A Photo and A Story: My Inspiration to Study Abroad

As I was ordering at a Mexican restaurant last Saturday, I found myself doing so in Spanish. When I realized I was speaking Spanish, I instantly longed for Sevilla. Since I talk so much about my time there and I still think about it everyday, I'm going to start posting photos and stories of my trip on a weekly basis. This will help diverge my late night stalkings through my photos and blog posts with tears in my eyes. Yeah, it's pathetic. So, not only will you get to hear some great stories and see photos, but I can remain sane and spend more time doing constructive things with my time (like sleep). It's a win-win.

So without further ado... 

Story #1: My inspiration to study abroad

I always knew I would go abroad. When I say always, I mean always. My mom instilled this want to explore in me from a young age, first by her own example. She studied in Sevilla when she was in college for a semester and ended up staying longer for a total of 9 months. She took out a small loan and went back a year later. Her and my dad then went to Sevilla and Lisbon, Portugal for 3 weeks on their honeymoon.

My parents also loved to travel and did it often when my dad was healthy. They took weekend trips to a small coastal town in Mexico called Barra de Navidad for $200 roundtrip. My mom studied Spanish in college and obviously spent a lot of time in Spain and my dad was a native Spanish speaker, so they made friends with locals and had themselves a grand ole time!

I knew in order to bring my Spanish studies full circle, it would require me to spend time in a Spanish speaking country. Spain was really my only choice and Sevilla was an easy pick. So I went, fell in love (obviously) and plan on returning very soon.

Here are some photos of my mom's from the early 80's in comparison with my own:

Torre de Oro
June 1980

Torre de Oro
April 2011

Puente de Triana
1980?

Puente de Triana
May 2011

View of Sevilla from La Giralda
December 1979 

 A different perspective of Sevilla from La Giralda
February 2011

As you can see, Sevilla isn't just a beautiful place in Spain for me, but a place my family

knows too. A place that has fond memories and experiences tied to it. A place we can all talk about for hours, a place that is deep in our hearts. I feel so grateful for the experience I had living in Sevilla and being part of its timeless charm and draw.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing more photos and stories with you each week!

Mom and dad on their honeymoon in Lisbon, Portugal

One of my favorite photos of my dad and I in Barra de Navidad, Mexico