Now that my time has Spain comes to a close, I wanted to reflect on my semester abroad in Sevilla. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to call this place home over the last several months. Although I’m excited to be home with my family and friends, saying goodbye to this beautiful city has been a challenge.
Over the course of the semester, I took classes at Universidad Pablo de Olavide through UA-Affiliate International Studies Abroad. Three of my classes were taught in Spanish (Cultura y Sociedad de Espana, Historia de Flamenco, and Espanol de Negocios) and two were taught in English (Global Economy and Organizational Theory). My Spanish classes proved to be challenging, but immersing myself in the language was one of the best ways to improve!
Through my classes and interactions with locals, my Spanish language skills improved a little bit every day. I was lucky enough to live with a host family during my time there, and my daily conversations with them were another perfect way to practice. Communicating with them definitely came with a learning curve. When I first arrived, our conversations were limited to basic subjects like the weather or how my day went. However, by the end of the semester we were able to have in-depth conversations that were not limited to surface level topics. They were so understanding and always tried to help me find the right words to express what I wanted to say. My host family is one of the things I will miss most about Sevilla!
