Where are you studying in Spain?Katharine: Sevilla (Seville) which is in Andalucía in southern Spain.
What made you choose this location?
Katharine: Friends from W&L who studied abroad in Sevilla last spring couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was. Also, being a small town girl from Lexington, I knew that I didn’t want to be studying in a huge city like Madrid so I looked at my other options. Sevilla seemed to best fit the profile of the study abroad experience that I was looking for so I went for it!
Katharine: Friends from W&L who studied abroad in Sevilla last spring couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was. Also, being a small town girl from Lexington, I knew that I didn’t want to be studying in a huge city like Madrid so I looked at my other options. Sevilla seemed to best fit the profile of the study abroad experience that I was looking for so I went for it!
What's the best part about living there in Sevilla?
Katharine: The best part about living in Sevilla is the learning experience that I am having. Going off to college and being on your own in the US is one thing, but leaving the country and being on your own in a completely different cultural setting is another. I think that being here has enabled me to learn a lot about myself as well as the outside world and other cultures. I have finally been able to apply my many years of studying Spanish in a real life setting which is so cool to be able to do.
Katharine: The best part about living in Sevilla is the learning experience that I am having. Going off to college and being on your own in the US is one thing, but leaving the country and being on your own in a completely different cultural setting is another. I think that being here has enabled me to learn a lot about myself as well as the outside world and other cultures. I have finally been able to apply my many years of studying Spanish in a real life setting which is so cool to be able to do.
What's the hardest thing about living there?Katharine: The hardest thing is probably not having all of the conveniences that we do at home in the US. It is pretty hard to find certain things that you really need and not having a car also makes things pretty difficult. You can’t just zip across town to pick something up; you have to plan ahead because it takes at least 20 minutes to get anywhere you need to go. Something else that is pretty hard about being in Sevilla and not another part of Spain is the difference in the Spanish accent. In Andalucía there is a very distinct accent that doesn’t sound like “normal” Spanish so it is pretty hard to understand people at times and even harder for them to understand us when we speak because we don’t have that accent.
What are the biggest adjustments you feel you've had to make living in a foreign country?
Katharine: Learning to adapt to the different kind of lifestyle has been a huge adjustment. The day to day routine here is so different from the one I follow at home which was very hard to get used to. I was pretty exhausted the entire first 2 weeks because I was not used to the schedule of a very early breakfast, a late lunch and a late dinner. Not to mention we walk EVERYWHERE here so it can get pretty tiring. Another big adjustment would have to be the supermarket scene over here...which isn’t so “super.” It is not as easy to go into one store here and find everything you need. Most times you go to one store for fresh bread, one store for fresh veggies etc. and the grocery stores provide the basics. There is no such thing as your one-stop-shop Rockbridge County Super Wal-Mart over here.
What classes are you taking?Katharine: I am taking four classes that are all helping me fulfill my Spanish major requirements: Spanish Realist Novel, Writing and Composition of Texts, Culture and Society of Spain and Spanish Art: El Greco to Picasso.
What do you and Wilton do on weekends?
Katharine: We have been using most of our weekends to travel around Spain and other parts of Europe. In Spain, we have gone to Granada, Toledo, Madrid, Cordoba, Malaga and Cadiz. We have also ventured to Munich, Portugal, Morocco, London and we plan to head to Rome in December. When we are in Sevilla for the weekends we usually treat ourselves to eating out for meals, since we cook for ourselves during the week days. We also walk around the main part of the city, going in and out of shops and just to kill some time. The weather is pretty consistent here in that there is usually sunshine and blue sky so venturing out during the day is very enjoyable!
What is the one thing you miss most about W&L/Lexington?Katharine: I miss the atmosphere of the W&L campus and my favorite places to eat. We really don’t have a school campus here…I go to classes in one building and that’s it. There is no true “campus” which I miss because you really feel like you are at school and you get to see all of your friends during the day. I also must say that I really miss Blue Sky, Franks and Lexington Restaurant. To be honest…the list could go on and on but I won’t embarrass myself by mentioning all of the places that I can’t wait to go to when I get back.
Anything else you'd like Generals' fans, players and parents to know?Katharine: I can’t wait to get the season started and reunite with everyone at our AWESOME tailgates. I also look forward to seeing Maggie and her family, some of our biggest fans, at our games cheering us on! See everyone in the new year!!!
