Study Abroad
Seville, Spain
Spring 2022
From January to May 2022, I had the incredible opportunity to study and intern abroad in Seville, Spain. During these five months, I took different Spanish classes through a third-party program called CEA. In addition to my classes, I also worked as a marketing intern for a local kombucha start-up. My main role as the intern was to create different pieces of content for social media using Canva. As the founders of the company lived outside the city, they also gave me the responsibility to look for new potential clients that were not found on Google. Over those five months, I was able to fully immerse myself in not only Spanish culture, but more specifically Andalusian culture through food, art, Flamenco, attending Feria, and more. Although I was based in Seville, I also had the chance to explore many different Spanish cities such as Córdoba, Málaga, Madrid, Barcelona, and Palma de Mallorca.
When I first embarked on my journey abroad, my main goal was to become completely fluent in Spanish. As I quickly learned, the Andalusian accent is much more difficult to understand than the Colombian accent that my family speaks with. Not only was the accent a challenge, but people in Andalucia used very unique slang that was difficult to decipher when translated directly. However, I found that the longer I practiced and the more I asked my host family questions, the more I could understand. About halfway through my time in Seville, I changed my goal to be able to speak better Spanish with less hesitation and overthinking. After five months of sharing meals with my local family, we had conversations about virtually every topic you could imagine. Although I did not become completely fluent, I definitely became a lot more confident in my Spanish speaking abilities and improved my grammar a ton.
Having now lived in both the United States and Spain, I can confidently say that the two cultures live extremely different lifestyles. For starters, the Spanish meal culture really threw me off guard for the first two weeks. In the US, I was very used to eating smaller breakfasts and lunches and eating big dinners. However in Spain, people eat really small breakfasts, huge lunches, and small dinners. Not only were the portions of the meals different, but the timing of the meals was difficult to get used to, especially dinner. In the US, I typically eat lunch around noon and dinner around 5:00 or 6:00 PM. However, in Spain it is the norm to eat lunch around 3:00 PM and dinner around 9:00 or 10:00 PM. For the first two weeks, I had to keep snacks in my room to hold me over until the next meal or else I would be so hungry. Although adjusting to the Spanish meal times was tough, I believe that the hardest culture shock for me was the lack of to-go coffees in Spain! My first week there I went to a local coffee shop and asked for my coffee, “para llevar”, and they looked at me like I had three heads. I quickly learned that coffee on the go was not socially acceptable and that getting a coffee should be seen as an enjoyable, relaxing experience and not just a drink to boost my energy.
Thriving in a new country as a young woman is not an easy task to accomplish. It took time, overcoming culture shock, and the help of some amazing people to help make Seville feel like home. My host family was a huge part of the reason I was able to adjust and feel welcomed so quickly. The most meaningful experience that I had when I was abroad was getting invited to experience Feria at my host family’s caseta. Feria is the most important and famous festival in Seville. It takes place in the neighborhood of Los Remedios and there are all these little houses called “casetas”. It is very expensive to have or be a part of a private caseta so it is considered a huge honor to be invited. Not only did my host family invite me to their caseta, but they invited all of my friends and welcomed them in with open arms. They taught us how to dance Sevillanas (a famous style of flamenco), gave us rebujitos (the traditional drink of feria), and made us feel like locals. Being able to experience feria like a sevillano was an extremely special experience and is one that I will cherish forever.
My experience abroad without a doubt altered the way I view myself. I have always considered myself to be a pretty independent woman who was comfortable in unfamiliar situations. However, when it came time to do things on my own in a different country with different procedures it really put my independence to the test. I have never been so nervous before to mail a package at the post office than when I had to in Spain and had to communicate through a language barrier. However, it is because of experiences like these that force me into new situations that have made me even more confident on my own than I was before.
Studying abroad in Seville not only strengthened my cultural literacy skills, but also enriched my general academic experience. Although my classes were taught through an American institution, all my professors were from Seville. I was able to study Spanish culture and civilization from an Andalusian local who was passionate about his country’s history. I studied Spanish literature and went on walking tours at famous author’s homes and birthplaces such as Antonio Machado. For my Spanish and Business class, we visited the famous Triana market and spoke to local vendors. These types of learning excursions would have only been possible in Spain. Having the experience of learning about the Roman ruins in Seville and being able to see them minutes later is something truly special. Overall, being able to work and study abroad has truly changed my life and is an experience I am forever grateful to have had.
