Study Abroad Spain - All Things Seville

After living in Seville for two weeks, I had seen and done most everything that the city had to offer. I had gone to all the major sights such as La Catedral, The Archivo General de Indias, Plaza de Espana, and the amazing view that the Metropol Parasol had to offer. 

When I wasn't in class, which was only four hours each day, I was out meeting other students from around the world or playing soccer at a local recreation center. Normally we would get a group of people from our own school to play a couple games of soccer, but eventually we got to know some locals from Seville and started a couple pick up games with them. 

Personally my favorite part of being in Seville was getting to know a lot of different people my age from all over the world and learn about how they see things it seemed like a very large melting pot for students to travel and study. 

As for the food in Seville, I without a doubt tried some of the most delicious dishes and tapas during my stay such as Rabo de Toro, Pulpo, Jamon, Navajas, and Txpirones, which I would have never been exposed to or had a chance to try without visiting Spain. 

My host mother in Seville also made a lot of common dishes of Spain, for instance Tortilla Espanol, Paella, and Gazpacho. After dinner, which was usually around 9:00pm, I would head out to see the night life of Seville with new friends I made from different countries, and needless to say we always found something to do or a place to relax and talk about the differences from our own countries and customs. 

My time in Spain has encouraged me to travel as much as I can whenever I have the opportunity to, and it has helped me to better appreciate the things I have back in the United States.

- James Grimm, Junior, Political Science major, Bravo Company

Study Abroad Spain - Seville

We asked the head of each of our study abroad programs to have their students write about some of things they are seeing and learning about abroad. Our group from Spain is sharing about their travels in Seville.

¡Hola a todos! The past week in Sevilla has been absolutely enchanting. After classes we have plenty of free time (with the exception of siestas of course) to wander the city and absorb as much as possible. The first day of class we were given a tour that took us throughout the various barrios of Sevilla so we could become better acquainted with the city. We saw some gorgeous views on the ground and some even more impressive ones on top of La Torre de Oro, an old tower that was a prison during the Middle Ages that overlooks the Guadalquivir River. We were also able to take a walk around La Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, a beautiful Gothic cathedral that happens to be the third largest church and the largest cathedral with a sitting bishop in the world. Pride for España was evident from the many flags and other patriotic symbols we saw, including numerous statues of famous matadores and toreros, or bullfighters.

                With only one more week in Sevilla until we travel to Valencia for the remaining two weeks, we are eager to continue experiencing all that Sevilla has to offer. There are more sights to be seen, more pictures to be taken, more fun to be had, and more cuisine to enjoy. ¡Adiós!

- Kaiya Narayan, Senior, Criminal Justice & Modern Languages major, Band Company

One of the places that I visited while in Seville was the Cathedral. It was one of the most magnificent things that I have ever seen. The Cathedral in Seville was one of the largest structures that I have seen in person, and one of the most detailed. I saw the Cathedral while on a small tour of Seville and it took my breath away. Not only is the Cathedral a work of art, but it also a piece of history. One interesting fact that I learned since I have been here in Seville is that Christopher Columbus is buried within the Cathedral, and if you go inside you are able to see his tomb and where he was laid to rest.  Another interesting fact about the Cathedral that I learned is that looking at the Cathedral you are able to notice that there are there different types of architecture that makeup the tremendous structure. The three different architect types that can be seen on the Cathedral are Roman, Arabic, and Gothic. I know that I have stressed the fact that the Cathedral is an absolutely mind rattling structure in the terms of beauty and history, but if I had to recommend you see one thing while you are in Seville it would be the Cathedral. It was one of my favorite things that I encountered on my adventure to Seville.

- Josh Terry, Junior, Computer Science major, Kilo Company

Jacob in Ecuador - Week 1

I cannot believe that it is already Friday, I have been having so much fun that this week has flown by! I’m not going to lie and say that class has been fun, but I have already learned so much about the language. I am now a fluent listener, but I still need a little work with the speaking part. Surprisingly, I have learned the most outside the classroom through exploring the city and talking with the Quito natives. Andres and I decided to join a gym near our house, and we have already made a group of friends through working out. It is so interesting to learn how these people view life, which is completely different than the average North American. I have come to appreciate living in the United States so much more than I did before. Throughout the week I learned about Ecuador’s Socialist government and I have interacted with people who tell me what it is like living here. Though Quito is a nice city, there is much poverty. We are truly blessed to live in the land of the free.

            On Wednesday our group went on a tour of the historic center here in Quito. I was amazed by the precise architecture of the many churches and government buildings that we saw. My favorite part of the night was seeing the statue of the virgin that overlooks the city of Quito. It is said that the statue protects the city from evil, and the statue is of an angel standing over a serpent. The statue is on a mountain and it was very foggy when we went so I was unable to get a good picture. However I plan on going back when I have free time so I can get some awesome pictures and a view of the city.

            There has not been a dull moment since the moment I closed my laptop after finishing my last entry. Quito has quite the nightlife, and a very modern movie theatre and mall. I have been going to the gym everyday with Andres and Dominique Calderone. We all have to go to LDAC shortly after we get back, and we are going to be in awesome shape. We are just now getting fully acclimated to the high altitude, and we can walk to school and back without losing our breath.

            Tomorrow we are heading to the baños, which is a very popular tourist attraction in Ecuador. There will be waterfalls, hot springs, and great views! We are spending two days there and I am very excited to go. Our instructors are very fun and they make sure that we have a good time! I am starting to wish that I had more than one month in Quito because there is so much to see and do. 

Jacob in Ecuador - First Day

Yesterday I landed in Quito right on time at 6:30! The flight was awesome, but the food on the plane gave me painful memories of the mess hall back at school. I decided to go with the chicken, which I do not advise if you plan on international travel in the near future. The flight was around 4 hours long, and I knew we were close when I could see the mountaintops peeking at us from under the clouds. From the moment we landed, I felt the excitement of a little kid walking down the stairs on Christmas morning. Andres and I got off the plane as quickly as we could and met up with Dr. Segle and Dr. Urroz who were waiting for us in the terminal. We were reunited with a group of familiar Citadel buddies, and we all told war stories of the airplane food until our bus arrived to take us to our new houses. Andres and I were assigned to the Brito family, and I was overcome with joy when I saw that our house was on the same street as a gym and a Subway restaurant. I had been concerned that I would not have the opportunity to work out in Quito and that I would hate the food, but it turns out that I was worried over nothing. We met Senorita Brito, or Sandra, upon arrival at the house and she greeted us with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Apparently this is the custom in Quito. Sandra is very nice, and she warmly took us on a tour of her house and made us a delicious dinner of steak, green beans, and potatoes. We each have our own rooms with a T.V., and there is internet and a warm shower. Andres and I both agreed that our new home was far better than the barracks, and we feel very at home here. The only downside to our location is that we will face a 25 minute walk to the school each morning, and the first half is up a tyrannical mountainside. However, we will both be in great shape for LDAC when we get home!

This morning, I was awakened at 10:00 by a delicious smell emanating from the kitchen. Sandra had cooked us a delicious breakfast consisting of empanadas and coffee which I ate in a matter of minutes. Afterwards, we were given a quick tour of Quito by Sandra’s sister and nephew, Ricardo. They showed us how to get to the school where we will be taking classes, and all the bakeries and stores along the way. I was surprised at how modern Quito is, as I previously imagined that it would be far different from the cities back home. There is a giant mall, a really nice park, and many internet cafes and clothing stores. We had lunch in the parque de Carolina, which is a very popular place here. The food here is very cheap and tastes amazing! I had a dish which included beans, rice, pork, and a fried banana. After lunch we went to the mall, which was surprisingly huge and very nice. It was very similar to an American mall, and had many of the same stores and restaurants. We later met up with some friends at the mall for dinner and to catch up with one another. We will probably go to the mall very often because it is the “rainy season” right now and there are sporadic rain episodes almost every day. I was able to order food and make some clothing purchases in Spanish, which boosted my confidence! I am so happy that I decided to come to Quito, and I look forward to the upcoming month. 

View from the plane

First day of school

Andres and I

At Panaderia

Jacob in Ecuador - Intro

My name is Jacob Zane Alexander Wells of Heath Springs, SC, and I am a rising senior at the Citadel. This spring I was lucky enough to receive the Citadel's School of Humanities and Social Sciences study abroad scholarship, which is giving me the opportunity to travel to Quito, Ecuador. I am a Psychology major and I recently picked up a Spanish minor, as I hope to become a bilingual mental health professional in the future. I have always been very interested in the Spanish language, and I have always wanted to travel to a Spanish speaking country to learn the language and experience an entirely different culture. I am very blessed to have received the opportunity to travel to Quito, and I plan on making every second count. Hopefully I will improve my Spanish speaking skill, learn about the culture, and make some new friends along the way!  I will be flying with one of my best friends from school, Andres Gonzalez. We are both from Bravo Company, and I have been staying with him at his home in Miami for the past week. Staying in Miami definitely gave me time to brush up on my Spanish, and it is an awesome city to be in during the NBA finals! I am looking forward to the flight and leaving the United States for the first time. Hopefully we get on the right plane and my next entry will be from Quito, Ecuador! 

Study Abroad in England - Memorial Day

On Memorial Day, we Citadel Cadets felt that we should recognize this American holiday in some way. So even though it was raining and cold, a group of us made a trip over to the US Embassy in order to celebrate and show our respect at the 9/11 Memorial for all the people who had fallen in the 9/11 attacks, as well as those who have fallen in conflicts before and after that event. While at the Embassy we got to see tributes to three great American Presidents, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Eisenhower is to be especially noted, as it is also the seventieth anniversary of the successful D-Day invasion that he helped to plan and lead.  It was nice to go and see a piece of home and a tribute to some very great leaders in another country. I felt pride to know that I come from a nation with a great history and influential people, to the point that other countries have statues of and memorials to our leaders and our people. 

- Blake Fryman, Junior, Criminal Justice major, Echo Company 

Study Abroad England - First Days

For ten years now, The Citadel English Department has run a summer in London program where cadets can earn core-class and upper-level credit while living in London for the summer.  Working with the non-profit Foundation for International Education, The Citadel’s Summer in London Program offers an opportunity to learn literature and history in the place where much of that subject matter occurred.  Students this semester are enrolled in either English 201, a required survey of English literature from the middle ages to the early eighteenth century, or the 400-level Literary Monsters class, which examines the continued fascination with such monsters as Dracula, Frankenstein’s creature, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and Shakespeare’s Caliban. All students are also taking a course entitled Understanding Civilizations: Islam and the West, which can count as an upper-level History or Political Science course. Below are some of the students’ initial impressions of their first few days in London.

What I have really come to admire is the architecture, which fascinates me. I look down the street and see an amazing blend of old and new architecture from several centuries. It amazes me that somehow it works seeing Victorian-era buildings blend into modern 21^st-century glass skyscrapers downtown. This serves to point out the age of Britain and highlight the youth of the US as seen through architecture; where the US starts at 1700, Britain has that easily beaten by hundreds of years. Another aspect of London that I have enjoyed is the vast green space across the city. Compared to US cities such as Philadelphia or New York that have 1 or 2 large parks, London has several large and many small ones that add an endearing charm to the city in a Mary Poppins-esque kind of way. Finally, the last part of my first impression of London is how huge and how diverse it is. I didn’t realize this until I looked at a map and saw that 6 major airports support the city, which is comprised of 32 boroughs with close to 300 languages spoken in it daily! 

-Lauren Seedor, Sophomore, Political Science major, Lima Company 

When I arrived here last week, I had a general idea what I was in for but I had no idea how much culture I would experience and how many sights I would see. Before I even got to London, I spoke with a Jewish woman on my flight who enlightened me about her Hebrew bible and about Jewish culture as well as Judaism in general. I was fascinated by this because I learned about Judaism in my World Religions course I took my senior year of high school and that course was one of the most interesting courses I’ve ever taken. After I arrived, I experienced how polite the citizens of central London are when I was trying to navigate my way around and had to ask them where the location was. While out one night, I met a really nice girl named Kayla from Camden. She was really interesting to talk to because she had the same interests as I do, and she explained her area and her experiences in London. She and I both play the alto saxophone, and her favorite genre of music is jazz, which is also one of my favorites. I also had fun talking to four Canadian girls in a pub, because they live near Nova Scotia which is where the Regimental Band and Pipes of The Citadel play in the Royal Military Tattoo every three or four years, and I was interested in asking them questions about what the area is like and how it will be when we go there my senior year. Meeting so many different people so far has been the most memorable part of my experience.

-Zach Gorman, Sophomore, Biology major, Band Company

Upon arriving in London, I felt very uneasy. Almost out of place. Being in an entirely different place was just so weird. I could barely even understand what people were saying despite speaking the same language. But one thing I find practical about London is the transportation. It’s very easy to navigate my way around, something I would not be able to do back home in Los Angeles. The transportation here is something Europeans definitely got right. One issue I have with London are the restaurants. The food here seems overpriced; the quality of the food is usually fair but the serving sizes are smaller than I am used to. Another issue I found with London is the crowdedness. I am a bit more used to crowds, being from a major city myself, but it is far more dense here than back home. But aside from the crowds and expensive food, I find London to be a great city filled with interesting history. Well, this place would be a whole lot better if there were free water.  

-Luke Tiscareno, Sophomore, Mathematics major, Tango Company