English
Español
Nederlands
Deutsch
Français
¡Hola todos!
I’m Blue, a new intern at ATD. I’m originally from Slovakia (for those who don’t know, it’s a little country in central Europe and no, it isn’t in Yugoslavia, that’s Slovenia, and no, it isn’t Czechoslovakia anymore). I’ve been living in the UK for the past five years and that’s also where I’ll be going back to after my time at ATD comes to an end. If they let me in.
I’m a creative weirdo with big dreams. I was fortunate enough to know from a very young age what I wanted to do and to have a family who let me do it. That’s how I ended up at a drama school at 15 and the University of Worcester at 20 where I studied English and screenwriting, which I hope to one day be my main source of income.
This is me:
It’s black and white because I change hair colour so often I don’t even remember what it was when I took the picture, and I don’t want you to get attached.
As I mentioned, I studied screenwriting (and English, but let’s not focus on that). After uni, I decided that since London is the centre of European filmmaking and a link to Hollywood, it would have the most opportunities for someone with my ambitions. Unfortunately, London is also extremely full of talented people (yeah, I know, I should have realized that before moving there, not after) and so I struggled for a year and a half before deciding to take a break and go somewhere else. That’s where two amazing opportunities fell into my lap, one of which is this job.
I applied for an internship with Erasmus, which is a company I’ve been hearing about since I was in school. It has amazing programmes for students and young people who want to travel, study and work in Europe. This programme is three months long, with travel, insurance and accommodation paid for, plus a very good allowance (which is honestly better than any disposable income I had in London).
ATD seemed like an obvious choice for me. I used to work for Deliveroo, use a bike as my main form of transport, had a job at escape rooms where I managed social media, greeted and introduced visitors with the games, and then monitored those games, and I acted ever since I was seven. ATD offers all of that for me. I get to cycle around a beautiful city, work with very lovely people, interact with visitors, and be generally creative. I also love photography and can’t wait to take a million pictures for social media and blog posts like this one.
Seville, or Sevilla as I’m getting used to calling it, is stunning. I have travelled around Europe, but I’ve never been this far south because I don’t have any family I could visit here. This is the first time I’ve seen palm trees in their natural habitat and it blows my mind every day. It’s like being on an island without leaving the continent. It is rich in history and character charming to no end, full of special people. Every country has different people and the Spanish are their own category. I’m enjoying hearing them speak, seeing them interact with each other, and I don’t have to be afraid to talk to them even though sometimes our conversations look like charades more than a dialogue.
I’ve spent every day so far walking. My feet are killing me, but seeing all the narrow streets and balconies filled with greens and laundry and whatnot, it all pays off. There are orange trees on every corner, almost every street, and because the oranges are too bitter to be eaten, they are always full and heavy with fruit.
I love the atmosphere and the pace of life. Sevillanos don’t ever seem to be rushing. They always have time. Siesta is almost a ritual here, at least three hours of rest in the sun, and even though I’m sure the fact that I can’t get anything in those hours will frustrate me more than once, I could get used to it. If it wasn’t for the incredible heats during summer, I would already be making plans of moving here.
I can’t wait to see everything this city has to offer and spend what looks like the most amazing three months here. And if you choose our bike tours when you’re in Seville, you might meet me!