During our first weekend here, we took a two-day trip to Granada, where we visited the Alhambra and the Capilla Real de Granada, among other places. A pleasant surprise about Granada was the free tapa that comes with every drink that you order! On my way home from Granada, I struck up a conversation with the Spanish boy sitting next to me and we ended up speaking in Spanish for the entire three hours back to Sevilla. I was very surprised at my ability to hold a conversation for that long!
The following weekend one of our Sevillian friends drove us to Rota, Cádiz, for a day. This beach, about an hour and a half from Sevilla, is where you can find Naval Station Rota, the largest American military community in Spain. We played a game on the beach where we had to guess who was American and who was Spanish, which turned out to be very easy. Most recently, we visited Madrid for a three-day weekend, which was amazing. Though we had to spend 12 hours on a bus to get there and back and walk 30 miles around the city, it was worth it. My favorite part of our trip was exploring the Parque del Retiro at sunset.
Though we have been on many weekend trips, Sevilla has come to feel like home. I can feel the time flying past and already know that I will be so sad to leave in two months. I am trying to make the best of every day here and immerse myself as fully as possible into the wonderful Sevillian culture.
-Sophie Marcom
2021 Medical Intern in Seville, Spain