iHola y Bienvenidos a Sevilla!
My name is Mallorie Geiger. I am a junior at Salve Regina University. I am an English Literature and Spanish major and will continue on at graduate school to get my Masters of Arts in Teaching to be able to teach high school. I am studying with CEA and also at UPO (Universidad Pablo de Olavide).
My first few weeks in Sevilla have been nothing but wonderful, but that does not mean that it did not come with challenges along the way. To start off my trip, my plane was actually canceled. Not once. Not twice. But, three times. What a way to start off an adventure! I actually ended up overnighting in Lisbon, Portugal before getting to my actual destination of Sevilla, Spain. It ended up being great because I was able to meet a few familiar faces of people both in my program and not in my program (actually ran into a girl that I meant that is studying abroad with William and Mary on the train coming home from Jerez this past weekend). Long story short, after 56 hours of traveling I finally made it to Sevilla.
When I arrived in Sevilla, I was so excited to get to explore all of my new beautiful towns. I quickly learned that Sevilla is filled with so many amazing museums and astonishing architecture, which is a great time filler for weekends/days that I won’t be traveling. Then, I got to try the food. Tapas are my new FAVORITE thing ever. You literally get a miniature version of something on the menu; I was talking with a friend and we both agree that it solves the dilemma that we so often face at American restaurants about trying to decide what to get because here you can get both by ordering the tapas version. One of the coolest things I did was join a gym in Sevilla; I get to take Spanish workout classes every day with local speakers. This not only helps me stay in shape but also has helped my Spanish tremendously; you do not realize how fast people take in workout classes until it is in another language!
Honestly, two things have been the most difficult for me while studying abroad. First and foremost, I miss my family, friends, and boyfriend at home. When I first arrived, I was very homesick. I quickly have found the solution to that. All throughout the day (even with the 6 hour time difference, sorry mom and dad) I send pictures of what I am doing and they all do the same. And, luckily I have found that everyone back home always has some free time while I am free, so I call whenever I can. The second thing I have struggled with was feeling like a college freshman all over again, but then I realized it’s literally the same thing because everyone else feels that way as well. We are all thrown in a new town, with new people, and new experiences that we have never had before. The best thing about that is that everyone will travel with you, as my boyfriend so wisely reminds me, all you have to do is ask! I have found that everyone else wants people to travel with, so I have been planning trips with others as frequently as possible. Friends come easily and quickly when you are all falling in love with the same city together. **sidenote, there may be other friends from either your high school or college also studying abroad near you, so a great way to meet up with them is to both meet up in a new city together**
Studying abroad is definitely a once in a lifetime experience; there will never be another time that you can just pack up and go, only having to worry about classes. I am already falling in love with not only Sevilla but the whole experience. I cannot wait to see where this experience will have taken me in four months. I can already feel the time flying by.
iHasta Luego!
Mal
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