Together, We Succeed.

Written By: Paige Casario

Every day I basically have to pinch myself (multiple times in fact) that I’m actually here LIVING in Spain. For as long as I could remember, I knew I always wanted to study abroad in Spain and, to me, it always felt like a dream of the distant future or a day that would never come.

But that day I always dreamt about finally came, and now I’m HERE in Sevilla. And it’s finally starting to sink in that I get to wake up every morning in this charming, vibrant city that fills my heart and soul with so much love, curiosity and gratitude down to my core (not to mention waking up in a place where cold winters and snow do not exist is also a dominant contributor to my pleasant disposition).

But more importantly, I find myself surrounded by a city that is full of beautiful, kind people, impressive history and art and a colorful, exciting culture. I mean, how many people can really say that every day they walk past a 500-year-old cathedral on their way to school? It’s breathtaking and gratifying to live among such beauty and to walk along the same cobblestone streets as millions of people before me did. It’s truly inspiring, enriching and just plain good for the soul and mind. And I promise myself that the way the smell of the Alcázar Gardens made me feel the first time I set foot in it, and the way that the view from the top of the Giralda in the Cathedral made me feel the first time I laid eyes on it, will never change from my first day here to my last.

So I hope with all my heart that the awe-inspiring effect this city has on me only intensifies over time, because I love taking in every second it has to offer me. After all, this world is too big and too grand and too magical not to explore … so I’m going to do what I do best and take it all in.

Paige Casario is a junior International Business major with minors in Spanish and Operational Excellence. She is studying Business and Spanish and living with a host family in Sevilla, Spain, for the spring semester. She is very excited for this opportunity and experience and can’t wait to venture all over Spain and Europe.