In January 2021 I will have been living in Seville for four months. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long as it feels like only yesterday I was on the plane here. In that time, I have had some wonderful experiences, met some incredible people, learnt a lot and most of all fallen totally in love with Seville! Despite moving and living here in the middle of a global pandemic, I have been loving exploring the city and have been able to experience Spanish culture and attend events, such as Flamenco shows. I am trying to make the most of my time here and enjoying the more relaxed pace of life – I don’t use public transport very much because I live in the centre and prefer to walk, ambling around the narrow, cobbled streets often lined with pretty orange trees. Bring on the next four months!
Living here in the midst of a global pandemic certainly has its challenges and it’s definitely been a rollercoaster ride – choosing to stay here for Christmas due to the difficulties and complications that COVID-19 has brought with it was a tough decision to make and although there are lots of sad moments when I wish I could see my family, I am really thankful to be in this beautiful city.
I am very grateful to CBLingua for giving me the opportunity to do a translation internship with them here; I am learning lots and enjoying time in the office with my Spanish colleagues and the other interns. Before starting with CBLingua, I was apprehensive about what the role would entail. However, I now feel comfortable translating from Spanish to English, having translated lots of the same documents (such as birth or marriage certificates), thanks to the ‘plantillas’ (templates) which help with the structure, and the expertise of David who always has an answer to my many questions: ‘David, cómo se traduce…?” I feel like part of the team here and although answering the phone in Spanish is still quite a daunting thing for me (I’m getting better at!), I have certainly felt my confidence and language skills improve. Aside from translating, there’s also lots of fun to be had at the office, such as dancing to ‘Jerusalema’ for a company video which was a real bonding experience… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j8uvWcmfVE
I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!
George Orwell
Although this quote is not related to Seville specifically, I have certainly found it to be true during my time here; I have made friends from lots of different countries and from Spain, thanks to joining a Church here where I have found an amazing community; doing language exchanges with Spanish people where we speak half in Spanish and half in English; Erasmus events; and even Bumble BFF! (I must admit I was sceptical, but it has genuinely worked as I met one of my closest friends here through a simple swipe right!). I find that being friends with people who are from different cultures and backgrounds is a really enriching experience and I love that I now know people from Norway, Germany, Italy, Venezuela, Ecuador and of course Spain, so once travel is a thing again I’m looking forward to visiting people and exploring new cities – although I’m not sure how they’ll compare with the beauties of Seville!
To conclude, I am thoroughly enjoying my time with CBLingua and I’m glad I’ll be in Seville until June!