The famous Hollywood actress, Sharon Stone, was visiting Sevilla last week to participate in the ELLE Style Awards, where she was awarded with the Icon ELLE prize. But she was going to be surprised with another award later on in the evening. The Spanish football players belonging to the Real Betis Balompie football team, Joaquín Sánchez and Marc Bartra, who also attended the event, gifted her a jersey of the team with her name on the back.
ATTENTION!: We required all of our students to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before participating on any of our programs.
Due to the latest World events, the SAIIE Family would like to share this message with everyone:
SAIIE is a study abroad program started by the Chipres family. Our background is Mexican, French, American, British and Spanish.
For nearly 40 years we have been offering a unique study abroad program in Seville, Spain to US students.
The country of Spain is known for its rich culture heritage from several cultures (Celts, Iberian, Romans, Jewish, Moorish, etc) that have made of it such a beautiful country. The region of Andalucía and Seville are classic examples of this in Spain and you can still see to this day the influences that all these cultures had in these parts of Spain, making it to many people one of the most beautiful regions in the World.
We have seen through history the persecution of people due to their background, their religious beliefs, their skin colour and the wars and violence caused by it.
We would have hoped that after hundreds of years of human mistakes, we would have progressed and learned from our mistakes, but it makes us sad to see how far humans are still in this respect. Episodes like the most recent one occurring in the US (Rest In Peace George Floyd) are a true challenge to the World to reflect and start taking action.
One of the main goals at SAIIE is to teach our students the beauty behind all the diversity in the world (In this case Sevilla, Andalucía, and España), to appreciate it and respect it, and we will continue to educate our students this way.
For months now the SAIIE family has been advocating for “sacrifice, respect and solidarity” as the world faces the pandemic Covid-19.
SAIIE as a Study Abroad Program, as a family of International Educators and as citizens of the world want to speak up loud and clearly:
Calling all students our Summer 2020 applications are still open!
We offer different program options from 4-6 weeks long.
Programs that start at the end of May or beginning of June.
Language Requirement: No prior knowledge of Spanish required
To learn more about this program please visit our SAIIE website
Our short term faculty led 2020 students from Carleton College are here in Seville, Spain!
Today we took our group of #students from Carleton College to the Spanish school, CEIP Lora Tamayo, in Bellavista where they will be running their sports camp throughout their stay in Seville. Students can’t wait to start their camp.
They had an orientation at the school and met some of the Spanish children they will be working with during the following weeks. Part of the orientation that was organized by the Spanish school to the Carleton students included an introduction of the history of the neighbourhood and how it has become what it is today.
They were greeted by the Director of the school and a local government representative.
Here you can enjoy some picture of today’s visit: https://www.facebook.com/saiieseville/posts/3402203403129012
Our spring 2020 students have had a busy first two weeks in Seville, Spain!
Their first week in Sevilla, SAIIE hosted an orientation week which started with an orientation at the Center. During the first week students participated in conversation classes, as well as a cultural introduction to help our students settle in easier into the Spanish culture they were going to encounter.
The second week classes started at SAIIE and US (Universidad de Sevilla), as well as participating in their first day trip, to Ronda, included in the program costs. Ronda is a mountaintop city in Malaga separated by a gorge which separates the new town from its old town, dating to Moorish rule. They also visited the Plaza de Toros, a legendary 18th-century bullring, oldest one in the world.
In Ronda students had the chance to explore some of the stunning scenery in Ronda with a stop at the Cuenca gardens. Located on the ledges of the Tajo, the views are spectacular and give a unique perspective of the city. It’s no wonder that Ernest Hemmingway and Orson Welles spent many summers here and both wrote about the city’s beauty!
Enjoy pictures of Ronda here: https://www.facebook.com/saiieseville/posts/3373481272667892
Last Friday our students enjoyed a lovely trip to Ronda, a beautiful and historic city in the province of Malaga!
After a gruelling 2-hour bus ride, the students were able to stretch their legs and explore the beautiful city with their very own tour guide, SAIIE Student Affairs Director Elena.
First stop on the tour was La Plaza de Toros. Although smaller in size than Seville’s own plaza (a capacity of approx. 6,000 compared to approx. 13,000 in Seville), the building still managed to amaze the students. Built in the 18th century, it holds a very dear place in the history of Ronda and Spanish bullfighting. It is where the legendary Romero family emerged to provide over three generations of bullfighters, most notably Pedro Romero. It is also where Antonio Ordóñez was born and where he started off his celebrated bullfighting career.
Next, Elena took the students to the ‘Mirador de Aldehuela’ and the ‘Balcón del Coño’ viewpoints to catch a glimpse of the famous ‘Puente Nuevo’ (New Bridge). Built in 1793, the bridge joins the old Moorish town and the newer, El Mercadillo, parts of the city. Interestingly, this viewpoint is named in honour of the architect who built this bridge, the same man who also built La Plaza de Toros. It is at this spot where you also get a lovely view of the gorge and surrounding countryside!
Afterwards, the students went to explore some more of the stunning scenery in Ronda with a stop at the Cuenca gardens. Located on the ledges of the Tajo, the views are spectacular and give a unique perspective of the city. It’s no wonder that Ernest Hemmingway and Orson Welles spent many summers here and both wrote about the city’s beauty!
After much walking up and down the cobbled streets, it was time for lunch. A picnic in the park underneath the shade of a tree was the perfect way to relax. The students even got the chance to look at some local art and purchase their very own souvenirs.
Finally, a stop at the ice cream shop was much needed after the hot and tiring day the students had!
There are so many answers for the question above, where to start?!
There are so many answers for the question above, where to start?!
Let’s first take a look at the language spoken in Spain… Spanish. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the United States of America. Forty-five million Hispanophones speak Spanish as a first or second language, and there are six million Spanish language students in the United States.
Now why choose to study in Sevilla over Madrid or Barcelona? Madrid and Barcelona are two big cities, and like all big cities they are extremely cosmopolitan, so if what are you trying to get out of your study abroad experience is a cultural immersion, then you will find it very hard to do so in such big cities (same goes if you study in any other European capital… Paris, Rome, etc).
The size of the city. Seville has a population of about 700,000 people. It’s not a village nor a city, and once you live here you understand this concept. The great thing about the size of Seville is that everywhere in this city can be reached by foot, with the centre and its sites all within walking distance away from each other. It’s a university town with over 65.000 Spanish students. It’s located one hour away from the nearest beach and only two hours and a half from the Ski Resort in Sierra Nevada (Granada). Seville has sunny weather pretty much all year around and is home to some of the most beautiful monuments, sites and architecture that you will find in Spain.
Many (if not all) of the stereotypes you have heard about Spain and Spanish culture are most probably true of Seville. From the traditional sport of bullfighting to the enchanting atmosphere at Feria de Abril (April fair), or watching the impressive processions during Semana Santa, there’s never a dull moment in this breathtaking city!
As well as having a large student population, the city offers a range of possibilities for studying Liberal Arts. Seville is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its gothic Cathedral, the Archivo de Indias (a collection of important documents concerning the discovery of the New World), and the Alcázar (royal palace). Together, these monuments perfectly epitomize the Spanish “Golden Age” and provide for very interesting historical and cultural studies, covering periods of Roman, Moorish, Jewish and Christian reign, and displaying the true mixture of cultures that have each affected and left their mark on the city of Seville in their own way. Even without mentioning these three monuments, there is no shortage of beautiful architectural and historical sites, each with their own unique story and history behind them: the Parque Maria Luisa and Plaza de España, Las Setas (giant wooden structure overlooking the city), the Real Maestranza de Caballería de Sevilla (Seville’s bullring), the Torre del Oro… With this in mind, we encourage students to get out into the city on a regular basis and we like to use the city itself as another classroom, where we integrate active learning and cultural immersion into our program.
Seville has also provided inspiration to many famous writers, artists and musicians over the years, producing some of the major pieces that most define Spanish culture today. To list a few examples, the famous Renaissance painter, Diego Velázquez, who was a through-and-through “sevillano”. Antonio Machado, the Manuel brothers and Joaquín Romero Murube were all influential Sevillian poets. Cervantes conceived the idea for his most famous book “El ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de La Mancha” whilst imprisoned in the Royal Prison of Seville, and the story of the well-known opera show “Carmen” was written and set in Seville by the French writer, Prosper Mérimée. Where better to study these works than in the heart of the city in which they were set?
People say a picture is worth a thousand words, but some things must be seen for themselves. Come to Sevilla and discover the beauty of this magical city with SAIIE. Choose a study abroad city that will let you live and learn the Spanish language and culture, giving you the most authentic experience of Spain that you could possibly imagine.
There truly is no other Spanish city like Seville, so let SAIIE host you the ultimate study abroad program in the ultimate location… Os estamos esperando!
To find out more information about our Study Abroad program, please visit https://saiie.com/programs/study-abroad/, or apply now at https://saiie.com/apply/
Although all the staff at SAIIE were very sad to see the Fall term students leave 2 weeks ago, we are now looking forward to Christmas…
Although all the staff at SAIIE were very sad to see the Fall term students leave 2 weeks ago, we are now looking forward to Christmas and more importantly the fact that Winterim students arrive a week from today! Staff and teachers are very busy preparing classes and activities for the Winterim students and we hope that they enjoy their time with us at SAIIE as much as the Fall term students did.
Our Winterim students arrived just over a week ago and they have been very busy! They have had their first week of classes. This year´s Winterim…
Our Winterim students arrived just over a week ago and they have been very busy! They have had their first week of classes. This year´s Winterim students have particularly enjoyed all their extracurricular activities, such as their Welcome Luncheon, a Flamenco show, and a day trip to Cordoba. In addition to all this they have visited Plaza de España, Museum of Arts and Traditions, the Archaeological Museum, and Barrio de Santa Cruz!
Our Winterim and Spring 2018 dates have now been confirmed and can be found up on our website!
Our Winterim and Spring 2018 dates have now been confirmed and can be found up on our website! Winterim dates are as follows: January 2nd-January 20th and Spring dates: January 31st-May 11th.
Our Winterim program is perfect for anyone wanting to take a real look into Andalusian culture, through the monuments of Seville, Cordoba and Granada! It explores the historical, artistic, social & religious backgrounds behind these cities, showing how they have developed into what they are today.
Our Winterim program lets you discover the real story behind Andalusia, and allows students to witness Spanish culture in the most authentic way possible.
Spring programs are also offered by SAIIE, offering students a wider range of courses to choose from. Now, more than ever, our course selection and academic offering is expanding, especially with the latest partnership we have established with the University of Sevilla.
Thanks to our new partnership with the University of Seville, SAIIE now offers 5 academic programs to students during the Spring. Three of these programs are run in partnership with the University of Seville, and one with EUSA (La Escuela Universitaria de Sevilla).
On top of this, SAIIE also runs its own Intensive Spanish Language course. This track is designed for those wanting to focus solely on the Spanish language, perfect for both Spanish majors or students with a low level Spanish, who want to improve. This course promises a total immersion into Spanish, which helps in the development of their own knowledge of the language. The SAIIE-EUSA combined course is another excellent opportunity we extend to our students, with classes taking place at both centres providing an even deeper level of cultural immersion, given that classes in this course are shared with Spanish students and students from other European countries.
The rest of the 3 courses we offer during Spring have all been designed in collaboration with the University of Seville. These courses are: International Studies and Contemporary Hispanic Studies- Liberal Arts, Business and Spanish Language and Culture, and lastly, Advanced Spanish Language and Culture. These programs are there to either offer students their first experience with Spanish culture or challenge them to perfect their knowledge of the Spanish language and everything that comes along with it. Running these programs through the University of Seville means that each course promises an intercultural environment for the American students, giving them the opportunity to study in a Spanish setting, a Spanish university no less- where they are constantly surrounded by Spanish speakers.
If you are interested in any of the Winterim and Spring 2018 programs mentioned above, please visit https://saiie.com/programs/study-abroad/ to find out more information!
Today our winterim students are spedinng their day of class visiting the ancient muslim city of Córdoba! Andalucía is our classroom!
Córdoba, is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. It was a Roman settlement, then colonized by Muslim armies in the eighth century. It became the capital of the Islamic Emirate, and then of the Caliphate of Córdoba, including most of the Iberian Peninsula. Córdoba consisted of hundreds of workshops that created goods such as silk. It was a center of culture and learning in the Muslim golden age.
Caliph Al Hakam II opened many libraries in addition to the many medical schools and universities which existed at the time, making Córdoba a centre for education. During these centuries it became the center of a society ruled by Muslims, in which all other groups had a second-class status. It was recaptured by Christian forces in 1236, during the Reconquista. Today it is a moderately sized modern city; its population in 2011 was about 330,000. The historic centre was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
