Chapter 4: The People

The people here in Sevilla will forever be the most memorable part of my time studying abroad. The culture here in Spain is so different than in the United States. It has taken some time getting used to, but these past weeks, I have finally begun to understand how Spaniards think, and how it effects …

Chapter 3: Morocco

When you think of Morocco, what comes to mind? Everyone has their inclinations. If you’ve seen movies or know a little about the country, you may feel like you have an idea. The three short days that I spent there, I realized two things: that everything I thought before was very wrong, and that I …

Chapter 2: Portugal

On Friday, February 7th, a group of about twenty CIEE students made their way onto a bus. This bus was heading to the infamous Lisbon, Portugal (or Lisboa as they say). We had the Airbnb, round trip tickets and passports ready. I came into the weekend without any expectations or notions as to what this …

Chapter 1: Setting Roots

So far, my time in this wonderful city has been nothing short of amazing. In the two weeks that I have been here, I have had the pleasure of experiencing a lot for the first time. My favorite by far is la Plaza de España which is one of Spain’s largest and most beautiful attractions …

A Beginner’s Guide to Sevilla

On the morning of January 15th, I woke up to sounds of a plane engine. Getting out of the hotel bed and walking over to the window, I could see the plane rising up over the O’Hare control tower and disappearing into the grey clouds hanging low in the sky. I was in Chicago with …

Finding and Keeping Friends While Abroad

Me, Monse, and Saira at their Alpha Gamma Phi formal last year. We all know about Hope culture, and the Hope “Hi!” It was one of the things that attracted me to Hope when I was a senior in college. I knew it was the right environment for me and because of it, I made …

Interning at Intersect Madrid

  **English at the bottom** Hace tres meses que tuve mi entrevista con Intersect Madrid. Durante la entrevista, hablamos sobre el inicio de la organizacion, así que pude entender las ganas de Genevieve y los líderes de Intersect Madrid, llamados Harshal, Joe, y Lela. Es una organización de las relaciones interpersonales acerca de temas de …

Changes

I’ve been abroad for almost three months now, and so much has changed. As you could imagine, my perspective on life has changed, but I’ve undergone other huge changes as well. So many that I don’t know where to begin.  For about a month in a half, I was in a shared apartment with 4 …

Pick a Favorite?

Every Monday, the classroom is filled with chatter about what everyone did the previous weekend. “How did you like [insert city name here]?” “What did you do there?” “Oh, I loved/didn’t like that city” “What’s your favorite place you’ve been so far?” Of course I participate in these pre-class discussions. How could I not? The …

Día Internacional de la Mujer

I am privileged to say that I have now participated in two Women’s Marches, in two capitals of the world. Back in 2017, after Trump was inaugurated, I traveled overnight to our nation’s capital, Washington D.C., with a bus full of Hope faculty and students. These are experiences I will never forget because they are …