¡Saludos a todos desde
Sevilla, España! (Greetings to everyone from Sevilla, Spain!) As the
streets of Sevilla are filled to the brim with visitors from all over the world
to view the beautiful processions of the Sevillan Semana Santa (Holy Week),
it’s nice to take a break from the craziness and relay to y’all some of the
remarkable experiences I’ve had in Spain and Europe thus far.
This semester abroad is my very first time in Europe and what an
excitement it has been! I landed in Madrid near the end of January, then
traveled with my wonderful ISA program friends to Toledo and Sevilla, where I
met my incredible host family. I have a host mother, father and a 9 year-old
host sister that are absolutely amazing (not to mention that my host mom is the
best cook I know in Spain, check out my “Food” album on Facebook for more
delicious info). At university I am attending, La Universidad Pablo de Olavide
(UPO), I have very intelligent and entertaining professors and have been
provided opportunities for Conversational ESL (which I love doing) and
socializing events with local Spaniards. Through the UPO I’ve begun to take
private flamenco guitar lessons from a professional instructor, that way I can
bring some of Spain back with me for y’all to enjoy! Throughout my time in the
city I’ve made lasting friendships with many locals, with whom I hang out on
the weekends playing instruments, cards, shooting pool, going out to dinner or
just conversing with each other. Culturally, I’ve also been able to experience
a Sevilla Soccer Club match, become a part of my family’s Catholic church, dine
with Spanish families and friends, buy a bullfighting ticket for Feria de Abril
and worm my way through the “buyas” (enormous crowds) of people to see the images
of Semana Santa.
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| Pumped for the Sevilla-Levante match! |
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| Playing cards after shooting some pool in Sevilla |
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| One of the images of Semana Santa parading through the streets, carried by 35 men called "costaleros" from underneath |
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| Excited for the upcoming bullfight during Feria de Abril! |
Outside of Sevilla, I have been fortunate to be able to travel, from
Cádiz to Antequera; Lisbon, Portugal; Berlin, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark;
Malmö, Sweden; and most recently, the Saharan Desert in Morocco. A superb treat
while in Berlin was being able to see two fellow Levine Scholars, Eileen and
Austin, and be able to traverse the city as any scholarly trio would.
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| Having a wonderful time in Berlin with Eileen and Austin! |
Last week, I spent six days in Morocco, three of which were spent in
the Sahara Desert. The trip brought back the awe, adventure and excitement of
the NOLS expedition I completed with my LSP cohort and allowed me to catch a
glimpse of the third-world, with its barefoot children in trash-ridden streets,
jobless masses and inadequate infrastructure. In spite of the negative aspects
I observed, I also met some of the friendliest people I’ve encountered in my
life, all while taking in the natural beauty and vastness of the country.
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| Riding through the Sahara with the best camel in the desert, Kalil Hamid |
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| Enjoying the beautiful sunrises and endless sands of the Moroccan desert! |
With two months down and two to go, there are so many more people to
meet, places to see, experiences to have and lessons to learn! I am so grateful
for the Levine Scholars Program and this amazing opportunity they have provided
me, now it’s time to make the most of it!
--Esteban Mendieta, Class of 2018
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