New York vs. Sevilla, by Aria Mustary

New York, for the first 18 years of my life, I thought was the best city in the world. Nothing could beat the diversity of cultures, thought, and expression.
It wasn’t until I came to Sevilla that I realized that I could love another city just as much, but in a completely different way. Although culturally there are many differences such as the food, the way people look, and the history, the main difference is the pace of life.
New York contains the most fast-paced, ambitious, and capitalistic people. It’s an incredibly large city, but tight with over eight and a half million people. Sevilla, on the other hand, with only two million people, are much slower-paced, and not nearly as capitalist centered.
One of the main things I learned are that the lifestyles are a lot more outdoors here than New York, and why. One is able to socially spend their time outside here than in New York. I personally believe that this goes way past individualistic and collectivistic cultures, because although that is an important factor here, I believe it matters geographically too. Currently in New York City, it’s 1° Celsius, whereas here, it’s 14° Celsius. I believe that this dramatic difference allows changes in mindsets for both cities. It’s clear that because there’s an enormous weather difference in both New York City and Sevilla during the summer, but also in the winter. Hence, even in the winter, you will see people eating and drinking with their friends and families outside. I’ve talked to my host mom about this and she agrees, the Spanish cannot keep themselves inside. And that’s incredible.
I’ve loved everything about living in Sevilla the last couple months. In more modern and Generation Z terms, I loved the “vibe”. The people were generally warmer, friendlier, happier. Although I was born and raised in New York, I would love to be here again.