Hello, I’m Reece Hutchens, and I was able to spend the Winter Term in Seville, Spain. In my time there I was able to immerse myself in Spanish culture in and out of class. Seville is the 4^th largest city in Spain, however the old city center is relatively compact and walkable, making it easy to explore the history that the city had to offer. I was privileged enough to be there during the latter half of the Holiday season and took part in many different festivities. I got to see a special Holiday-themed light show on the river, visit hand-crafted nativity scenes, and catch candy thrown into crowds from giant floats in the Three Kings Parade. New Years Eve in Spain was also really fun, as everybody gathered in front of the town hall. Per Spanish tradition, everyone in the square had 12 grapes in hand, eating one with each belltower toll starting at midnight for good luck throughout the year.

My class was a History of the Three cultures of Spain: Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. Seville and Spain were once ruled by the Romans, who adopted Christianity, then another Christian group, the Visigoths, and the several Islamic kingdoms, and eventually reconquered by Christians. All of this was especially relevant to Seville, as it has a relatively intact old city that preserves history from all of these periods. We would learn about the rule of these religions in the first hour and a half of class, and then walk around town and physically see buildings from that era for another hour or so. Many Islamic mosques were converted to churches after the Reconquista, and other churches built after were designed with Muslim influence. My professor did a great job of highlighting how Seville both preserves and reimagines the history of their city.

On the weekends and after the program I was able to travel to a few places outside of Seville, including Barcelona and Granada in Spain and Lisbon in Portugal. Barcelona has the Sagrada Familia, which is maybe one of the most incredible buildings I’ve ever seen, and single-handedly made the trip to Barcelona worth it. The trip to Granada was sponsored by my program, and tied in closely with class themes, as it was the last city under Muslim rule before it was conquered by Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. It was home to the Alhambra, a well-preserved Muslim palace that was built onto by Christian monarchs, becoming yet another example of the influences of both religions in modern day Spain. Lisbon is a very hilly city, and they have old street trolley systems that take riders uphill. I rode the trolley up to some amazing overlooks of the city and the Atlantic Ocean, and also tried some great local seafood.

This experience has been one of if not the biggest highlight of my college experience. My program, CIEE, did a great job of finding activities around town that were culturally immersive: Flamenco dance shows, cooking classes, art museums, and a bullfighting ring tour. Not too far from Seville were the ancient Roman ruins of Italica (used in the filming of Game of Thrones), which were relatively well preserved. The same day I explored Italica I went to a Sevilla FC soccer game, which had an environment that almost rivals Neyland on Saturdays. My time abroad was relatively short, but I’m thankful for the opportunity that I had to take in as much history and culture as possible.

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