Berkley Center

Seville is a big city with the heart of a small town. As the fourth largest metropolis in Spain, one might expect that it would possess at least some of that cold, distant feeling which characterizes most urban centers. However, if you came to Sevilla expecting to disappear into the cityscape, you would be severely disappointed. Every aspect of this city is teeming with life and vitality—it is an organism in its own right.

What originally drew me to study in Seville was the opportunity to directly matriculate at a Spanish university and take classes with typical students in their native language. Before arriving, I was extremely nervous about the prospect of meeting new people and conversing in a language that I’m still in the process of learning, but the open and welcoming Sevillano disposition has made making friends a stress-free aspect of life here. Now when I walk down the street with my Sevillano friends, I am drawn further into the fabric of the city, the quick kiss on each cheek as you are introduced to a new person, and the prospect of more friendly faces around every corner. Living in Seville is akin to living on the Hilltop; you can’t walk between point A and point B without running into at least three people you know. This means a quick stop at the local supermarket can stretch into an hour-long ordeal. Essentially, time ceases to operate normally when every foray outside is an opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones.

Recently, I was talking to a Spanish friend about the subtle shift I could feel in the air. Ever since I’d returned to Seville from my weeklong European runaround during Semana Santa (Holy Week), I had noticed that there seemed to be an uncommon sense of urgency in the streets, as if the whole city was prepared to burst with an outpouring of emotion at any moment. As I began to run out of adjectives in my limited Spanish to describe this phenomenon, a look of clarity crossed her face.

“You see…” she began, “the people are waiting for la Feria (the annual city-wide fair). They are waiting for the official start of summer.” I had heard a lot about la Feria de Abril before; it is one of those events that I first learned about when I began researching Seville as a possible study abroad destination. An entire second city of casetas (small cabana-like houses) is constructed in the fairgrounds on the outskirts of my neighborhood in preparation for the weeklong festival. Businesses and schools are closed so that everyone can take part in the fun. However, I had not realized what kind of fervor it would generate in the people of Seville in the weeks leading up to its commencement. As my friend went on to explain, la Feria marks the transition to a life lived outside, in which time spent indoors is time wasted.

La Feria is set to begin this Monday night (April 11), and I cannot wait to see all of this pent-up energy currently coursing through the city burst forth. The Seville I have experienced thus far is one already characterized by its openness and vivacity. I cannot wait to see how post-Feria life compares.