After a week of living with my host family in their cute apartment in the suburbs of Seville, I've started hoping they will want to adopt me by the end of the semester (Sorry real family <3). I am staying with the most wonderful family for the next three and a half months. The mum, Aitana, seventeen year old daughter, also Aitana, and thirteen year old son, Arturo, are the most kind and welcoming family I could ask for.
To register for student housing, the UH Study Abroad office provided forms to fill out with requirements such as writing a personal statement about who I am, my hobbies, interests, food preferences, and a photo of myself. This was then sent to the amazing housing director at the International College of Seville (ICS), Gina De Los Santos, by Vanessa Chong (UH Study Abroad Advisor) along with the forms from other students where Gina paired us with host families. Since Seville is one of the UH Study Abroad Centre program locations, UH and ICS did most of the technical work behind registering for student housing after I completed their required forms.
The apartment building we live in is a brief ten minute walk from school.
Part of my route involves walking through the apartment complex park (Pictured above) where all the dogs are. If I do not leave at least fifteen minutes before my first class starts at 9 AM, I would be late everyday from saying hi to all the dogs and I'm not sure my professors would appreciate this excuse.
The route also takes me past the coffee shop that my friends and I occupy almost daily as a snack, study, and trip planning meeting spot called Mascarpone's. Before I came to Spain a goal of mine was to find a cute coffee shop and become a regular. This is the one.
On the left is Marisa. She knows me, my order, and my lousy hand signal attempts at describing the delicious pastries I want to order that I do not know the fancy Spanish words for yet.
Towards the end of my walk to school is the flamenco studio where we practice the four Sevillanas twice a week with the amazing RocÃo and her daughter Macarena to learn flamingo-- I mean flamenco. I haven't made that mistake a handful of times. The first class, tripping over my feet and absolutely lost, I told RocÃo in Spanish, "When I dance around the house at home in California, my mom says I have no rhythm." RocÃo laughed, shook her head saying "No no no", and proceeded to take my hand and walk me through all the steps for the remainder of the hour lesson. I may have asked if she could adopt me too.
On the way home from school I sometimes pass the most quaint and incredible smelling flower shop I have ever been in. The friendly owner always exchanges greetings with everyone who walks by and made a beautiful bouquet for my host mum one day.
Our stomachs are still quite used to North American eating schedules, so sometimes we get so hungry for a snack before lunch starts at 3 PM, that at about 1 PM when class finishes, some of us will go to a little cafe across the street from school and get "pan tostada con jamón ibérico y tomate". It's famous in Spain and is a toasted fresh bread roll with thinly sliced Iberian ham, tomato, and olive oil. It's 2.90€ for this and a coffee.
After lunch we head to the Parque de MarÃa Luisa to read, do homework, write blogs, nap, or have picnics on blankets on the grass. It's a 100 acre park with waterfalls, mosaic fountains, ponds full of massive ducks, flower gardens, horse drawn carriages going by, and occasionally people playing instruments. Grandma, if you're reading this, we're going to go on the best walks when you come to visit in a couple months.
In the evening we will sometimes go for walks around the Plaza de España, a gorgeous structure built in 1928 for the Ibero-American Exposition World's Fair next to the Parque de Maria Luisa. Today you can explore it by foot, carriage, or row boat through the moat winding around the building.
After all of this, I feel lucky if there is anytime left in the day to sleep. It's not uncommon to average eight to ten miles of walking per day here. Thank goodness for siesta-- a period of time set aside every day where everything including shops and some cafes close for multiple hours where people can go home for a break. Siesta means "nap" in English. You get the idea...
Tips:
Bring good shoes for walking.
Bring bedroom slippers !!! This one is huge. During my layover in Lisbon, Portugal before I even arrived in Spain, I saw a pair for 5€ and decided to get them just in case. You will never be barefoot or in just socks in the homestays. People wear some sort of footwear indoors at all time in Spain and this is basically expected of us.
When questions come up, reach out to students who studied in Seville before you. I've been so lucky to have Lexy Dennis, a Shidler Global Leader and my little in the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity chapter at UH, to answer questions for me since she studied here a year ago. One morning I sent her a photo of my favourite breakfast of toast and coffee on the kitchen table and she respond saying, "I know that table. You're in my homestay!" I was so surprised by the incredible coincidence and asked her to send a video of her saying hi that I showed my host family later as a surprise. I'm so lucky to have her to go to to answer any questions about my homestay and Spain as well. Past Seville study abroad students would be so happy to answer questions that new students in Seville have about studying abroad under the assumption that they absolutely loved their time being here (like I do). They also went through many similar experiences that future students in Seville will go through, so their advice is extremely helpful!
I never want to leave Spain !!