Spring Break
Letters from Spain
Paskievich Reveals Her Experiences in Seville, Spain
Though I do miss the wonderful autumn weather, the delicious food at Davison and all of my friends and family I couldn't have asked for more from studying abroad in Seville, Spain. Not only has the weather not dropped below 70 but I have gotten a total immersion into the Spanish culture here. I've seen Flamenco shows, eaten tapas with sangria, apathetically watched a bull fight, cheered at a futbol game all while speaking Spanish the whole time!
People in Sevilla only speak Spanish, and I am also living with a host family who's English only goes as far as 'hi' or 'bye'. I live in an apartment only 15 min walk from school with a 54 year old single woman Amada, her mother Dolores of 85 years and Amada's nephew Sergio of 20 years who attends the University with me. Basically every day is like a comedy show. At the beginning, to communicate it seemed all we were doing was playing charades or constantly having a dictionary at our side. But now, Amada has become a confidant and someone I turn to when times are good and bad. We stay up late having long conversations about EVERYTHING and I've learned a lot from her.
Her food, and all of Spain's for that matter, is a whole different story! I have had some of the most interesting meals here that I know I will NOT be missing back in the states. Two essentials that you won't find a meal without here: olive oil and ham. Anything and everything has these two somehow incorporated, to the extent of having ham potatoe chips! I've become accustomed to a lot of the food because I have no other choice, but to be honest I can't wait to just dive into a chicken parmesan calzone the second I get off the plane in Boston!
I am taking 5 classes at the Universidad de Sevilla which used to be an old tobacco factory and is one of the main tourist attractions in the city! My classes are strictly only spoken in Spanish and range from topics about the Spanish Realist Novel to the Construction of the European Union. At the beginning of the semester I was petrified and couldn't believe I actually thought I could follow through with a whole semester in a different language. However, I quickly surprised myself and now have no problem understanding my teachers or whipping out papers and exams fully in Spanish. It now seems strange to think of taking classes next semester at St. A's where I can actually ask a question in English.
People in Sevilla only speak Spanish, and I am also living with a host family who's English only goes as far as 'hi' or 'bye'. I live in an apartment only 15 min walk from school with a 54 year old single woman Amada, her mother Dolores of 85 years and Amada's nephew Sergio of 20 years who attends the University with me. Basically every day is like a comedy show. At the beginning, to communicate it seemed all we were doing was playing charades or constantly having a dictionary at our side. But now, Amada has become a confidant and someone I turn to when times are good and bad. We stay up late having long conversations about EVERYTHING and I've learned a lot from her.
Her food, and all of Spain's for that matter, is a whole different story! I have had some of the most interesting meals here that I know I will NOT be missing back in the states. Two essentials that you won't find a meal without here: olive oil and ham. Anything and everything has these two somehow incorporated, to the extent of having ham potatoe chips! I've become accustomed to a lot of the food because I have no other choice, but to be honest I can't wait to just dive into a chicken parmesan calzone the second I get off the plane in Boston!
I am taking 5 classes at the Universidad de Sevilla which used to be an old tobacco factory and is one of the main tourist attractions in the city! My classes are strictly only spoken in Spanish and range from topics about the Spanish Realist Novel to the Construction of the European Union. At the beginning of the semester I was petrified and couldn't believe I actually thought I could follow through with a whole semester in a different language. However, I quickly surprised myself and now have no problem understanding my teachers or whipping out papers and exams fully in Spanish. It now seems strange to think of taking classes next semester at St. A's where I can actually ask a question in English.
This article was published on 12/11/09 in the Culture section.
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