(Post #4) Starting my Program!

Hello and welcome to the beginning of my actual CEA Study Abroad program in Spring 2022! Staying with Alicia and Noelia the past 2 weeks was the best way possible to start this experience, and I am so happy to have been able to immerse myself, start practicing the language, and become familiar with the beautiful town of Sevilla that I call home. I’m now going to pick up writing with my last day at Alicia’s house.

(January 18th, 2022) Time must work differently in Europe because it is flying by too fast! I woke up on this Tuesday and had a more relaxed day as I packed, wrote a blog post, and hung with Alicia when she wasn’t extremely busy studying for more exams (they really never end here!) We celebrated my last night by ordering Pizza, and it was a nice little comfort before everything new started up. Both Alicia’s and Noelia’s families have done a phenomenal job of getting me immersed into their world of food, but sometimes a greasy slice of pizza (or three) is exactly what a girl needs. I wish I would’ve taken a picture of one of the pizzas because they do it better here with having double layer pizzas with two flavors that work so well together. I fell asleep that night with a full stomach and excitement in my head as I wondered what my new host family would be like.

(January 19th, 2022) Happy move-in day! January 19th is a date I have had in my head for

months and months since I have always known it as the “beginning of the program date.” The fact that the date is finally here is mind-blowing. I got dropped off to my host family’s house at 12pm and the only one home was my new host mom, Raquel. She speaks in only Spanish but luckily she is very easy to understand. The García family´s flat is on the top floor and has a fun yard overlooking Calle Asunción and all the fun activities happening down on the street. I was also greeted by the family´s 2 pets Mosqui (an 8-year-old gray haired dog that maybe weighs 5 pounds) and Bimba, their black 3 month-old French bulldog that is absolutely adorable. I settled into my new room that I will be sharing with my roommate Jillian who had not arrived yet, and then I went on a walk with Raquel to see the neighborhood. I was soon introduced to the father named Alberto, their 22-year-old son Pablo, 11-year-old Lucas, 10-year-old Alma, and 3-year-old Pepe. We definitely have a full house, but luckily the family has a large flat so there is plenty of room for fun!

I then met my roommate Jillian that attends Christoper Newport University in Virginia. That night, I gave my host family their gifts of lots of American candy, peanut butter (a delicacy since the consistency is very different in Europe), deck of cards, Minnesota necklace, some embroidery I did, Minnesota stickers, and Christmas socks. The family loved the gifts, and I got a good laugh because while the family was distracted and opening things, 3 year old grabbed all the American candy and made a run to the exit so he could enjoy all the candies to himself, but to his disappointment he was not successful. That night, Jillian and I got to know each other and then went to sleep pretty early since orientation began the next day and we wanted to be well-rested.

(January 20th, 2022) Happy beginning of orientation! Our host-dad Alberto dropped JIllian and I off at the hotel for orientation and then the seminars began! There is about 90 people in the CEA Seville Spring program, and a majority of the students come from 3 big groups from TCU, Clemson, and St. John’s/St. Ben’s up by St. Cloud, MN (it sure is nice to have some local Midwesterners because we have people from all over the USA). We enjoyed a nice catered lunch on the rooftop of the hotel with great views, and it felt a little like I was back as a freshman in college with all the mingling and introducing names/asking where others are from/what they’re studying etc. but it was also really fun and we have a good

crowd! We spent the afternoon on a bike tour around the city and I learned some more history, and then I went shopping with some new friends around the clothing stores. Jillian and I got dinner and then 6 or so of us went out to see some local music. We cannot go into each other’s living situations, so there will be a lot of creativity and planning to get together which will get easier when it is warmer too. I have to say though, it was a great first day and I enjoyed meeting so many excited and fun faces!

(January 21st, 2022) The second day of the orientation consisted of getting a neighborhood tour, having an orientation at the actual CEA center building, and then touring La Catedral and La Giralda. I see the outside of these very important buildings every day, but seeing the inside was absolutely spectacular! The cathedral alone has so much history with its royal family roots, beautiful altars, and over 600 people being buried inside including Christopher Columbus’s son and also some of the remains of Christopher Columbus. Christopher Columbus’s body has been moved around over the years due to different groups claiming him, etc., but they did a DNA test and he is in fact (at least) partially in the Cathedral.

After, we walked up 34 ramps to the top of La Giralda. Seeing the city from this view and where the bells would go off 5 times a day so that Muslims knew when to pray is quite amazing, and it is crazy to think how much change over hundreds of years this tower has seen.

I had lunch at home, sat outside on the rooftop patio in the 60 degree weather and warm sun, and then did some shopping at El Corte Inglés which is basically a department/grocery store with absolutely anything you may need.

After, I went home to have dinner with the host family since they feed us 3 meals a day (I do not always take advantage of this, but I try to when I can) and then I got some churros with my new friends Luke, Asia, and Emily. We then all went home to eat dinner and then got back together to get some gelato today because there is no such thing as too much dessert when you are in Europe!

(January 22nd, 2022) Another weekend calls for another trip! All of our CEA students hopped on two buses and headed to Córdoba which is a city about an hour and a half away from Sevilla. We saw the grand bridge in town and toured the great Mosque-Cathedral originally built in 786 that has endured many religious events and the conquest of the Christians over the city. The Christians built a grand Cathedral in the middle of the mosque which is

upsetting in some ways as they ruined the original architecture, but the silver lining is that this mosque is the only one in the city that survived the religious intolerance of Islam by the Christians in previous times. After, I got some lunch with my friends Asia and Luke and then we attempted to visit the Alcázar gardens in this city but we were running short on time and could not figure out tickets so we walked around and enjoyed taking in all the amazing things this smaller place has to offer.

We then took the bus back home and then I sat in the living room with my host family for a little bit before dinner. As the youngest child of my family who has been like an only-child for many years due to age gaps, I have missed the noise and chaos that comes from big families. As the family cheered loud for the soccer game on TV, I found myself in a predicament because Sevilla has two fútbol (soccer) teams and the García family cheers for Sevilla FC while Alicia´s and Noelia´s cheer for the other called Betis... I think I will play this one neutral as the rivalry is taken very seriously here. After dinner of hamburgers (yum!) I enjoyed the riverside while going out and dancing with some friends celebrating our first weekend in this beautiful city.

Sevilla is full of wonderful and amazing people, and I can’t wait to build closer relationships while on this adventure. Check out my gallery to see many more pictures from this week!