My Life Has Officially Changed

I have to say that this is a really condensed blog post and does not do justice to my entire trip so far. My first few days in Spain I spent as a tourist–sightseeing and walking around in Madrid and Toledo. I am in awe of everything this country has to offer.

The thing I really love about Spain is the architecture, it is so different from the buildings in California, but it reminds me of Oaxaca, where my parents are from. The first week I met some amazing people that I have grown close to; ISA is full of great coordinators and students, it is like a family.

I love oranges! Arriving in Sevilla was surreal; the day we arrived there was a huge soccer game Sevilla vs. Betis, apparently the city is one or the other. My roommate and I ended up in Sevilla’s soccer stadium and there were many people there, it was incredible to see how much enthusiasm the fans have.

Addressing the first sentence of this paragraph, Sevilla has MANY orange trees, you can’t eat them because they are bitter/sour, but it makes me look forward to the spring when everything will be in bloom. The experience so far has been incredible. Something that has surprised me here in Sevilla is that lunch is a BIG meal, dinner is around 10PM, and there is a siesta time!

This week we officially started with the first week of classes and it is hard to believe that we have to do homework or even attend school. So far it has been more of a vacation, but I like my classes because they relate to my major and–as a bonus–my professors are amazing! Adjusting to this new life has not been very hard, but I am adjusting fairly quickly, I’m just glad that my parents and friends are a Skype call away. Something I do miss is my mom’s cooking since meals are way different from what I am used to, and it’s only the first week! I’m hoping it this gets better with time.  This experience has been like a dream, I could not have asked for something better.

Until next time!

Xochitl Cruz
Sevilla, Spain
Spring 2012