CEA CAPA Education Abroad in Seville, Spain

I was a student in Seville, Spain for a little over three months and it was the best experience of my life. The professors and directors of CEA helped shape my experience to the best it could be. I recommend going to every excursion CEA offers beacuse that is where you will truly learn what the country you are living in has to offer. One of my favorite excursions was when CEA took the program to Morocco. This adventure was an eye opening experience that you will not be able to find during your travels to cities such as Paris or London. Now don't get me wrong London and Paris were my favorite cities to visit but when I look over my experience abroad it was my excursion to Morocco where I learned the most about the world. We traveled to four different cities, spoke to students studying in Morocco, and even had the opportunity to ride a camel. What I learned during my travels was that it didn't matter which cities I visited; in the end what shaped me the most were the people/friends I made along the way. The success to a wonderful abroad experience is to meet knew friends, try new things, and never say no to a new adventure.

Sevilla is the most perfect city I have ever been to, and I couldn't imagine studying here through any other program. CEA helped make Sevilla feel like home. The staff truly cares about its students and will do anything to ensure they have the best experience here possible; they are very organized and always are willing to help. Another great part about CEA is that there are students from a variety of universities from all over the US, which allowed me the unique opportunity to meet many new people I couldn't have otherwise if I studied through my home university. The housing options are also amazing, and I have been able to form an incredible relationship with my "madre." I have had the most amazing experience here in Sevilla with CEA, and couldn't imagine doing abroad any differently.

Studying abroad with CEA was the best choice that I ever made. I did a lot of research over several different programs and cities, but CEA Seville was by far the most appealing option!

Seville itself is an amazing city. It's in the south of Spain, so the climate is amazing. There's so much history, and the center of the city is my favorite place. I could spend hours in the Plaza de España if I had the chance! It's a very walkable city with so much to do, but it doesn't feel like a tourist destination. The people are kind, and the city is safe.

The CEA staff are some of the most helpful people I've ever met. From the moment I applied, I had someone reaching out to me weekly about the status of my applications, both the general application, and scholarship applications. They answered all of my questions and were able to help with everything I needed!

They were just as helpful when I arrived in Spain. We were picked up at the airport and taken to our homes, and shown around the city over the next few days. I really like that with CEA we take half of our classes at the CEA center, and half at our chosen university. The CEA classes are a lot of fun, and it's nice to be able to make friends both at CEA and at UPO (the school I chose) from other programs!

I love my living situation -- I live in a "casa de Seville" with several other students. We have host parents that come in and feed us every day and spend time with us, but they don't live with us. I like that we get the Spanish interaction, but also have the same amount of independence as at home!

CEA offers a variety of intercambio activities that allowed us to get to know Spanish students and make friends with locals. They also had workshops over things like Flamenco, Bullfighting, and Cooking, so that we could learn more about the Spanish culture. CEA also offers excursions outside of Seville that are tons of fun. We went to tons of cities that I wouldn't have visited otherwise, and I loved them! CEA really tries to make sure that students get the most out of their experience.

I recommend CEA, and Seville, for anyone who's wanting to study abroad! Don't be afraid, just fill out the application and go!

Studying abroad in Seville has been the best experience I could have ever had. Every aspect of it has been phenomenal (except the lack of peanut butter availability). The CEA staff is so helpful with anything and everything; I could go to them with any problem and they would be willing to help. For example, imagine how scary it is to get sick away from home. Not just like having a cold during your freshman year of college without your mom, but like having strep throat in another country where you're not entirely sure how to explain what's going on in Spanish. The CEA staff helped me make my appointment and made sure that someone would be there that could translate for me.
There's so many aspects of my semester abroad that have made me fall in love with Seville, and most of them are due to CEA Seville. Had I not chosen to study with CEA, I wouldn't have had my wonderful host family who I love so much. Probably just as much as my real family at home. Trust me, walking into a new house and being welcomed by your "dad," "mom," "sister," and "brother" that you've never met before is intimidating. However, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Now I have a big sister that I had always wanted, and my roommate and I get to laugh about when our host brother uses her conditioner and walks around the house smelling like a melon, thinking no one has noticed.
The classes at CEA have also taught me so much. I fully expected "easy A's" from my Food and Wine class and my Spanish course, but I have been challenged just as much here as I am at home at Auburn. For once, also, I actually use what I've learned and I can apply it to my daily life in Spain. I know how to buy a good red wine for not 50 euros but for "broke college kid" prices, I can identify the quality of a bottle of olive oil, and so many other things that have actually been very useful to know.
All in all, Seville is the only place I'd ever want to be. If someone is considering studying abroad, Seville is perfect and CEA is the program to use. Come to Seville and you'll find a home just like I did. However, if you come for the Spring, watch the rebujitos during Feria. They'll getcha.

Overall I would most definitely rate my experience as a 10/10. I have had an amazing time in Sevilla and have grown to love the city. The staff at CEA were always welcome and accommodating whenever I had any questions or problems. I have also enjoyed the teachers at CEA. The courses are interesting without being too difficult and the teachers are always there when you need help, or even if you just want to talk. The program center is in a perfect location, and I never had the feeling that I was unsafe while walking to and from class.

Studying abroad was the best decision I have ever made. Before coming here I was a huge homebody. I go to school 25 minutes away from my house and I see my family every other week. However, I am so glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone and study in Seville with CEA. From the very beginning CEA provided step-by-step advice that made the application and before-arriving process easy and stress free, something you will greatly appreciate when getting ready to go abroad.

When arriving in Seville I was more than overwhelmed. I'm not going to lie, I was VERY homesick the first few weeks. I was having issues with my housing (nothing to do with CEA -- mainly to do with the host family) and once I told CEA about it they were beyond helpful. Within the next few days they had housing options lined up for me that were in the city center and near my friends. They made the transition from one house to the other super easy, and found me a great place to live. I love my new host mom, she is amazing. I'm glad CEA took the time to find me such a great place to live.

CEA also takes their students on numerous cultural excursions where we learn a lot about the Spanish culture and lifestyle. They provide intercambio activities where we can meet and interact with locals to practice our Spanish. They have lounges where students can come to hang out and study, or just talk with their friends. Also, through CEA students have the option to study at the program center as well as various other universities, something that other programs in Seville don't offer. The people here really put an effort into making sure we are getting the most out of our experience.

For the actual city of Seville, it is a must see place. I've done a lot of traveling while abroad, and out of all the places I have visited Seville is by far my favorite. The city is filled life and history. Having the opportunity to live in a place with so much culture has been a great experience (not to mention the night life is really fun as well). I feel safe in Seville and I am very sad to be leaving. Being here for four months has changed me. I have become much more independent and have changed for the better. However, if I needed anything, CEA was always there to offer advice and help me figure out any issue I had. When people think about studying abroad it is always about location, location, location. However, the program you choose is a very important part of your decision. I owe much of my experiences here to CEA and the people who work there. I would definitely recommend studying abroad through this program, especially CEA Seville!

With CEA I have been pushed out of my comfort zone into a city filled with culture and magic. From the moment I arrived, CEA help us ease into Seville with comfort and confidence. They really provided a lot of trips and cultural experiences that helped me experience the most that Spain has to offer.
One of my favorite things about the CEA staff was their willingness to help each and every one of us to really dive into the culture and environment in Seville. They were very encouraging and helpful in terms of providing and finding events for us to participate in. A bullfight at the Plaza de Toros, a day at a local Jamon Iberico farm, and a cooking class are just some of the events to name a few.
The experiences that CEA provided really helped me to see every single aspect of the culture here, and I am so grateful for their help and guidance during the best four months of my life.

CEA is a great program if you are interested in developing a close-knit base with enough freedom to develop a unique study abroad experience. For my particular term, there were only about 100 students, so I was able to create a close connection with my classmates, but felt no pressure to conform to anybody else's opinion of what my experience should be. The staff were helpful, friendly, and knowledgable. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to study abroad in Seville