Now that I am a little over a month into my Seville study abroad experience, I can confirm that you actually do have to “study” when you study abroad. Although you might think that school would get in the way of enjoying this grand adventure, to my surprise it has actually ended up being one of my favorite parts of the study abroad program experience. In Seville, we take a few classes at our CEA Center, and one or two classes at a hybrid university. Depending on your program, this could mean taking classes at University of Pablo de Olavide, University of Sevilla, or EUSA, which is an international school which I attend for the Communications, Tourism, and Media Studies program.
I love this duality, because the CEA Center offers comfort and a feeling of a second home with our lovely onsite staff and being surrounded by Americans while studying abroad. But for me at EUSA, it pushes me out of my comfort zone a bit and has allowed me to meet a lot of other international students -- most of the students in my class are from Germany, Spain, and Italy.
The academics here are a bit different than in the States, but I find it to be in a very refreshing way. It is much more hands-on learning, and I really enjoy how instead of just learning from lectures and exams, we will get out and go experience advertising firsthand in a store, or go out on a photography field trip, ask locals about their culture, etc. It makes class much more exciting and we get to learn about the city as well as the subject matter of the classes.
Here are some photos of my day to day at both of these institutions -- you can get a glimpse of our little corner of the city at the CEA Study Abroad Center as well as EUSA!
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| Our building is nestled in a cute little street, in the beautiful neighborhood of Barrio Santa Cruz. From here you can walk through the scenic alleyways to just about anywhere in Seville! |
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| Inside of the CEA Center, there are many places to study. One of my favorite places is this courtyard, private for CEA students and perfect for sunny days. |
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| Another favorite study location of mine is the rooftop of CEA -- this a perfect place to catch some sun while passing the time between classes! |
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| Even the views from our classrooms are beautiful -- this window overlooks the CEA courtyard. |
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| Walking to class at EUSA, my hybrid University. |
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| An inside look at EUSA - there are many places to study here, too, my favorite being the 3rd floor lounge which is shown here. This is a great space to get some work done and make international friends! |