Most people who study abroad (myself included!) are
guilty of talking about all the amazing things that they do on the weekends,
like traveling to Paris or buying last-minute flights to London. I should
probably stop now before I get carried away. That being said, some of my
favorite moments of study abroad have come from the ordinary daily life, and
that is the part that is not talked about as frequently. So today, I’m here to
bring you a peek into the extraordinary ordinariness of a day in Spain.
Depending on the day, I get up for my first class at either
9:00 or 10:30. Unlike Northeastern, which is conveniently located right in the
middle of the city, my university in Sevilla is outside of the city center. By
metro, it’s a half hour from my apartment, but I decided to rent a bike (fun
fact: Sevilla is the 3rd best city in the world for biking!) and so it’s a
20-25 minute bike ride. This also helps me feel better about the massive amount
of bread and gelato that I eat here. (In case you think I’m exaggerating, I had
three ice creams yesterday. It’s a problem).
I go to class until either 1:20 or 2:50, and then it’s time
to come home for lunch! At first, it took some getting used to since Spanish
people eat so much later, both for lunch and dinner, but now it’s not strange
at all to wait until 3:30pm for lunch. My senora works during the day, so she
makes lunch in the morning and leaves it either on the stove or in the fridge
for me and my three Spanish siblings to eat whenever we get home. The two
10-year-old girls usually get out of school right around when I do, so we eat
together and then play Mario Kart or watch TV before my favorite time of the
day: siesta!
Siesta has become less of a thing in parts of Spain, but in
Andalucia in the south, it’s still very relevant. Even if I didn’t want to take
a nap in the middle of the day (but really, who wouldn’t?), most businesses and
shops are closed between 2-6. This is the hottest part of the day, and
especially in summer, being outside during that time is not enjoyable at all.
Now that it’s getting cooler, more businesses are open, but for the most part,
tradition holds.
After siesta, I’ll do a little homework, and then go out
with friends to sit at the bar or explore Sevilla. Since large families live in
small homes, it’s not at all typical for people to go over to each other’s
houses. Socializing here happens outside of the house, so any time we meet up,
it’s at a park or a bar or a café. Mondays and Wednesdays, I tutor three little
Spanish girls in English, which is so much fun because they’re adorable, and I
love teaching them and doing their homework together. Their whole family is so
nice, and they live right around the corner from me so it’s an easy walk!
I’ll come home and hang out until dinner around 9:30pm, and
either do homework, watch TV, or go back out to hang out with friends. Some
nights we do more exciting things, like go to a futbol (soccer!) game, or find
free concerts by the river. Days are busy and full, but I love every second of
being here in Sevilla.
I miss Boston and Northeastern, but I’ve found lots of
things to do here to make me just as busy as I would be at home. I fully
believe everyone who said that study abroad is the best experience of your
college life. Northeastern has so many opportunities for students. If there’s
one thing I would recommend doing in college, it’s study abroad.
I’m off to go out to this multi-cultural fair that’s in one
of our parks this month with my friends. There’s food tents from over 50
countries, and last time we went I tried zebra. For the curious, it tasted like
really chewy steak. We’ll see what adventures we embark on tonight.
