The First Few Days

I know I've only been here for two days but it feels like so much longer. So far I've been doing orientation activities with my program and living at a hotel. There are so many exchange students here in Sevilla, my program alone has close to 200. We were split into groups of 9 or 10 students, and each group and placed with a guide, a student from the University of Sevilla. My group is made up of kids from all over the States, and my guide is a 20-year-old Sevillana named Maru. It's really nice to have someone my age show us around because we can talk about the same things and she knows all of the good places to go in Sevilla.

It's so surreal to finally be here and think of it as my home for the next 4 months. That was really uncomfortable at first, and it's still intimidating to think about, but the more I get to know the city the better I feel. Sevilla is so beautiful, even in the winter when everyone is complaining about rain and 'cold weather' (today it is 59 degrees here, and according to my weather widget it's 23 degrees so I'm not complaining). All of the streets are narrow and winding, and lined with tiny tiendas, cafés, and restaurants. Palm trees and orange trees are everywhere. Right now only some of them have oranges, but in March they are supposed to bloom and smell fantastic. The streets are old cobblestone mixed with newer paved roads for cars. Everyone walks wherever they need to go, driving is really rare. Almost everyone here lives in an apartment, so there isn't space to park cars and really no need for them at all. There are bike rental places all over the city, where you pay money or use a card to get a bike off the rack, kind of like the luggage carts at the airport. When you get to where you need to be, you just drop off the bike at the nearest bike rack and go on your way. Very cool. There are many neighborhoods in Sevilla, divided by the Guadalquivir River and there are lots of beautiful bridges connecting the two sides.

Yesterday was my first full day here. In the morning, my guide took us to the study center where I will be taking most of my classes, and along they way she pointed out various shops and bars that are good and inexpensive, places where lots of locals hang out, etc. Of course I had no idea where I was and kept thinking that I would never remember how to get back to any of these places. I felt so turned around, and couldn't imagine how I would ever be able to find my way in this maze of a city. I was about to discover exactly how I would find my way around, because at the study center the guides divided all the kids in my program into small groups and gave each one of us map and a list of clues. Each clue led to a specific location in the city, and had an assigned point value. For example. we had to find 2 bookstores that sold books in Spanish and in English, a bus station that could take us to the beach, the best place to get churros late at night, etc. and have someone take a picture of the whole group at each location. Close places were worth 10-15 points, and far places were worth 20-25 points. We were essentially going on a scavenger hunt of Sevilla, with nothing but a map and local people we met along the way to help us.

For the next 2.5 hours we walked around the city, following the map to art museums, department stores, libraries, etc. One of the clues led us to one of the many churches in Sevilla, and we had to find a 'hidden bird' in one of the murals near the door. I found the bird, which according to Sevillan tradition means that my life will be filled with happiness.

After the time was up we returned to the hotel and regrouped. None of the groups had many points but we had all discovered lots of other cool places in the city and felt much more comfortable walking around and talking to the people who live here, which was the whole point of the activity. Armed with a map and algunas amigas, I think I can find my way to anywhere I need to go.

For dinner, Maru took my group out for tapas and tinto verano, red wine mixed with a lemon drink served over ice. Tapas are the traditional appetizer-like dishes of Sevilla. It is a common activity to go out for tapas with your friends. I had no idea what to order, or what anything on the menu was, but I ended up with a spicy sausage sandwich that was very good. After dinner my whole program went to a private flamenco show, which was amazing. Flamenco is such a unique mix of music, rhythm, and dancing. Each part alone would be fun to watch but together the effect is incredible.

After the show I crashed at the hotel. My body still hasn't caught up with the time change yet, I'm tired when I need to be awake and when it's time for bed I can't fall asleep. So far the days have been so busy there hasn't been any down time, which is probably a good thing. It makes adjusting easier.

I miss everyone so much, I hope things are going well back home/wherever you are abroad!

Love,
Hannah