As I enter my final semester at UMass Amherst I constantly look back at my experience in Spain. All the memories are truly unforgettable and unfortunately were cut short for me and countless other college students studying abroad in various countries. Although some of my experience was taken, I can’t help but feel super lucky because of the program I chose that allowed me to visit the beautiful city of Sevilla.

I went to Sevilla with API or Academic Programs International which is a study abroad program based in the U.S. and sends kids to all kinds of places around the world. I remember before I left I was concerned about feeling at home but API and my host mother, Reyes, made it very easy to settle in right away. We attended classes at the University of Sevilla which was a massive building that used to be a tobacco factory, but the great thing about the program was that the classes you could choose were very interesting and also did not take up too much time. I was able to visit with friends or explore almost every day without it interfering with my work. Through the program we had excursions that were already paid for, where we got to see different parts of Spain and even a trip to Lisbon. I am not someone who has traveled very much in my life and certainly this was the first time I did it alone, but what I found to be the most fun was planning my own trips outside of the programs with my friends when we would travel throughout Spain by ourselves. I loved exploring and finding new, beautiful places to take in the view. What was unsurprising was how much I loved Spanish food. My host mother could make the best soups and stews and when I tried my first paella at a restaurant I couldn’t believe how good it was. Looking back my favorite things about the experience would have to be the food, the weather, the love of futbol, the group of people I was able to meet, and every single conversation I was able to have with native Spanish speakers.

Although it was cut short I truly would not have traded my time in Spain for anything. I intend to revisit Sevilla and other parts of Spain while also exploring new parts of Europe in the near future. I really want to recommend this experience to anyone who may be considering a semester abroad because I can honestly say everyday was filled with sun, smiles, and so many new experiences. And when I say sun I mean every single day was sunny and warm until the week we found out we had to leave. That is a whole month with little to no rain. It was like Spain was sad to see us go when it finally rained. Even when writing this paragraph it brought back all of these happy memories and I hope I will never forget them. There has never been a time in my life like the time I had in Sevilla.