Study abroad was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. To all of my blog readers, thanks for following me this semester! And for any of you studying abroad in the future, I’ve combined a list of my general study abroad & Sevilla-specific study abroad advice:
GENERAL ADVICE
– Try everything! The food, new experiences, etc. Your going to be out of your comfort zone no matter what, so you might as well take full advantage of the experience.
– You can’t try to plan everything. I was definitely the over-prepared study abroad student, but once I arrived in Sevilla I found so many more trips and activities I wanted to plan than I could have anticipated. I’m glad I did some research ahead of time to find my rowing club and not show up completely disoriented, but so many new opportunities presented themselves once I got to Spain.
– Take advantage of international travel, but don’t go too crazy. I loved that we traveled on trips around Spain with the MCP program and that I made time to travel to other destinations by myself. A few international trips are definitely worth it, but make sure to include some down weekends. Although ‘travel’ abroad is fun, you need some time for the ‘study’ part, too!
– Gift ideas for your host family: It was actually kind of hard to think of something small to bring, but host moms like items such as magnets and mugs. Bringing one from your city is a good idea. Every morning I had my tea out of a Penn mug a former student had brought, and my host mom’s fridge was decorated with magnets from former students.
– Packing tips: Hit up Sam’s Club or Costco before you go and bring large sizes of all your toiletries. Not only will it save you money (I used one bottle each of shampoo, body gel, and shave cream and only one tube of toothpaste the entire semester), but it will also free up room for souvenirs (or shoes :p) on the way back, which you will definitely need!
– Best way to explore your new city: Take a walk! And if you’re really adventurous, try without a map. Some of the best activities you can do while studying abroad are free and can be done just walking around visiting different sites and exploring. Many cities also have a lot of free festivals, like Sevilla’s Festival de Naciones.
– Money advice: If you’re looking for the best way to deal with money, I LOVED my Charles Schwab checking account. It’s free to set-up checking with them if you link it to a brokerage account (no minimum!), and they don’t charge an additional hidden exchange rate like most banks. Also, any ATM fees you incur will be refunded at the end of the month. And for any bank, if you’re dealing with money transfers between accounts, definitely do this in advance if you know you’ll need more money. It usually took about a week for my online transfers from my Chase bank account to clear over in my account with Charles Schwab.
SEVILLA-SPECIFIC ADVICE
– CLOTHES: I forgot that the little season called winter does exist in Sevilla, even if it’s not as bad as in Philly. I mainly didn’t bring enough warm exercise clothes, but I probably could have used a couple more sweaters and scarfs, too. A light coat is plenty for the coldest days; no need to go crazy with a parka, unless you plan on traveling to colder destinations.
– SHOES (yes, a separate category!): You will walk everywhere. I brought TOMS, but I probably could have used a more solid pair of Converse or Keds to walk around in, especially a pair I could wear with socks when the weather changed. Also, there’s a high possibility of walking through dirt or cobblestone paths during daily outings, so I wouldn’t bring really expensive footwear that you would hate to ruin. There’s also lots of shoe stores in Sevilla, so leave room in your suitcase if you want to purchase any!
– GOING OUT: Girls, a basic black skirt goes a long way! Pack that with a few tank tops & you’ll be set, plus it will give you room to shop while you’re here (which you will surely want to do!). And, if you’re going to bring heels, I would recommend wedges. You can save a lot of money on taxis by just walking & your feet will be grateful.
– GETTING AROUND: Public transit in Sevilla is very easy to take. The one Metro line goes through major neighborhoods and there’s a couple major bus lines that run along the rive. Also, I didn’t discover the Metropolitan area buses until October, but these buses are great to take day trips out to sites like the ruins in Itálica or if you want to visit the Decathlon store in Camas. One final tip: SEVICI= a must that you won’t regret! The pass costs around 30€ for one year, and there are bike stations all over the city.
– CHEAP EATS: The entire menu (minus salads) at 100 Montaditos only costs 1€ on Wednesdays and Sundays! This can be a great spot to meet up with friends in the Intercambio lingüístico program or other students from MCP. Check out my Comida page for other awesome food and tapas to try.
– HUELGAS: Strikes are not uncommon in Spain, so be prepared for them among the students in the Universidad de Sevilla and/or general huelgas throughout Spain. We had both this past fall while I was there. Unless there’s a huelga of more than a week it shouldn’t affect your academics too much, but there are store and public service closings.
– WEEKEND OUTDOORS IDEAS: Many weekends abroad will probably be spent traveling, but if you’re in the city here’s a few ideas for weekend fun: rent rollerblades for an afternoon to explore the city, have a picnic in Parque de María Luisa and go for a row around Plaza de España, rent a kayak along the Guadalquivir River, or find a hiking trip to go on in a nearby pueblo.
– A FEW OTHER BITS OF ADVICE…
Stay up on U.S. politics or the Spaniards will know more than you do!
Tiendas de chinos: everything is usually cheaper there.
If there’s something you can’t find, you might pay more but Corté Inglés is bound to have it.
Definitely explore your neighborhood early! I didn’t discover a lot of great deals until midway through the semester (like Aldi, one of the cheap grocery stores in Los Remedios).
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY: ALWAYS carry kleenex/tissues (maybe this is actually just advice for life!). Sometimes it seemed like toilet paper didn’t exist in Spain. Trust me, you’ll be grateful to carry these around with you.
Shannon en Sevilla 
Reblogged this on pennabroad.