Residing at the university residence in Sevilla, by Danna Monroy

Living in Residencia Celestino Mutis in Pablo de Olavide for the past two months has been a fantastic opportunity. The staff members and residents of the residence here in Seville tend to be friendly and always greet one another making you always feel welcomed no matter what, being “a valuable cultural and human diversity that for centuries has made Seville what it is: a lively, cheerful, hospitable city” as it was mentioned in the article Seville by Eurocities. Compared to the United States, where everyone is doing their own thing and just focusing on their studies, it has been extremely different. We frequently engage in a variety of enjoyable activities during this particular residence that bring us together having a cultural diversity with individuals from all around the world where everyone respects each other. When I initially arrived in Seville, I was anxious and insufficiently prepared for living abroad, which made it difficult for me to make friends and use my communication skills. This residence includes everything I need, including a playroom where residents can socialize and watch TV, as well as a study space that has been useful to me in helping me plan my ideas and study for my exams. The fact that each room has a kitchen so you can prepare your own food amazed me as in the United States, we didn't have the advantage and had to spend a lot of money on a meal plan. Additionally, each resident can use the laundry facility for a low cost without worrying about paying a lot of money for their laundry. I will never forget the amazing experience that made my stay abroad even better. Since they provide residencies in many locations, I will recommend it to anyone wishing to study abroad at Pablo de Olavide or any other university in Spain.

https://eurocities.eu/cities/seville/

Socialization in Spain, by Julia Kim-Matsuda

For such a small city Seville is, I did not expect to see so many people out as I do on a casual weekday. This goes for all times during the day (except for siesta time of course). I can be out at 11 am or 9 pm and there are always people out walking on the streets. As I traveled around other cities in Spain, I kept noticing the same trend. Everyone is always outside, just grabbing a drink and socializing. I can’t help but wonder how brutal it must have been during the COVID-19 pandemic in this country. I was having a difficult time in Canada, and I can count the number of times I go out with others in a month on one hand.

As I adjusted to the culture more, I learned that this is because it is much easier to go out to socialize with others than to invite them over to your home as houses here are much smaller compared to the US or Canada. Going out is also significantly cheaper here compared to Canada or America. Going out for drinks, especially as a university student, can be quite taxing on the wallet. Living here has made me more aware of the relationship between the civil design of cities and the economy of the country can play into the collectivistic, tight-knit nature of the culture here in Spain. But most importantly, I found that Spaniards rather prioritize nurturing social relationships. North American culture heavily revolves around productivity and being economical with time. You can see this in the demographic of people you would see at a bar in these countries. For example, there would be many people doing business over drinks, whereas in Spain people will go to bars with the sole intention of enjoying the company of others. The culture of focusing on human connection is something I came to appreciate and prefer during my time here and hope to implement in my life when I return home.

https://jetsettimes.com/countries/spain/barcelona/barcelona-diaries/because-time-passes-more-slowly-in-spain/

City life of Spain: Apartments vs the “American Homes” by Alejandro Gomez de la Vega

The day that I arrived in Seville I noticed that everyone here lives in apartments. Big houses, like those found in American suburbs, are a foreign idea here. I remember during my orientation I learned that people do not really invite people over to their homes to hang out, but rather meet out somewhere life at a coffee shop or bar. This was interesting to me because in California, I go to my friends’ homes to hang out very frequently. Living with a host family, I became very acclimated to Spain’s apartment lifestyle quickly. I remember I had a conversation with my host mom and her sister about my house back in California. They were very curious to see what my house and neighborhood looked like. This conversation began due to their curiosity that American houses really looked like what they saw in TV shows. I showed them my home and they found it super interesting and they thought it was so cool to have a place with so much space. Seville and my hometown differ though beyond just the simple fact that the homes are different. Because of how spaced out American suburbs are, the idea of being able to walk around everywhere is a very impractical idea. Seville’s extreme walkability would not be possible with its apartment structure. In Spain as a whole, 65% of people live in an apartment while in the U.S. it is about 17%. Another interesting difference that arises from having different homes is the disposal of garbage. In the U.S. most people have their own garbage bins that they put out on the sidewalk once a week for the garbage trucks to pick up. In Seville, there are instead garbage bins outside in the street that neighbors share. I also noticed that most people in Spain don’t have dryers in their homes, but rather hang their clothes outside to dry. This was very different from my experiment in the states. All in all it is very intriguing how the type of homes typical within a place can have such an effect on the way people live their lives.

https://felixwong.com/2021/10/differences-between-homes-in-the-u-s-and-spain/

Apartment in Spain Where I Stay

Home in California

Changes in space, by Morgan Myers

During my time in Seville, I learned a lot about not just the Spanish culture but my own as well. I learned that my life in America, which is seemingly “normal” and easy for me, may just be adaptations to a culture I am familiar with. Stepping out of my comfort zone has allowed me to discover a world of everyday norms that are different from those in American society. Adjusting to a new language, city, and customs was a challenge in and of itself, but one constructional change that particularly challenged and perplexed me was the concept of space. Specifically, where Spaniards spend most of their time socializing.

Something that I had never thought about before arriving in Spain was where I met up to hang out with my friends and family. In the United States, I would drive over to my friends house and spend hours on end sitting on their couch casually spending time with them. We would order food in, grab some drinks, and watch a movie without thinking twice about it. Socializing in a home setting was not a construct I had to think twice about. Upon my arrival in Spain, however, this norm was disrupted when one of my program advisors informed us that most Spaniards only spent time in their homes to eat, clean, and sleep. This means that Spaniards view their homes as being a more personal place where people don’t come to socialize or spend time. At first, I thought this was surely an exaggeration, but as I became more familiar with “the ways” of people living in Seville I found this to be true. Most of my friends that I made through study abroad lived in homestays and we were not allowed into their home, so this forced us to meet up in public to spend time together. Though this was strange at first, I grew accustomed to it and learned to enjoy my time spent exploring the city. It allowed us to try new places often and establish favorite spots that we would return to on a weekly basis.

While the change in my concept of space was uncomfortable for me to adapt to, it allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and spend more time exploring Seville. Many of my most cherished memories that I made are because of this forced change in social norms, and for that I am grateful. Now that I am back in the United States, I am going to remember this positive change and try to implement the norm more into my life here. I will encourage meeting with people outside of our homes and thus explore new areas in places which I am already familiar with.

https://www.thelocal.es/20191128/nine-ways-your-socializing-habits-change-after-moving-to-spain