Hello there!

First of all, thank you to everyone taking a moment to read my blog! My name is Karishma Kodia and I am a sophomore studying medicine, with a minor in Spanish, at Penn State University. I am incredibly excited to be spending the next five months in Sevilla, Spain and to be sharing my journey with you all.

Decisions, Decisions

So the real reason I wanted to go to Spain is for their churros con chocolate. Essentially you dip the churros in “hot chocolate” (which is basically fudge-nothing like American hot chocolate) and are immediately in heaven.

(I’m kidding, by the way. But for those of you who know me, you know how incredibly excited I am for these beloved churros!)

churros con chocolate!

Since high school, I have wanted to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country. Spain is particularly alluring to me because of the rich history of the nation, dating back to the 1492 creation of Imperial Spain through the unification of kingdoms via the marriage of Isabel of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon. Because of the size of the nation, there are a variety of subcultures, varying from the Catalonian Barcelona to Islamic and Moorish influences in Granada, to the southern culture of the Andalucía region and the uniqueness of the northern Basque Country. By studying abroad in Spain, I know I will have the opportunity to travel within the country in order to experience and appreciate this variety.

Spaniards consider Sevilla the heart of Spain. I specifically choose to go to Sevilla because the Spanish spoken there is more standardized (as opposed to Barcelona) and because it is a smaller city (as compared to Madrid) where I can have a more intimate experience with the culture and the people.

Clearly there were a lot of decisions to be made. My final decision was choosing between CIEE’s Liberal Arts (LA) and Advanced Liberal Arts (ALA) programs. I decided to opt for the latter for a number of reasons. First, the program ensures that I take most of my classes at the University of Sevilla, where at times I can be the only American student in a class of 20-30 Spaniards. I will therefore be able to practice Spanish to the point that I can (hopefully!) attain fluidity so that I don’t have to think before speaking. In addition the ALA program only has 30 students, a smaller group with closer friendships. Through the ALA program I also receive a stipend to travel independently and explore Spain, which I’m definitely looking forward to doing!

About Sevilla

Here are few fun facts about Sevilla:

• The city is located in southern Spain, in the Andalucía region.
• Temperatures are coldest in January, at around 52°F (definitely excited to miss the Northeast’s snowy winter though!) and get to be the hottest in July at 82°F
• The Guadalquivir River runs through the city. It separates the residential area (where I will be living with a homestay family) and the University of Sevilla. I’m looking forward to the amazing riverside runs!
• It is the 4th largest city in Spain, by population, after Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia.
• For all my art history fans- Diego Velazquez was born in Sevilla!!
• Sevillanos are extremely proud of their city. They are most definitely from Sevilla first, then from Andalucía, then Spain.

I should probably go pack soon, but the packing process confounds me. What does “packing light” for 5 months even mean?!

Wait! You might be wondering, is it Sevilla or Seville? Just as an FYI, Seville is the English version, whereas Sevilla (pronounced Se-bi-ya) is Spanish version.

Hasta luego for now, see you on the other side amigos!

Location: California, U.S.A.