As I lie sprawled on my bed reflecting upon the first week of my trip on this over-100° day in Seville, I can’t help but marvel at the dichotomy between this city and Pittsburgh. Just eight days ago, I was nearly oblivious to the wonders and challenges I would face in going to a foreign country with a great language barrier—alone. For one, I had no knowledge of the difficulty I would have with communicating and the benefits this challenge would ultimately reap. On the first few days of my trip, I found myself attempting to speak English at times when my Spanish failed me or trying unsuccessfully to express my meaning in hand gestures. I quickly learned, however, that I must circumnavigate the Spanish words and phrases I don’t know and use others to make my point clear. This change has forced me to reach into the depths of my vocabulary and better use my Spanish. Additionally, the immersive experience that this country presents has given me an abundance of useful conversational phrases. I now use “vale” when I want to say “okay,” “¿Qué tal?” instead of the traditional “¿Cómo estás?” (How are you?) and “bocadillo” in place of the Spanish word “sandwich,” because to the people of Seville, “sandwich” implies that it has been heated and pressed like a panini. Every day that I spend here, I feel more and more at home in Seville as I gain a greater understanding of this country’s language.

I am further adjusting to life here in Seville by partaking in the city’s customs and lifestyle, which are extremely different from our own. As soon as I exited the baggage claim area of the airport, a woman from the organization overseeing my program greeted me with “besos,” or a kiss on each cheek. I was slightly startled at the time, but by now have grown so accustomed to this endearing form of greeting that I find myself giving besos without thinking twice about it! I have also never been anywhere where the people follow an eating pattern even remotely similar to that which Spaniards practice. They have a reasonably light breakfast at around eight o’clock, followed by a large lunch at around two in the afternoon and a light dinner, sometimes consisting of simply vegetables or soup, between nine and ten in the evening. I thought upon hearing about their dietary pattern that I would grow extremely hungry during the long breaks between meals, but the heat has taken away much of my appetite. Besides, my host mother ensures that we have more than enough to eat should we want it!

Living in Seville is also giving me exposure to the rich culture of this city. Everywhere I turn, there are statues and busts of important Catholic figures as well as churches and cathedrals, all of which highlight the city’s strong ties to Catholicism. I further experienced these ties last night and this morning, as the city observed Corpus Christi, a celebration of the Eucharist. Magnificent shrines lay in front of storefronts throughout the streets, the military band played regal music in the Plaza Virgen de los Reyes, and a procession of floats marched through the city, releasing incense as it went to mark its trail. All the stores closed in deference to this religious day, and civilians flooded into the streets to watch the festivities before returning home quietly for the night. Given the religious diversity of Pittsburgh and the secular nature of America to which I am accustomed, I was quite surprised and fascinated by the completeness with which the city participated in the festival.

I also found myself amazed upon visiting a local market. I have always seen Spanish markets depicted as rather chaotic and confusing, yet I found the opposite here in Seville. Fluorescent lights illuminated each stand, products were organized and labeled with prices, and shoppers and vendors did not yell loudly at each other but instead talked in a civil tone. Yet this market was far from a Giant Eagle. Each stand sold only fresh produce, meat, or fish, and some of the foods were quite exotic. Never before had I seen in a store a selection of cow hearts or pigs’ feet, nor had I encountered a swordfish head sticking out of a bed of ice. It’s fascinating to experience these cultural differences between Seville and Pittsburgh, and I can’t wait to keep learning about this marvelous city over the next two weeks!