High School Abroad in Spain with Seville Abroad

When I first discovered Seville Abroad, I honestly thought that the program was too good to be true. But even after 7 incredible months in Seville, it continued to exceed my expectations in every way. The support is absolutely unparalleled, and the tight-knit exchange family goes on a lot of excursions together. My Spanish improved in leaps and bounds because of the immersive nature of exchange, and private Spanish lessons 3 times a week to ask questions, practice without fear, and reinforce my grammar.

I couldn't have asked for a better host family- Pepa and Chelo (the program leaders) work hard to match each student with a carefully vetted and compatible family. Because of my host family, I was able to really live an authentic Spanish lifestyle, and my house felt like home right from the start!

As exchange students, we were given a lot of freedom, while still being kept safe. There are no strict or ridiculous rules like many other exchange programs have, but I and my family know that I was always being looked out for.

I'm not going to lie- foreign exchange is really difficult. It takes a lot of work and determination to completely uproot yourself and go to a new country and school. But, it's 100% worth it. This program gave me the opportunity and freedom to discover who I am and what I want in life, and I have made lifelong friends . For anyone thinking about exchange, or what program to go with, I promise that you won't regret choosing Seville Abroad! I honestly can't sing their praises enough. Please, feel free to contact me with any questions (no matter how small) you may have at avasteckel@gmail.com. I wish you the best with your exchange experience, and would love to help you get there!

This has been by far the most life changing experiences that I have had. I came here knowing basically no Spanish and knowing nobody. I am now six month into my trip here and I have learned so much. I now know the culture, the people, the language, and everyday for me is a new adventure. I did this with the support of Peppa (The program director), Chelo (My Spanish teacher who also works for the program), my host family, and every friend that I have made here. I recommend that if you have the opportunity to do this, you take it, because you will grow unimaginably. When I came here I thought that by the end of the trip I would have experienced the life of just the high school, knowing the people in my school and the teachers. However within the first three months I began to get to know the life and culture of teenagers and adults in Sevilla. The experience of a new culture caused me to grow and change my perspective of the world. I would recommend this to anybody who wants to do this, however doing this for nine months is much better than just three.

Foreign exchange was the best thing i have ever done. It has changed my life in so many ways, and made me grow as a person. I highly reccomend it, and everyone should do it if possible. I met so many new people, and had so many new experiences. I also now speak fluent spanish, which is so useful. It is also amazing for resumes and getting jobs and going to school. The people, culture, and food of spain is amazing. This was easily and by far the best thing i have ever done in my life. Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible.

These past few months have been such an amazing memorable and truly unforgettable experience in Seville. I couldn’t have asked for a better time here, from my amazing host family who made me feel so welcome and at home ever since my very first day. My host siblings (especially Irene, my host sister) has been one of my closest friends here, she’s always there for me and I love spending time with her after school and on weekends. It really felt like I was part of their family during my stay.

As for Seville abroad, I couldn’t have picked a better program to come here with. I loved how Pepa and Chelo were always there for me whenever I had doubts and concerns, they made me feel so welcome at all times. I loved the amazing and well planned excursions we would have, (especially the one to Cadiz) and surely the other students within the program, they have become some of my best friends here, and it wouldn’t have been the same without them. To say the least, the entire program was almost like a little family abroad, and I loved it.

I’m truly sad to be leaving Seville abroad and Spain so soon but I will definitely come back soon and I 100% recommend this program!!

At first I felt a little pressured by my parents to study in Spain. My grandmother is from Colombia, so Spanish has always been very important to my family. However it was hard for me to speak it and this language barrier was something I really feared when traveling to Spain. Thank God it was not a problem. My host family and my school were really friendly and were always there to help me and understand me with the language.
My coordinator spoke fluent English so it was a lot easier to share my frustrations with her during my stay in Spain.
After having lived this experience, I am really happy my parents pushed me to do it. It has been an incredible experience in all aspects and it has given me a new point of view of the world and clarified what I want to do with my future.

I chose this program because I wanted a program with total immersion (Spanish school and host family) and I wanted it to be in Seville because I have a friend who had been there the previous year and he was fascinated by the city. The experience has been very positive and I highly recommend it.

My High school in Spain has been amazing and has allowed me to make many friends in Seville. First, I was shocked because dealing with the teachers and principal of the school was very different from what I was used to: everything is much more informal and direct, but it turned out to be very helpful for me. There were some American students, but few of them (in my class there were 2), and another girl from Canada, but most of my classmates were from Spain.

My level of Spanish when I arrived was basic, but my coordinator assigned me a private tutor of Spanish every day for the first few months who was very involved in my evolution. After 6 months, my development of Spanish was incredible, and I am very proud because learning to develop my Spanish was one of my main objectives

I feel very grateful for the support that my coordinator has given me all these months. She has always been very kind and helpful and has always been available when I needed her.

My host family lived in a pretty nice neighborhood in the city center, which was very close to the school, and it turned out to be excellent from every point of view.

I invite anyone who wants to have a similar experience away from home, do not hesitate. Spanish culture is very different from ours, but the effort is really worth it.

I cannot believe that my semester in Seville is about to come to an end. Seville is a beautiful, fun city with wonderful people who have always made me feel at ease.
Relating to Seville Abroad, I would emphasize their proximity, they visited my family and me in my house in USA, before my travelling to Spain. They have given me their support all the time, before travelling until the end of the program, communication has been excellent. They do their best to give you whatever you need, they have treated me like one of the family, specially my coordinator Patricia, who has taken care of me with affection and has always been by my side supporting me both personal and academically in the most difficult moments of adaptation.
My Spanish family has been the best part of this adventure!! I feel like I can't thank them enough... Thanks to my host mom for being so affectionate with me, for taking care of me, for treating me like her own daughter and cooking the best meals in the world! And thanks to Lucia, my sister for life!! Thank you for being everything to me, for helping me, teaching me, for you love, for your patience and for taking me with you everywhere!!