La Vida Sevillana
After six days in Sevilla, I feel like a local.
OK I don’t, but I have settled in and I’m beginning to really appreciate the lifestyle here, which is very different than in the U.S.
For example, meals. Sevillanos eat a small breakfast in the morning, a large lunch at about 2:30 p.m. and a medium-sized dinner at about 10 p.m. (workers usually return home for lunch and some time with the family in the afternoon).
Everything feels more relaxed here. No topic is too serious for humor and one of the phrases I’ve heard the most is “no te preocupas” (don’t worry). And like in many foreign countries, if a Sevillano says he’s going to be somewhere at a certain time, don’t expect him to show up until at least half an hour after that time.
And Sevillanos know how to party. Nights out don’t start until at least 1 a.m. and they stretch late into the night. The second night of the program, my roommate Gabo and I returned home at 4:30 a.m. and our host father, sitting at his computer, asked why we were home so early. He was being serious.
Besides adjusting to the lifestyle, I’ve kept busy here. The first few days have been a blur of struggling to use the language ALL the time, meeting people, and simply taking in this amazing city. Some highlights:
- Six days in Sevilla, six nights in bars (including a flamenco bar, a “discoteca” [dance club] and multiple outdoor bars)
- I’ve met several locals, all of whom were very friendly and understanding about trouble with their language.
- The group went to a beach on the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday, where we swam in the perfectly-temperatured water, taught Frisbee to some locals and got seriously sunburnt.
- Orientation classes started Monday. We actually have to study during this study abroad?
I will be blogging my adventures in Spain on the195.com, a site for Northwestern students studying abroad. Please follow me there.
