my study abroad experience

My Study Abroad Experience

By: Lora McGraw

Host City: Seville, Spain

I did a Spring Semester Program with International Studies Abroad (ISA)

The Semester lasted from January 30th-April 30th

Throughout the semester, I took classes as Menéndez Pelayo International University– a school for foreign students.

Program

The program started in Madrid, Spain. I met up with all of the ISA students

for the semester, and we stayed in Madrid for 2 days.

We visited El Museo del Prado, El Palacio Real, and other sites in Madrid.

First Stop: Madrid

Madrid

Me at the Palacio Real Outside of El Museo del Prado

We moved on to visit Toledo as we slowly made our way to Seville. In Toledo, we visited the Cathedral of Toledo, an ancient synagogue, and posed with statutes of the artist, Velazquez.

Toledo

Panoramic View of Toledo

Exterior of the Cathedral

Posing with Velazquez…

After a day or two in Toledo, we finally moved on to the city I would call home for the next three months…Seville!

I started off getting acquainted with my new apartment on Calle Francos, located in the El Centro part of Seville (downtown area).

Moving on to Seville!

My Apartment

My Apartment

It took a couple of weeks to get acquainted with my new city, but I made lots of friends and learned to love life in Seville.

We made a Valentine’s Day dinner together (shown at right)

Life in Seville

Throughout my time in Seville, I visited many famous sites throughout the city.

I spent time at the Cathedral of Seville, the Alcazar, Plaza de España, and saw many flamenco performances

Life in Seville

Cathedral of Seville and La Giralda

The Altar in the Cathedral of Seville

The Alcazar – Royal Fortress of Seville

Plaza de España

The Plaza de España was built as a part of the Exposition of 1929 and is a popular site for tourists and locals alike.

Flamenco

Seville is said to be the birthplace of the Spanish dance, Flamenco.

Football Games– Seville’s Real Betis

Seville has two football teams – Seville Football Club and Real Betis

While abroad, I also took many weekend trips to different places in Spain and to other countries.

I traveled to Rome, Paris, London, Dublin, Morocco, and Lisbon (Portugal) as well as many other cities in Spain.

Other Travels

Friends and I took a day trip to Cadiz, and we also participated in the Carnival festival that takes place there annually.

The Carnival celebration in Cadiz is the second largest celebration in the world, just being Rio de Janiero in Brazil.

Cadiz, Spain

Cadiz

Beach Day Heading to Carnival

The ISA program took us on excursions to Córdoba and Granada over a weekend.

In Córdoba , we visited the Mezquita, the Jewish Quarter, and other sites in the city

In Granada, we spent an afternoon at the Alhambra, had a private flamenco show and enjoyed the free tapas provided at bars in Granada!

Córdoba and Granada

Córdoba

The Mezquita A view of the city

Granada

The Alhambra

Flamenco

A group of friends and I took a trip to Morocco through a program called Discover Sevilla.

We saw three cities in Morocco over a 3 day weekend. We visited Tangier, Chefchaoen, and Tetuan.

Morocco

Morocco

Camel rides in Morocco! The blue and white

city of Chefchaoen.

ISA took us on a long weekend excursion to the coastal city of Lisbon, Portugal.

In Lisbon, we saw the Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery (both UNESCO World Heritage sites).

Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon

At Jerónimos Monastery

In late April, a group of friends and I traveled to Rome, Italy.

In Rome, we saw the Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Vatican City, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps.

Of course, we ate lots of pizza and pasta, too!

Rome, Italy

The Coliseum and Trevi Fountain

St. Peter’s Basilica and The Spanish Steps

Pizza and Cannolis!

Following Rome, friends and I traveled to Paris, France.

In Paris, we took bike tours all over the city and visited the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre Museum, Notre Dame, and Moulin Rouge.

And…we ate tons of crepes!

Paris, France

Eiffel Tower and the Louvre

The Bike Tour and Crepes!

One of our last trips was to Dublin, Ireland. In Ireland, we saw St. Patrick’s Cathedral,

Trinity College, and we took a tour of the Irish countryside to arrive at the Cliffs of Moher.

Dublin, Ireland

St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the Cliffs of Moher

After our trip to Dublin, we headed straight to London, England.

In London, we saw Parliament, Big Ben, the London Eye, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, and we took a trip to Stonehenge

London, England

Parliament and Big Ben

Buckingham Palace and Stonehenge

After all of my trips and three months in Seville, it was time for me to return back to the U.S.

I boarded a plane back in Madrid, and flew back home to Manhattan, KS.

Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and I hope to someday visit Seville again!

Leaving Seville