Anyone Can Study Abroad: Finding My Place in Seville, Spain
Adjusting to My New Home
To my surprise, I blended into the crowds of Seville more than I expected. The southern part of Spain is also known as Andalucía, a very hot and sunny region, and many locals had tan skin and curly hair. For once, I even felt like I didn’t stand out and that I may have found a new home.
This was when one of our instructors took us to their favorite spot in downtown Seville, tucked between an old nun convent and a historic hospital from the 1700s, with a hidden maze of streets leading to it.
Finding Queer Belonging Abroad
Even with that, I was still nervous about expressing myself as a queer person in a different country. During Pride Month in June the entire city transformed with Pride flags hung across downtown and city buses wrapped in Trans flag colors. The CEA CAPA Study Center provided information about local events and resources, where I got closer with my peers who also identify as queer. We went to a drag show where the energy was so refreshing.
Local city bus wrapped with the Trans flag in June during Pride Month
People were celebrating and showing so much love. Many of the Spaniards at the event weren’t even queer, but allies who wanted to support the community. As someone who speaks Spanish, I was able to hold real conversations with them and even made a few friends. It was one of the most affirming moments of my time abroad.
Learning How to Grow as a Person
There were also a lot of cultural shocks that I faced, like people walk almost everywhere and uses public transportation instead of having a valid driver's license. But that encouraged me to do some solo traveling myself. I would take a bus to Cadiz, a historical beach town, every other week during those very hot days in May. I hopped on a 45-minute ferry from Tarifa to Morocco where I rode a camel!
Took a solo trip and rode a camel on the beach in Tangier, Morocco.
This is on my way back from Morocco to Spain, boarding the ferry.
And I took a very long bus ride to Portugal where I saw their surfing culture up close. I would get lost so many times and Google Maps would often not be any help. But I learned how to be independent and figure things out on the spot. This made me more confident and helped me accept the different lifestyles that surround me, not just the ones I grew up with back in the US.
The views of the beach in Lagos, Portugal, with clear blue water on a hot sunny day.
What I Learned from This Experience
Studying abroad taught me how to trust myself. How to navigate a new city, communicate across different language barriers, and adapt to cultures that were completely different from what I was used to. I learned that independence isn’t about doing everything perfectly but being willing to try, to build that confidence we all strive for.
As a CEA CAPA Alumni Ambassador, I hope to encourage more students from underrepresented backgrounds to go abroad because everyone should have access to experience something as life changing as I did.
