My experience in Seville by Alma Binxhiu

Before coming to Spain I only had a rough idea of what the culture was like and could not wait to experience it first hand. I have been in love with the language for many years now and really wanted to be in an environment were I could truly experience the culture first hand. Although I completely fell in love with Spanish culture there are some things that were a shock to me and I found very odd coming from a Canadian culture.
I remembered when I first arrived in Spain I was so eager to get settled in and get all of my classes organized and textbooks that I noticed people here really take their time when it comes to getting things done. For the first month I needed to pay my rent a few days later due to some issues I was having and my landlord did not mind at all, which is something that rarely happens in Canada. Walking the streets in Seville I notice people actually enjoy their days here and are not in a rush. Every time I am walking around the city I notice people gathered with their families or friends and they are simply having a beverage and tapas while laughing. I have also noticed that people in Seville really enjoy the simple things in life like walking around the city and enjoying an actual conversation with their spouses or children playing on the street with their friends. In general Seville seems like a very lively city with lots of life and people who take time out of their day to hang out with their families and friends. Coming from Canada, this is very rare because people are usually very busy and due to the cold weather 9/12 months of the year they do not usually walk around the city so it is quite empty during the day and night. The fact that Seville is so busy with people during most hours of the day and night is one of the reasons why I fell in love with it because in my opinion there is something special about cities that are full of happy and joy full people who are enjoying life at every chance they can.

I also still find it fascinating the hours that shops are opened in Spain and the meaning behind siesta. Even before coming to Spain, I had never heard of this and when I got here it was very shocking to me. I still forget at times and try to go shopping at the local shops in my neighborhood during siesta hours because I forget. I also forget the fact that most shops are closed on Sundays. Since in Canada Sundays are normal working hours for many shops I forget that here it is different and will try to go grocery shopping then because it is my day off. During the first month I had a rough time getting used to the hours that shops are opened due to Siesta, certain holidays and Sundays which was a pain but now that I am used to it, it is not so bad.

The food in Spain is one major problem that I have had since I got here and I am still struggling with. I have really enjoyed some of the tapas however in general I find that food tastes very different here and I am not used to it. I remember going to Burger King the first week I got here and even there the burger tastes very different. I also noticed that Burger King much like many other fast food restaurants that are worldwide has a much different and menu in Spain and offered a lot of other things that I have not seen in Canada or the United States.

I have tried my best to experience as much of the Spanish culture as I could while I was here. I have tried different foods, even the ones I did not like and have taken dancing lessons as well. I have tried to learn as much Spanish as I can and have tried to speak Spanish in public places. I truly love Seville and am very happy I chose to do my exchange here. Although there were some hard times and things that I had to get used to, overall it was the best semester abroad I could have asked for.