Laura: Seville Survival Guide: Heat, Floods, and Jewellery

Hello everyone! My name is Laura, and together with my friend Isabella, I am taking part in the Erasmus+ programme in Seville. For two weeks, we are working in a jewellery shop and gaining practical work experience abroad.

So far, our adventure has included sunshine, new experiences, and enough unexpected apartment drama to keep things interesting.

Saturday – From Runway to Heatwave

Our journey began on Saturday when we met two friends at the airport. We said our goodbyes there because they were flying to Málaga, while Isabella and I boarded our flight to Seville.

Our flight went smoothly, and after arriving in Seville, we waited about 30 minutes for our luggage while enjoying a small snack. After claiming our suitcases we met up with two other students, Paula and Emily, who we are sharing an apartment with.

When we arrived at our accommodation, we were happy to see that it was clean and tidy. However, we quickly discovered one tiny detail: one of the rooms has no air conditioning.

At first, we thought, “How bad can it be?” Then we remembered that Seville is currently serving daily temperatures of around 40°C in the shade. Let’s just say that bedroom was not to be desired.

We also experience daily power outages, especially while cooking. Nothing adds excitement to dinner preparation quite like suddenly having to continue by flashlight.

Sunday – Exploring Seville and Creating an Indoor Water Feature

On Sunday, we explored the city, found our workplace, and got to know our new surroundings. Seville is beautiful, full of charming streets, beautiful architecture, and plenty of opportunities to accidentally walk in circles while pretending we knew exactly where we were going.

Back at the apartment, we had another unexpected adventure: the dishwasher decided to create a flood. The first time we used it, there was only a small puddle, so we thought we had there wasn't a real problem. The second time, however, our kitchen briefly transformed into what can only be described as a very small indoor water park. But more about this from Isabella’s perspective in her blog post!

Monday and Tuesday – Work, Football, and TikTok

On Monday, we met with the Erasmus+ organisation and visited our workplace for the first time. It was exciting to see the jewellery shop and learn about the tasks we would be doing during our placement.

In the evening, all of us four girls watched the football match Spain vs. Portugal and enjoyed a nice home-cooked meal.

Tuesday was our first official day at work. One of our main tasks is helping to manage the shop’s TikTok account. So I guess you could say that we are real TikTok Stars in the making. But more about our first day at work in Isabella’s blog post!

Wednesday – Teamwork Saves the Day

On Wednesday, Isabella and I faced a small challenge: at first, we were not allowed to work together. Since we work best as a team, we discussed the issue with our workplace and managed to find a solution ourselves.

We are now able to work together, which made us very happy. This experience taught us that communication and teamwork are very important, and that two determined Erasmus+ students can solve problems quite effectively.

The Adventure Continues

So far, our Erasmus+ adventure has been a mixture of exciting opportunities, unexpected challenges, and funny moments. I am looking forward to the rest of our time in Seville and to learning even more during our placement in the jewellery shop.

Be sure to read Isabella’s blog post for her perspective on our first days, including the dishwasher flood and our first day at work!