When I arrived to study abroad in Seville, I had no routine, I was a tourist in every way. The first week was an exploration into the Spanish lifestyle and this beautiful city. Now, over four weeks later and over three weeks into class, I have finally assembled some sort of routine, though in Seville you never really know where the day will take you.
A typical weekday starts with class.
7:55 - Wake up with an alarm and drag myself out of my comfortable and warm bed. I get ready as quickly as possible, trying not to wake my roommate.
8:15 – Eat breakfast in our dining room, a small corner off of the even smaller kitchen in my Casa de Sevilla. My breakfast usually consists of Greek yogurt or some kind of fresh fruit depending on what our señora, Lola, stocks in the kitchen. My favorite fruit here are pears, which are always perfectly ripe.
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| Catedral de Sevilla and Giralda |
8:45 – Leave my casa and make my way to school, the CEA center. I live in the northern part of El Centro in Seville and CEA is in Barrio Santa Cruz, otherwise known as the Jewish Quarter, just south of the Catedral de Sevilla. The walk is a little over a mile and goes through the main shopping district, Tiendas del Centro, past the cathedral and bell tower, Giralda, and along the narrow cobbled paths leading to the school.
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| CEA Center |
9:05 – Arrive at CEA with ten minutes to spare. I have a tendency to always be early, which means I get to sit in the downstairs lobby and relax. The CEA center is a three-story building, with classrooms on the first and second floors, while the main floor has the lobby, a computer room, offices and an outdoor patio.
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| Spanish Classroom |
9:15 to 10:45 –Spanish class. For the first thirty minutes of class we practice speaking Spanish, talking about our weekends and experiences in the city. The next hour is spent reviewing and learning new grammar and verb tenses. The class, while difficult, is a great way to practice my Spanish in a relaxed atmosphere. There are only ten people in Intermediate Spanish I, which means we have plenty of focus from the teacher and can always learn from our mistakes and successes.
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| El Rincon de Murillo |
10:45 to 11:15 – Break between class at El Rincon de Murillo, around the corner from CEA. This is my favorite place to get a café con leche, chat with other students and people watch. The café is on a corner where tour groups pass by almost every five minutes. It is a place to hear a variety of languages and practice my Spanish with the waitresses.
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| International Business classroom |
11:15 to 12:45 – International Business class. We spend the hour and a half discussing travel through Europe, business practices, economy and everything in between. I am not a business major, nor have I ever taken a business class, however I have loved every minute of International Business. The teacher is engaging and entertaining and the concepts he explains are easy to understand. The class is small enough that we have the opportunity to ask questions and discuss what we are learning and experiencing in Seville.
12:50 – Meander home with my roommates, taking our time, window shopping and chatting.
14:00 – Our señora, who lives above us, brings lunch over, which usually consists of salad, bread and pasta, soup or a rice dish.
14:30 to 18:30 – Siesta. The first couple weeks here have been warm in the afternoon, which means it is the perfect time to stay inside and relax. Since I don’t take a lot of naps, I spend my siesta reading, hanging out with my roommates and working on homework.
18:30 – Run through the city and along the river or go to the gym. My roommate and I spend our evenings enjoying the weather and sunset on a nice long run or, if we have walked enough for the day, we head to the gym close to our casa, which has a weight room and workout classes.
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| Sunset along the Guadalquivir River |
21:00 – Dinner at my casa, usually a lighter meal made by our señora. My favorite so far has been fried eggs and green beans in a flavorful garlic tomato sauce. We spend thirty minutes or so around the dinner table, talking and eating.
In Spain I have grown accustomed to staying up late. After dinner I relax at home or go for a walk. While I may have a routine, every day in Seville has been a surprise. There is always something new to learn, new places to see and new people to meet.
Kaleigh Shufeldt is the Fall 2014 CEA Mojo in Seville, Spain. She is currently a senior at the University of Arizona.