"The bad part is not that the sevillanos think that they have the most beautiful city in the world... the worst is that they might be right."
--Antonio Gala
Hello all! It’s been about six months since my last post but I finally got around to this: my three month warning. I received my country assignment in January but didn’t hear from my host family until about a month ago. I will be spending next year in the amazing city of Sevilla, Spain!
Sevilla has a population of about 700,000 people (1.5 million metropolitan) and is the fourth largest in Spain. Located in southwest Spain in the autonomous community of Andalucía, it is known as one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. I'm about an hour and a half from the coast and less than five hours from Madrid. My new home is famous for a few things: the burial place of Christopher Columbus, the striking Giralda tower, staples of Andalucía like flamenco and bulls, and its Feria de Abril week-long celebration. I have a host mom, dad, sister and a brother who will be abroad next year. I look forward to getting to know them and Sevilla!
I will be studying at the second level of Bachillerato, the Spanish equivalent of a senior year. My host family has also mentioned me possibly joining crew or another sport and that it’s very popular among their friends’ daughters. I will be living very near to the Real Betis stadium so hopefully I’ll be able to attend lots of games!
It’s very surreal that in less than three months, I will be getting on a plane alone and flying to Madrid, then heading to Sevilla, and saying goodbye to the United States for a whole year. As it gets closer, I’m terrified and excited at the same time but that’s basically exchange in a nutshell. Mostly, I just can’t wait to get started!
Besos,Meg