Student Profile: Katie Waldner

Living in a European, Spanish-speaking city is about as far from normal as I could have gone. I attend Northwestern College in St. Paul, MN, where I major in Linguistics and Spanish, so I have some city experience, but my rural South Dakotan unbringing presents a pretty stark contrast to a place like Sevilla. However, I’ve found this city, its people and this program to be a wonderful place to learn, change, and stretch myself. I hope to work as an interpreter when I graduate this coming spring, and when I leave Sevilla in just under two months, I will have prepared myself for more than just a job.
I’d been preparing myself to go to Spain for over a year, trying to imagine what kinds of challenges I’d encounter, what sorts of places I’d see, and especially what kind of people I’d live and work with. Now that I’m here there’s so much to talk about (even though my time’s only half done), so I’ll try to share just a few of the key highlights.
I knew studying abroad would be hard, though full of great experiences, too. Everyone I talked to before I left was full of admiration, telling me how smart I was for planning this while I’m still young, how brave I was for being willing to live overseas, and how lucky I was to have such an opportunity. As the time got closer, however, I felt the opposite, because I was the one actually going. And then I got on the plane. I was right; studying abroad is hard. The highlight in all of that is that the staff, professors, and host families are willing to do so much to share that burden of difficulty. Yes, it’s hard to change cultures, but they offer themselves in order to lighten our loads, enabling us to better appreciate the great experiences. And no, I’m not trying to get brownie points. It’s true. A friend and I got stuck in Paris during the strike. Even though most of what went wrong was our fault, we had people at school making calls, asking questions that we couldn’t, and finding out what options we had. The staff is also always available to talk about anything that’s going on, whether it’s homesickness, school troubles, or anything else. They are always there to listen to help in any way they can. We are well taken care of. Without them, this program would be lacking.
Another big highlight for me has been just living in a city like Sevilla. The pace of life here is wonderful, so tranquil and relaxed. It drove me crazy for about a day, and then I decided to enjoy it. Since then, it’s been heaven. How often in my life will I have a scheduled naptime? Probably never again. The city itself is also full of history and great things to see and take in. I’ve been here over two months, and I’m still excited to keep learning more about where I live, to find the places that we learn about in class. And although we have to watch our backs for pickpockets, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt this safe in a city. For as big as it is, it has a great small-town feeling that I don’t think many cities this size can boast. And personally, I think my neighborhood, Triana, is one of the best in Sevilla.
Finally, I’ve learned something important that has become a highlight for me. Like most new experiences, there’s a choice involved in living here: you can accept the changes and decide to like them, or you can fight them and settle for being miserable. It’s a good life lesson, and Sevilla gives everyone who visits the option to face it. Philippians 4:12-13, “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Toledo!

Toledo is always one of the favorite excursions for the students. It is the only two day excursion that the school takes each semester. Toledo's location, being near Madrid, would not make sense as a one day trip from Sevilla, so it is always exciting for the group to be able to explore a city for two days together.

We headed out from the school early in the morning to get a good start on the day, stopping on the way at Los Molinos of Don Quijote fame for some quick pictures and explorations.

The windmills are not operating anymore but have been pretty well preserved. The sky and clouds always seem to make for some great pictures.

After settling in at the hotel we met at the Church of Santo Tomé to view El Greco's most famous painting, The Burial of Count Orgaz. Pictures are not allowed but there are many pictures online of the masterpiece. The professors always do a great job at

Next we walked to the Monastery San Juan de los Reyes, which was founded by the famous King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.

The King and Queen built it with the idea that they would be buried there, but this idea changed after they conquered Granada and decided that they would rather be buried in the cathedral there.

Carmen let the tour for the art class focusing on the the artist and the terms used to explain the certain architectural aspects.

Salva led the tour for the rest of the students giving a history of the building and its different areas.

After the tour there was free time to explore they city, and for some, do some shopping. The central part of Toledo still feels very much like a medieval city with its winding cobblestone streets.

The next morning we met at the Cathedral of Toledo for another tour given by the professors. We spent some time outside studying the outside structure and details. One of the most interesting features is the statues of the Lord's supper over the main door.

After the cathedral the students were given some more free time. Some of us decided to look for some good views of the city.

Many students continued on their way to Madrid and other destinations, but those who headed back to Sevilla on the bus got to stop for some pictures from one of the best views of the city at its famous mirador on the other side of the river.

Abanicos, El Parque, and Columbus

It's hard to believe that the students have now been here for over a month! As the weather is finally showing signs of Fall, the students find the time quickly passing.

Even though the heat is just starting end, the students had the opportunity to paint their very own Spanish abanicos. The fans are very popular in the summertime and can prove themselves a very useful accessory in hot weather.

The money they bought the fans with will go to buy Christmas presents for the kids from a local convent. Some fans looked so good they could have been resold in the market!

To take advantage of the weather before it becomes too cold, we had our weekly Encuentro meeting in the Parque de María Luisa. After a game of Ultimate Frisbee and a funny game of Cats and Mice, we settled down for a time of sharing and worship.

A couple days later we were back in the park for the Fiesta de Intercambios. This was an opportunity for the students to meet Spaniards who wanted to practice their English. The idea is to get together with one of them throughout the semester and talk one language the first half, then the other the second. Intercambios have proven to be one of the best ways to become comfortable with a language.

On Saturday we went on excursion to the nearby town of Huelva. The first stop was the Monastery La Rabida, where Columbus spent much of his time with the Franciscan monks waiting for the funding for his excursions.

This is the conference room where many of the plans where made. Our guide told us much about the history and about how Columbus spent his time in the Monastery. It was very surreal to be walking on the same floor that Columbus walked on.

Then we headed down the hill to the water where Columbus' three ships can be found. They are not original unfortunately, but they these ships were built to be the same exact size and have been made out of the same exact materials as the original. Many students where surprised how small the ships are and how difficult it is to maneuver around them up and down the ladders. I can't imagine spending 5 weeks on one without being able to set foot on land!