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.