Hola a todos and sunny greetings from beautiful Seville. Time is flying by so fast and everyone I met so far has already fallen in love with this city. I arrived in the middle of august, so I have been here for six weeks now and I never want to leave it again. I don’t think that I can put it into words how much I love living here, but let’s try…
Before university started I participated in an intensive Spanish course which I am totally recommending for anyone coming to Seville. It is not only about learning the language but also talking about the city, meeting new people and doing some fun activities. The highlight of the course was taking part in a flamenco class.
Two weeks ago, classes at university started. Our timetables are well organized. And for all the Macromedia students: no class on Fridays which means more time for travelling. We only have four different subjects (plus the optional Spanish class), but we do get a lot of homework which we have to hand in. It is also mandatory to attend classes otherwise we will have to take a big exam in the end which the teachers don’t recommend. Next to homework, we also must do presentations which will be graded, and we have midterm exams in October. I only have two different teachers who are super nice and tell us a lot about life in Spain and where to get good tapas ????. And their English is also fine (in case anyone is worrying about that). The EUSA university is not very big but everyone is very welcoming and international students feel like a part of the school. People from the international office are extremely friendly and always want to help wherever they can.
I live in a student apartment from “aluni.net” together with six other girls from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. It is very close to Plaza de España which is in my opinion one of the most beautiful places in Seville. It only takes me seven minutes to walk to university which is perfect. In general, distances in Seville are very short and you can get around very easily by biking or even walking.
Within six weeks so far, I have only experienced one rainy day. On all the other days the sun was shining, and temperatures got up to 43 degrees. So, what would you do on a really hot weekend in Seville? Escape from the heat of the city and go to the beach! One time we rented a car to go to a beach in “el Conil” and afterwards to Cadiz but the car rental turned out to be more expensive than we thought (around 35€ per person). So, we had to find a cheaper way to go to the beach. This leads me to one of the best parts in our semester abroad in Seville.
There is the “Erasmus Club Sevilla” which doesn’t have to do anything with the European Erasmus program – so everybody can join the ECS. They organise free walking tours through the city, get togethers, beer pong tournaments, pool parties, club nights, trips to other cities and of course: beach days. They took us to the beautiful Algarve coast of Portugal for just 15 euros. Visiting the Sahara Desert in Morocco and skiing in Sierra Nevada are still on my list for the upcoming months. For anyone considering going to Seville in the future: ECS will help to see many places in the region and to learn a lot of things about the Country for just a small amount of money.
There are always a lot of things going on in Seville so that we will never get bored. Next to Sightseeing attractions like the Cathedral or Metropol Parasol, there are many beautiful tapas bars and restaurants, people who play music, flamenco dancers and tourists on the streets. It feels like a city that never sleeps. At 2am in the morning you will still find children playing around at the play grounds while their parents have a beer or two at a bar (most likely the typical beer from Seville: Cruzcampo). I usually don’t go to bed before 1am like most Spanish people. This is why “Siesta” really is a thing in Spain. I probably wouldn’t be able to survive without it :D. On the other side, Seville is very calming and we can just enjoy warm summer nights and soak in the nice atmosphere of this charming city.
I cannot wait to tell you a little more about university and all the trips I am planning right now. Life is so exciting at the moment and I am still enjoying a perfect summer weather in October. Stay tuned ????
