Submitted by Jade Schlegel on the 2022 spring semester program in Madrid, Spain…
A recurring lesson you will learn abroad is that things will go wrong, especially when you are traveling so much. Over the weekend, I and a few friends took a trip to Seville for my birthday which resulted in a few hiccups. When we arrived at our Airbnb, the person who checked us in was going to send us the code to the automatic lock on the door. Long story short, we never got the code. So after 45 minutes of alarms and 2 hours of waiting, we got the code and could finally explore Seville. We were then welcomed to the city with pouring rain. These situations can be very stressful especially when you are learning to travel on your own, but they hold very valuable lessons in how to use your resources and get help to fix the situation you may be in. Although rain isn’t something that is easily fixed, you can still shift plans around to make the most of your time. During the downpour, I climbed La Giralda and saw the gorgeous interior of the Seville Cathedral. I even ventured out into the rain to take some amazing pictures at Palacio de Pilatos. In these stressful times, remember that it will all work out. It may be different than expected (or rainier), but take a moment to enjoy some churros con chocolate, watch for puddles, and remember this is truly a once in a lifetime experience. At the end of the day, you still get to say you saw an amazing city even if your original plans change!
