Seville is unbelievably beautiful.  I almost don’t know how else to describe it.  This is my first time outside of the U.S. (other than Niagara Falls as a kid), and I am constantly amazed at the history that surrounds me.  I mean, la Universidad de Sevilla and the CIEE Study Center palace buildings are older than the United States! Crazy.

I’m not completely sure what I had expected this foreign city to look like beyond the pictures I had seen online.  I am an International Business minor and have studied globalization and case studies such as McDonald’s.  It is one thing to read about it, but a completely different thing to actually experience it.  My first thought on the bus from the Seville airport to the hotel? “This looks just like Florida, but with blue road signs instead of green.”  That definitely changed the next day when our guide took us on a walking tour of part of the city.

I have always been one of those kids in school who loves history.  There are gorgeous buildings and parks everywhere you look in Seville, and each one has a story behind it.  What amazed me was to see these old, detailed buildings with a Starbucks next door.  It seems as though there is a Starbucks almost as often as there is in the United States…not to mention McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC.  I have also heard many popular pop songs from the U.S. in stores and on TV.  TV is a whole other thing.  I knew there would probably be some U.S. television dubbed in Spanish, but I was surprised at the large amount.  For example, shows like Bones, The Office, Cold Case, CSI, NCIS, Futurama, The Simpsons, the ENTIRE Disney Channel, movies, etc. are all easily found on TV.  Of course there are also tons of Spanish shows as well, and I like watching both kinds.  The ones from the U.S. help me with Spanish because I already know the storylines, and the Spanish ones are fun to watch, too.

But anyway, back to Seville and the scenery.  One of my favorite places in the city so far is la Plaza de Espa�a.  It is absolutely beautiful.  Below is my favorite picture that I took there.

I also love the streets and appreciate how much time that went into creating these buildings.  You can also find carriages and mopeds everywhere you turn.

I remember walking around on the first day and saying “Wow. This entire city looks just like a movie set.”  As a gift for my homestay (I am living with a young, incredibly sweet woman in a city apartment), I gave her a picture book of Pittsburgh filled with images from 1917 and today.  She has never been to the U.S., and the first thing she said about them (in Spanish of course) was, “Wow. It looks like an American movie set.”  I knew we were bound to be friends after that!

Though I frequently get lost in the maze of narrow streets in Seville, I can’t wait to be settled in and become a sevillana.

Location: Seville, Spain