Cadiz, Spain

Cadiz was a nice, quiet, and convenient. Everything was within a walking distance with a bright and shiny atmosphere. The town is simply beautiful and lovely with the town square chocked full of people. However at night, it is very easy to get lost since the inner part of their city is built like a maze leading up to a center. This is definitely where you would need a map to increase your fun here.

MERCADILLO POR ESPANA

There are two types one that sell food and one that sells knickknacks.  These Moving Sales within each town has a designated site and time where  vendors would set up and sell all kinds of knickknacks  such as clothing items, jewelries and even household items. These were the places if you wanted to get knockoffs for a decent price. They would also be the places where they would sell homemade items or food.

Comida Espanola

Pimiento Asado

Caracoles or Snail

Mixed of Spanish Food

Paella with Seafood

Ensalada

Typical Spain Delicacy:

In Spain, there are many places with typical cuisines such as tortilla de patata which is sautéed onions, cup potatoes and 5-6 eggs. This could be a breakfast item or cooked then sliced to make a sandwich. Bread is a fundamental part of their daily lives even when there's already rice or noodles. They would normally break off pieces from a baguette to use as an utensil. It was amazing that it could be a broken off piece of the  baguette with some sliced meat or jam and thats a typical snack. The most prevalent kind of eateries located in Spain are the tapas bars where you would pick something small like carne con salsa, patata brava ( square fried potatoes with spicy salsa),  spinach with garlic and many more. A wonderful dessert, I tried was the churros with chocolate. This was basically salty flavored breadsticks dipped in chocolate pudding. It was delicious and this can be eaten as a breakfast, snack, or whenever u hang out with friends at a cafe. 

     Other delicacies are the salpicon de marisco where there is a mixture of diced crab imitation, onion, green pepper, tomato, red pepper,  and vinegarette oil. This is one of item topped on the broken pieces of baguette.  

HASTA PRONTO MI QUERIDO HUELVA

My Goodbye Party

Before I came to Spain( first time out of Europe), I was really nervous and sad leaving behind what I knew in the United States. Leaving Spain was even harder after making a my second home in Huelva. This has been an unforgettable and wonderful experience for me on so many levels meeting and getting to know so many people from different countries and making friends from all over the world even though there were some bumps and bruises on the way. This is an experience that has been beneficial for me helping me learn how to survive in a foreign country like asking for help in the streets or in the classroom, how to connect without fear and letting go of people you love, and being able to use my target language every single day in all kinds of situation. I have discovered a side of myself that had been buried under schoolwork and studying is that it is necessary to have fun once in a while and to be in unfamiliar situations. I have learned how to adapt in new circumstances thrown at me, surviving in a new environment with nobody to fall back on initially and meeting people with different backgrounds. 

Vanesa and I

Mi Flatmate, Nico

Keeping FIt

Walking from one place to another

 In Huelva, it is very easy to keep fit because in order to get to your destination most of the time you go by foot! Whether you have to go buy groceries or go to parties, the most economic way is by walking. There are many, who rents bikes from university or buys them cheap which this also helps the people keep fit. There are bus options, but it is usually if you have to for more than 30 minutes or if you simply prefer to. If you go buy a lot or heavy groceries, then it is better if you bring a carrito ( a shopping cart). Majority of the households would usually have this carrito because walking with bags full o grocery is not really optimal. Elevator are optional sometimes, but not included absolutely. This limits what you would buy, but this would make you analyze if is worth the effort which would decrease buying junk food in some cases. There is always gyms available, but most of the time just go running on the streets because pedestrian and and bicycle pathways are plentiful. Only downside is that you would wear your shoes out quicker. 

Cars parked in front of RENFE

Inside of a Bus

STORES, STORES, and more STORES

 In Huelva, there are more mom and pop stores in walking distance for every department of need such as pharmacy, school supplies, cafes, electronics, knick knacks and so forth. definitely do not focus on the concept of a one stop shop as much as the U.S. Which means that finding a chain store with everything you need like Walmart or Target is nearly impossible unless you have a car whereas it is how it generally is in the States. Even the idea to have a car isn't like a rite of passage here in Spain, whereas in the States it is a must.

Pharmacy

Clock shop

Typical Bazar Store with Knickknacks

School Supplies Store

Here in order to get things that don't have its own store, you would be recommended to go to a Bazar store that carries the most mini departments of items such as costumes, home products, or even feminine hygiene. These places is recommended a lot to Erasmus Students because of events like costume parties or in need of low cost products. They are most one chain in a sense that is all over Huelva. It is very interesting to me the lack of desire to have a one stop department store where in the states, stores with the most  different low cost products are most visited by the general public. 

School System at UHU vs in the US:

Studying in Huelva gives me a great perspective on how the system works in Huelva. School semester starts about a month later than ones in the states. There are several opportunities for youngsters to go to English School with extra cost on top of their regular courses. Classes are usually 2 or 3 days with hours that follows one class after another. For instance, one class ends at 1030 and another would start at the same room at 1030 as well. But usually the professor and the students are relaxed and don't feel the need to be on time themselves or even with the lecture. Attendance is important, but not mandatory even with first year students, which is quite the contrary for students at my university where taking roll is part of the grade. The only time to actually physically check in was for practicals. The registration system is also different. Students in Huelva would be expected to check out classes for about a month before registering, but once you register it is pretty much a done deal.  In the states, exams normally consist of three regular exams over certain chapter, 1midterm, and 1 final and within the class, there is essays, homework, presentations and so forth. In Huelva, there is lecture all semester with practicals  within the class and usually one exam in the end consisting of 3-5 questions with two points a question with ultimate goal of getting a 10, which is an A or for some presentations. In America, there is some pressure to keep up, but with many opportunities to pass. In Huelva, there is almost no pressure until exam time. Then at this time it is pretty much a flip of a coin with a lot of cramming.  However, there  are some classes that are an exception to this exam frenzy.