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My name is Fien, and from the ages of 10 to 18, I did theatre and learned about how to speak clearly, how to give presentations and how to guide people through a city. It was when I guided a group of people through Veurne (a city in Belgium), I realised that this was something for me. So when I finished secondary school, I decided to study tourism to become a guide.
So here we are, I am in my last year of Tourism and Recreation Management at the Vives University of Bruges. To finish my studies I had to choose a place where I wanted to do my internship. This decision was easy for me. I have been travelling to Spain a lot in the recent years, and I really enjoy the way they live their life and love the country, so I decided to avoid mass tourism companies and tried to find a truly Spainish company. I found Andalucia Tours and Discovery via a friend of mine, who did her internship in Spain with this company last year. She told me about the nice colleagues, the job tasks and about how inspiring this city is.
Before coming to Sevilla, I knew that I wanted to stay with locals to learn every small detail about the city, the culture, the language and to taste the local dishes. After some research I found a gorgeous house near the centre of Seville, where I live with a Spanish family. La Familia consists of Pilar, Manuel and their son, Manuel. It is a Sevillan tradition to name your son the same as the father. They have 2 pets: a cat with a Spanish temperament, and a bearded dragon. Please don’t shout Dracarys to him. He isn’t one of Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons (yes, I am fond of Game Of Thrones), but a beautiful reptile, who loves to enjoy siestas as much as I do. I couldn’t have chosen a better family. They are the sweetest! By staying with them, I am obliged to speak Spanish every
day and this is a very nice and fast way to learn a new language. La Madre also cooks for me, and teaches me how to make it myself. Manuel keeps me updated about the events and fiestas. Together we will celebrate the Semana Santa, which starts Sunday, March 25 and ends the first of April. During this week we will see several Processions, and we will be able to see the traditional dresses. I am really looking forward to this! We are thinking about streaming a video of all interns watching a procession, so stay tuned!
I already had some time to do some sightseeing in Sevilla, and I saw some impressive buildings, such as La Giralda, the Triana bridge, el Torre del Oro and many more! The city is so charming that you don’t have the busy feeling you get when you, for example, visit Barcelona. Now I am attending the city tours and learning everything about the sights and the city, so I can guide a tour by myself.
Two days ago, I went to a Sevillan tapas bar with Mirte, who is another Belgian intern. We had several dishes, such as the typical ensaladas and goat cheese with bread, which were really good! We have to admit, Sevillans know how to cook!
I hope that I have convinced you to visit Sevilla and I am looking forward be your tour guide!