Micayli Wells: Blog Post #2

About 10 days ago, I finally arrived at my study abroad destination in Seville where I moved into my apartment, met my host dad, and became acquainted with my roommates. I have already done and seen so much since being here such as completing a bike tour of Seville, visiting Cordoba, making friends with locals at the bar next door, and exploring the art and architecture in Seville with the new friends I have met in the program.  Since being here, I have already learned so much, especially about travel and the Sevillan culture. I have learned that although I know a decent amount of Spanish, the people in Seville have a much different dialect than what I am used to. Like the south in the United States, Sevillans also have accents and shorten much of their words. Thankfully, because my host dad is so amazing, he has taught my roommates and I some of the common phrases they say like “ta luego”or “buen dia”. In addition, I have had to get comfortable with the common Spanish greeting which is one kiss on each cheek. Although I didn’t realize until after incorrectly executing this greeting, I discovered the kisses are not supposed to be fully on the cheek but more a pretend kiss near the cheek. Something else that is different from United States culture is the slow pace of life in Sevilla. The people here take their time when walking to work, eating food, or talking to others instead of rushing through everything as if in a hurry. They even have something called “sobre mesa” which is dedicated time to talk after finishing any meal. In fact, every meal takes at least an hour and a half so that we can savor the meal and sit in conversation. I have enjoyed living life this way the past 10 days and feel it allows me to fully take in the beauty of the city as well as get to know the people more.

Since being here, I have already learned so much, especially about travel and the Sevillan culture. I have learned that although I know a decent amount of Spanish, the people in Seville have a much different dialect than what I am used to. Like the south in the United States, Sevillans also have accents and shorten much of their words. Thankfully, because my host dad is so amazing, he has taught my roommates and I some of the common phrases they say like “ta luego”or “buen dia”. In addition, I have had to get comfortable with the common Spanish greeting which is one kiss on each cheek. Although I didn’t realize until after incorrectly executing this greeting, I discovered the kisses are not supposed to be fully on the cheek but more a pretend kiss near the cheek. Something else that is different from United States culture is the slow pace of life in Sevilla. The people here take their time when walking to work, eating food, or talking to others instead of rushing through everything as if in a hurry. They even have something called “sobre mesa” which is dedicated time to talk after finishing any meal. In fact, every meal takes at least an hour and a half so that we can savor the meal and sit in conversation. I have enjoyed living life this way the past 10 days and feel it allows me to fully take in the beauty of the city as well as get to know the people more.

When my friends and I went to Cordoba, I learned much as well. This was our first trip outside of Seville and although the city was breathtaking with much to do, we had no idea how to navigate it. Our first mistake was booking a two person hotel for three people. Unfortunately, we had to pay for a second room which wasn’t in our budget, but now we know to make sure each person is accounted for in the booking. The second mistake was not booking train tickets home through an app ahead of time. We planned on being spontaneous and leaving on a train using our transportation card whenever we finished exploring the city, but when we arrived at the train station we discovered that our card does not work for trains. We then had to buy tickets that were triple the amount we saw online and rush to get on the train last minute. The last lesson learned was after we arrived in Seville when we decided to take the public bus home. Instead of hopping on the C1 bus which leads us home, we hopped on the C2 bus taking us in the opposite direction. Eventually, we figured out our way home, but not as smoothly as we would have liked. Now I can say that I know what not to do when traveling in a different country and can be better about this in the future.

All in all, within my first 10 days I have learned and seen more than I could have imagined and I would not trade a minute of it. I have met the most amazing people, eaten the best food, and visited the most beautiful sights such as the Plaza de España, the Seville Cathedral, and the Mezquita in Cordoba. I cannot wait to learn even more and share my future adventures throughout the semester.