Oh the places I’ve gone

Having a blog is pretty weird for me, but it’ll allow me to rant about my awesome experiences.

As I write this, I have officially been in Spain for two weeks, and it has been 11 days since I arrived in Sevilla. As some of you know, when I left for Spain, I posted on social media “Oh the places I’ll go.” Already I have seen so much; it has been two weeks and I have already been to Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba, and Granada (and Sevilla of course). Although it has only been two weeks, it feels like it has been two months. I have seen and done so much. I have toured numerous breathtaking gothic cathedrals, walked up dozens and dozens of floors to the top of La Giralda (the bell tower of the Sevilla Cathedral), gone to a flamenco show in a cave in Granada, and toured La Alhambra (where it snowed might I add). I have also gotten gelato from 6 different gelato places (don’t judge me they’re on every corner) and eaten many new foods I would not normally eat in the US.

I started classes last week at la Universidad Pablo de Olavide where I will be taking all of my classes in Spanish. It has been a little overwhelming since I am not fluent in Spanish and as I am still adjusting to the Andalusian accent, it can be difficult at times to understand everything my professors say. When I started classes last week, the homesickness hit me. I missed spending time with my friends and family, missed my beautiful campus, and missed my normal activities. Thankfully many of my friends here were pretty much in the same boat of having homesickness, so we were able to talk to each other about it. I have found ways to take my mind off of it when I do feel homesick (such as getting coffee with friends or going to the center of the city and taking everything in). After all, I don’t want to spend my limited time here sad from missing home- I should enjoy this amazing experience as much as I can. Looking at the pictures I upload here, I feel comfort knowing all the beauty I am surrounded by.

I have four more excursions with my program (API): Lisbon, Grazalema, and Cádiz in March and then Extremadura in April. I am excited to take advantage of these planned trips with API, but I am making plans to go elsewhere independently as well. I am going to Malaga this weekend and San Sebastian next weekend with a couple of friends, and I also hope to make my way to Greece. While it is great to be able to travel so much, I also am excited to spend more time getting to know Sevilla. I wish my loved ones were able to be here so I could share this experience with them, but that’s what social media is for right?