Fourteen students and one professor are participating in semester-long study abroad program in Seville Spain.
Weber is leading a semester-long study abroad business program at the host institution Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo, where students are taking a mix of business and Spanish courses while staying with host families in the historic city.
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“The opportunity for our students to be living abroad for a semester with home-stay families and taking classes from a Spanish university is unparalleled,” Weber said. “It will provide them with a more global perspective and an in-depth experience with other approaches to family, work and life.”
Weber is teaching three classes including an introductory management core business course, an international business course and a course exploring the business and cultural differences between the United States and Spain. The students are each enrolled in two classes offered by Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo, which has classes in both English and Spanish.
— Paula Weber, professor
Spain is the second largest country in Western Europe and the fourth largest economy in the Eurozone. Studying in the nation is giving them a first-hand look at the business policies at work in the Eurozone and the complexity of the Eurozone economic environment, Weber said.
When students aren’t in class or studying, they are getting involved with the culture of the city, new friends and activities planned by International Studies Abroad, St. Cloud State’s partner organization.
The students have also gone on business and cultural excursions to Madrid, Malaga, Cordoba, Granada and Lisbon, Portugal.
“It is a very enriching experience for me to lead a program and provide this opportunity to our students,” Weber said.
A day in the life: Seville, Spain
Student: Adam Fitzpatrick
“It´s morning, I groggily awake to my alarm sounding.
My host mother Sandra is already in the kitchen preparing coffee just the way I like it along with other traditional breakfast foods that I’ve grown to love. I dread the day I will not carry with me a fresh Andalucian orange, however today I don’t have the capacity for dread. Instead I’m excited because it’s Monday.As I get ready for class and head towards the door I hear a sincere “Hasta Luego” come from the kitchen. Sandra doesn’t know much English, but I’ve found her to be more than helpful in my day to day activities. “Hasta Luego, Sandra!”
Adam Fitzpatrick meets a camel on an excursion to Morocco while studying abroad in Seville, Spain.
I hear the door slam shut as I head down the street to class. I pass the Parque de Maria Luisa, a beautiful monument in Seville. Each corner holds more landmarks, some hundreds of years old. The city’s beauty never gets old. I look down rows of palm trees and appreciate the warm November air.
I’ve learned more Spanish living in Spain for two months than I have in two years of college education. When I go back to the states, I expect that I will be a lot more fluent than my other classmates. When my Spanish class ends, I head to my favorite coffee shop in the world (I can say that now as I am a world traveler) with one of my new friends that I met while traveling. I stroll to the window confidently and ask for “cafe con leche” which is essentially a latte, and the most delicious coffee I’ve ever had.
My business class starts at two in the afternoon, but today we are going to into Triana, a neighborhood in Seville. We walk through the old parts of the city and stop at a textile art-studio. To our surprise the owners have set-up tables and tiles for us to experience first-hand an aspect of the unique culture of Triana. Six colors and an hour of brush strokes later and my little art project was put into the lineup for the kiln. ISA, the organization we are traveling through will receive it in a week and bring it to me.
As I mentioned it is Monday, which means it’s the day we play soccer in the park from 7-9 p.m. with our student group and often some locals who want to join. I’ve never been very good at soccer, but playing every week I really enjoy my time and have become beneficial to the team. Plus it’s the perfect time to nostalgically consume my orange, reminiscing on my childhood days of running up and down the soccer field aimlessly.
It’s evening now and many of us are tired from the soccer game, but against all odds we won. We stop at a cafeteria for a celebratory cerveza, finish our glasses, and head home for the night. When I get back, Sandra has laid out my dinner. Supper is typically between about 8:30-10:30 p.m. My roommate and I eat together before we finish our homework and head to bed. Before I fall asleep I think of the long list of things I have to do tomorrow, and I can’t wait for every one of them.”
Professor: Paula Weber
“Unless I left my fan on, I awake to the sounds of my neighbors making breakfast.
I get up and head out at 8 a.m. for a class at my gym. It is about a 15-minute walk away and the sidewalks are already busy with parents taking children to school. My exercise class is a lot of fun – no one speaks English but everyone is friendly and laughing and talking with each other and the teacher.
Management Professor Paula Weber is leading a study abroad program in Seville, Spain.
Class is one hour then I head home to shower, change, eat breakfast and pack my lunch before heading to the university. I live in Triana which is a lovely historic area. I am surrounded by little shops – I have five grocery stores within two blocks plus fresh produce stands. Everything you need is always just a block or two away. I am so glad I live in Triana but it is about 40-minute walk to school. The students live much closer – most about 5 minutes away. But I get to walk along the river and through the gorgeous Plaza de Espana on my way to school.
Once at school, I go to my office which is shared by other adjunct and visiting professors. There are two computers but only one connected to a printer and as I have no printer at my piso, I always need to use a printer.
My class is at 2 p.m.and as breakfast here is from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and lunch from 1:30-4 p.m., I always eat my packed lunch as there is no time to go to a café before class.
After class, I am tired and hungry but nothing is open again until supper around 8 p.m. There are a few tapas places open but mostly everyone takes a siesta between 4-7 p.m. or so – shops close and streets are quiet.
On days I don’t teach, I take a language class at CLIC – a company that offers Spanish language for temporary residents like me. I required my students to take Spanish while here and felt it was important I did too.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the class and have really bonded with the group. There are six of us all from different countries – our one common language is English as we are all better at that then Spanish.
After returning to my piso, I have a small snack and select my evening activity which is usually a combination of planning what site to see next, blogging, catching up on emails – now that everyone back home is awake, and doing work for class. I also do lots of shopping as everything you buy has to be carried home so I might make three trips to different grocery stores.
If I eat supper out, the streets are absolutely packed with people – everyone is out in the evening – old and young – babies in strollers and seniors with their walkers. I always feel safe as restaurants serve dinner until about 10:30 p.m. and many people choose to come around 10 p.m.. I may live alone here but I am in the midst of people who are friendly and fun and very helpful and caring about each other.
The weather is amazing too. Although it was quite hot in September and early October, it became perfect by late October and even now, mid-November, I wear a sweater when I walk to school and it is too warm to wear it on the way home. Every day I have been here is a day I can sit outside and enjoy the orange trees, green foliage, flowering oleanders, and the amazing historic buildings. Each building seems it must have been a former palace as they are so grand and lovely. I could visit a different site every day all semester and still not see all the amazing places Seville has to offer.
Last but actually critically important, ISA, our partner institution here, has done an amazing job of planning cultural and business visits which are always so well run AND they also coordinate weekly activities for the students so they always have a soccer game to play or a hike to go on or a kayak adventure, etc. There is never a lack of things to do. They have found good homes for our students and manage every detail smoothly and professionally. They are truly outstanding!
If you are even slightly interested in doing this program, please contact me – I love to talk about Seville and my experiences.”
