This year abroad has provided me with a number of opportunities to travel around Europe and enjoy new cultures, food and architecture. It has been an amazing journey of learning and creating incredible memories.  One trip that impacted me was a trip to Sevilla, Spain.

Seville, Spain

A few weekends ago, I went to Sevilla with two friends (If you ever make it to the region of Andalucia, Sevilla is a must visit!) The weather was gorgeous and we got to enjoy tapas, flamenco, and see some amazing sights. However, the thing that impacted me the most was on a walking tour of the city. Our guide´s name was Juan, and he gave us the background history of Sevilla and the not-so-talked about stories of politics. It was fascinating. At one point on the tour as we were meandering down an avenue of trees along the river, Juan received a phone call. A few moments later he started shaking all of our hands and had a huge smile on his face. As we gathered around curious as to this behavior he started to get choked up as he told us he had just got a job and was starting in September! Juan has a degree in engineering and has been looking for a job since he graduated three years ago.

The unemployment rate here in Spain is currently at 26%. It is something that surrounds the people here in Spain. The number of individuals I know in my close circle who are unemployed and have been for years is very high. So, to see Juan get a job after so long and to see his raw emotion after that phone call was a touching moment.

It´s sometimes the unexpected moments that make us see things in a different light and to really appreciate what we have.

*Unemployment rate from the National Statistics Institute http://www.tradingeconomics.com/spain/unemployment-rate