With my Gateway Challenges Funding Award, I travelled alone from the 9th to the 15th of September to Seville. There were several reasons which pushed me to do this trip. The first was that I was really keen on improving my Spanish language skills, which I had not practised since arriving at university. Furthermore, having previously travelled to Barcelona and Madrid, I also wanted to discover the South of Spain, and to use this opportunity for cultural enrichment: visiting museums, monuments, and discovering Andalousian traditions. Another reason for my trip is personal development. Having never travelled alone, I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and try something new, hoping that it would help me gain more confidence and independence.
In Seville, I stayed at a youth hostel named The Nomad Hostel, situated right at the centre of the historical district in the city. This was really practical, as it meant that I was within walking distance of all the main monuments and tourist sites. The staff and clients at the hostel were all young adults like me, and very friendly! I met many people from many different places around the world, and was able to practise my Spanish through casual conversation. It was very refreshing and interesting to meet people with very different backgrounds and life stories, and I really enjoyed being able to meet and spend time with other people my age even when travelling alone.
During my first night at the hostel, I met two students who invited me to come on a day-trip to the beach with them the next day. Feeling spontaneous, I accepted, and so spent my first day in Spain at the beach at Matalascanas, situated at a hour’s drive from Sevilla. This is probably the day I got to practise my Spanish the most. In the friend-group that I went with, there was one girl from Uruguay and one boy from Venezuela, who taught me some of the variations in spoken language between Spain and their respective countries in South America. It was so interesting to learn that there is such a great diversity in language amongst Spanish-speaking countries.
For the rest of my trip, I stayed in Sevilla, visiting different locations and monuments. I had the opportunity to see the Real Alcázar de Sevilla, the royal palace of Seville, which was very impressive and stunningly beautiful. Another amazing place was the Plaza de Espana, where I was able to see a street performance of Flamenco dancers, which I really enjoyed. Situated not far from there is the Maria Luisa Park, a beautiful park which I had a lovely walk in, and returned to a few times for a relaxing break. I also visited the famous cathedral and its renowned bell tower, la Giralda, and took a trip to Los Archivos de Indias, where documents recounting the history of the Spanish Empire in the Americas and the Philippines are held. Closer to the end of my stay, I visited the Plaza de Toros, the arena of Seville where bullfighting performances are held. I did not attend a show, but visited the impressive monument and the museum which explains this Spanish tradition and its history.
I also went up the Torre del Oro, a military watchtower situated on the banks of the river Guadalquivir which goes through Seville. There is a small museum inside which taught me that Seville, as a global hub for commerce and exchange, was the richest city in the whole world at the time of the conquistadores! In terms of Seville’s more modern side, I had the opportunity to visit the Metropol Parasol, commonly known in the city as las Setas de Sevilla (the mushrooms of Seville) due to its mushroom-like shape. It is a big structure on top of which one has access to a beautiful view of the city. At night, the monuments visible from there, as well as the structure itself, light up in different colours, offering a beautiful spectacle.
During my trip, I also really enjoyed walking around in two of Seville’s oldest and nicest districts, Santa Cruz and Triana. I really liked the architecture in the older parts of the city, and the distinctive ceramic decorations on the walls of churches and streets which are typical of the region. In Triana, I took some time to visit the ceramics museum, which explained the history of this local art, and its prevaIence, especially in the Triana district. I also visited two other museums: the museum of Fine Arts (Museo de Bellas Artes) and the museum of popular arts and customs (Museo de artes y costumbres populares). In the latter, there was a very interesting exhibition on resistance in the face of change with regards to local traditions. The exhibition highlighted the different ways in which locals go about maintaining their cultural traditions, and safeguarding them from the homogenising effects of globalisation and capitalism. It also had on show a series of photographs and objects illustrating some of the many Andalousian traditions that are perpetuated to this day, ranging from various celebrations to local arts, such as Flamenco dancing and ceramics. Wanting to discover the culinary traditions as well, I tried several local Spanish dishes in different restaurants and tapas bars, and I really enjoyed them.
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay in Seville, and had an amazing time discovering this beautiful city and learning about the culture of Southern Spain. Travelling alone was a bit daunting at first, but it allowed me to gain more confidence and to be more independent, as I had to take on more responsibilities and to be self-sufficient. I am also very happy about the extent to which I was able to practise speaking Spanish. This has made me even keener to learn more and perfect my Spanish language skills.
One thing that I did not anticipate this trip would bring me however, is a different outlook on life. Meeting different people my age or older who are from different places and have done and are doing various different things with their lives has allowed me to be more aware of the fact that there are many different possibilities out there and many other places that I might want to visit or live in. I am particularly motivated by the idea of visiting South America, and am considering it as a future project.
Emilie Dellon
Undergraduate student, Human, Social and Political Sciences