Semester in Seville, the Realities of a Gift of a Lifetime
Authored By:
By: Caroline Parker
Hello readers! My name is Caroline Parker, and I was a Liberal Arts for the semester with CIEE Sevilla. Studying abroad in Sevilla has truly been a gift, and I have been so fortunate to do it alongside some of my best friends. Through study abroad, I have not only learned so much about the Culture and Language of Spain, but I have learned so much about myself. Now I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED my semester abroad.
During my semester abroad, I was able to try a bunch of new food, meet new people, and travel to tons of different places! I was super fortunate to be able to really take advantage of all the opportunities given to me here, and I really crossed a bunch of things off of my bucket list.
Program
As for the program, I would recommend doing as much as you can with the program! The people at CIEE are truly there to help you, and having a connection with both the faculty and staff makes your experience so much better. I signed up for a bunch of the weekly activities like Tennis and Paddle, just so I would have something to do in the evenings, since it is super easy to get into the habit of chilling in your room. I made some friends at these activities, with both CIEE and local students, so I would 100% recommend it.
I also signed up to be a Volunteer in an English classroom, and this was so fun! I was placed with 13–14-year-olds, so it was a fun age to work with because they are still young enough to be interested in you, but you also aren’t too much older than them, so they have similar interests. My favorite lesson I taught was “Movies v. Reality in America,” and I would say this was their favorite activity as well.
Also with the program, I signed up for each of the day trips offered, so I went to Cadiz, Ronda, Cordoba, and Granada. Each of these trips were wonderful! There really isn’t anything better than a free trip, with nearly all activities included. I also enjoyed how they allocated free time, so if there was something you wanted to do on your own, you had the opportunity. These trips were fun to hang out with the staff and other students. I learned more about Spain on these trips, as we went places that I don’t think I would have chosen to go to on my own.
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