I’m studying at the Center for Cross-Cultural Study, I’ve been here for a month and I’m not coming home. If anyone is thinking about studying abroad I strongly encourage you to do so, this will be the greatest experience of my life. When we arrived in Sevilla we spent two nights in a hotel. This was a great idea as it allowed us all to meet people in the program before we all arrived at our homestays. There are 135 people in the program and I have not met a single person that hasn’t been friendly and filled with the same enthusiasm and doubts that I have felt.

I’m in my third week of classes and so far they are going very well. I’m taking six classes, two of which are 1 credit each. The classes are taught in Spanish and are similar in size to those at Muhlenberg. The professors are incredibly helpful and teach you not only what is included in the textbooks but they also teach you through experience.

In terms of my homestay, I could not say one negative thing. I live with a single woman who has 2 daughters, one who is 23 and one who is 27. My señora is a gracious woman who greatly enjoys the company of young people. My roommate and I love sitting at meals and learning from her, she loves to tell us stories of her life, and listening to her speak is just as helpful to my learning of Spanish as are my classes.

Not only is Sevilla breathtaking but so are many other cities in Spain. Granada was a beautiful mountain town that includes the beautiful Alhambra and Capilla Real, where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella are buried. This past weekend we visited Málaga, a coastal town south of Sevilla. It was chilly, but I did stick my foot in the Mediterranean Sea, an experience all in itself.
I could go on forever about Spain, but I’ll save you the details and hope that you can experience its beauty yourself. I encourage everyone to travel abroad, particularlyto Sevilla. And once you’re here, look me up... because I’m not coming home!

--Adrienne Verbich ‘06