much of the transportation and infrastructure of a large city, but has maintained its space and population very well. There are dozens of parks within the city, and some of the larger ones take up acres of space. These huge green areas make the city feel lively and homey, so that people are able to enjoy nature in each part of the city. I am incredibly excited to continue exploring Sevilla, the cities around it, and the rest of Europe while I’m here!