Join the rest of the students for a variety of Girls’ Nights or Guys’ Nights throughout the semester. It’s a great way to make new friends. The events are largely up to you and your classmates to choose. Every group has different interests and ideas. So don't be shy about making a suggestion.

You can paddle down the Guadalquivir River, go bowling, attend flamenco shows, go out for pizza, watch Spanish movies, play basketball or fútbol, go ice skating during the winter, host arts and craft nights, attend sporting events, stage a cooking demonstration, or do any number of things.

Seville is famous for its Feria de Abril (April Fair), when the entire city comes to a virtual standstill for a week of music, Flamenco dancing, bullfights, and celebration.

The week before the festivities begin, SIS hosts a Fiesta Feria of our own with live music, food, and a Sevillanas dance workshop to prepare you for the customs of the Feria de Abril.

If you’re in Seville for the fall semester, you’ll get to celebrate Thanksgiving Spanish-style. Thanksgiving isn’t typically celebrated in Spain, but SIS puts on a celebration of our own, complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing.

You’ll enjoy the opportunity to dress up, exchange gifts, and dance to live music with your professors…and how often does that happen at home? 

If you’d like a truly cultural experience, attend a fútbol match in Spain. Better yet, attend a Betis fútbol match—you’ll score major bonus points with Profesor Salva. Seville is home to two top-ranked teams: Real Betis Balompie and Sevilla Fútbol Club. You’ll quickly discover that Sevillan loyalties are split fifty-fifty over these two teams, and both stadiums are only a short bus ride from the school.

Even closer to the school is the Sevillan Plaza de Toros. Starting in the spring and culminating in the fall, crowds flock to this historic bullring for a lively fight. Even if bullfighting isn’t your cup of tea, the costumes, music, and pomp and circumstance reveals a quintessential Spain that is still alive in Seville.

On any given night, you can get together with friends for delicious tapas (appetizers or snacks) at restaurants filled with authentic food and Spanish décor. You can then head to a Flamenco club with live music, bright costumes, and traditional Sevillanas dancing. Your feet will be moving before you know it.

Take a study break to meet friends at a local café for a cup of hot coffee or a cold chocolate shake. There you’ll be content for hours simply playing cards, people watching, or writing in your journal.

Homesick? Step into one of several Starbucks that will bring you back to the land of familiar as soon as you get one foot in the door. We can’t promise, though, that they’ll remember your usual half-caf double short two pump vanilla extra hot no foam with whip and caramel drizzle latte.

Do you play a mean guitar or croon like Kelly Clarkson? If so, consider translating your skills to Encuentro, the SIS equivalent of your school’s student-led Praise & Worship services.

At Encuentro, you can expect a familiar experience that’s similar to one you’d get at home: you’ll sing praise songs, read Scripture, and hear from guest speakers with moving stories to tell. Encuentro offers all these things with a Spanish twist: you’ll sing many songs in Spanish, you’ll be encouraged to bring a Spanish Bible, and your guest speakers will be believers native to Spain.

Each week, our Student Ministries Coordinator works with student leaders to plan a rich worship experience that relates integrating faith to studying abroad. You’ll cover topics like cultural transitions, becoming a global Christian, homesickness, and vocation. Encuentro is open to all SIS students, and we welcome the leadership of anyone interested.

Most Protestant congregations in Spain are small, but the members are warm and welcoming. If you’re interested in getting a head start on your church search take a look at the Student Handbook, which is included in the acceptance packet, for a list of Protestant churches. Otherwise, our Student Ministries Coordinator would be happy to help you find a church when you arrive in Spain.

We recommend attending a Catholic mass with your host family too. The experience will give you a great feel for Spain’s religious culture, and your family will appreciate your interest in their daily life.

When you arrive in Spain you’ll have the opportunity to sign up for a weekly prayer group with other students. These groups are student-led and structured differently depending on the wishes of the members. Some prayer groups in the past have focused on accountability, some on Bible study, and others on prayer support.

Some groups have even traveled to the Spanish countryside or Portuguese beaches for weekend prayer retreats.

One of the best ways to learn the Spanish language and culture is to interact with native Spaniards, and what better way is there to do that than to serve them? Accíon Solidaria, our service-learning course, places advanced students in a working relationship with some of Seville’s most overlooked people.

If you take the course, you might find yourself working alongside University of Seville students at Solidarios, a program that reaches out to the homeless. Or if you have a heart for the elderly, you could spend time at a retirement community with folks who love to play games, teach you new Spanish words, and tell you fascinating stories about their youth. If you like working with children, you may end up serving at the Convento Santa Isabel women and children’s shelter. Regardless of your placement, you’ll end up building meaningful relationships that you’ll likely value for many years.

If you aren’t an advanced student eligible for taking the service-learning course, you’ll still find plenty of opportunities to serve the people of Seville. Semester In Spain organizes school-wide service projects such as Christmas parties for Convento Santa Isabel orphans and Bingo nights with the elderly at the Hospital de la Caridad.

We of course won’t limit the possibilities! Feel free to dedicate your time and talents in other ways that you discover through a local church, your Spanish família, or a neighborhood nonprofit.