My experience in classes here in Cadiz has been amazing, although different than the majority of the students travelling with me. Due to my different placement, I was put into a class with several international students, rather than a class with just students also from UMass Lowell. There are students from Sweden, Scotland, Germany, Ethiopia, and Russia. It’s always interesting to hear our professor ask us to compare our own countries with that of Spain. At least once I day, I get to learn about another country in addition to Spain, and that’s incredible. It broadened my perspective of the world, especially since I was the only one from the United States, and the majority of the students are from Russia.

For the most part, my class is completely immersive. Due to us all being from different countries, the only people with English as their mother tongue is myself and Mairi my classmate from Scotland. Many of the other students started learning English very young, but the fact that it’s not our collective first language means that we rely more on Spanish to communicate. This forces us to focus on practicing Spanish even more, because outside of class or when we ask each other questions we use Spanish as well. I think this is the biggest difference, and the biggest advantage to learning Spanish here in Spain rather than in a normal classroom setting. At no fault of the schools in the United States, the students tend to speak English to each other under their breath or outside of class. Here, Spanish is significantly more dominant than English and the added practice adds to the learning process.

The set-up of classes here is also different than what I’m used to. Classes are Monday through Thursday, giving us longer weekends for side travel or extra studying. In the morning classes begin at 9:30, which is a nice time in my opinion. The first class is two hours long, followed by a half hour break in which we’re allowed to get a snack or coffee at the cafeteria and sit with other students. The cafeteria is always busy with students, and sometimes it’s hard to get your order taken before it’s time to return to class. My go to drink is café con leche (Coffee with milk). The coffee here is significantly stronger than that in the United States, so the milk (and lots of sugar…) help the taste, in my opinion.

The second half of classes is from 12:00 until 2:00 with another professor. I think having two different professors is nice as well. It gives all the students two different perspectives and often two different styles of teaching. What was most interesting for me is that my professors didn’t have conversational English skills. This also forces me and my classmates to truly think in Spanish or even just to ask questions in Spanish. Again, it’s different from classes in the United States, because professors there speak both languages fluently.

The material of the class I’m in (Nivel A2.2) has also has helped me greatly. It covers several grammar forms, some that I needed refreshing on, and others that I hadn’t had much practice with. It’s a helpful overview for anyone at the Spanish 3 or 4 level. I really enjoyed having both the grammar overview, the lesson taught in complete Spanish and being forced to practice speaking the language in and out of the class. I think all these things combined made for an extremely intensive and immersive study abroad experience. It’s truly helped me think in Spanish, to the point where I’ve had to go back through this blog and change a few Spanish words back to English!

Today, we finished our second week of our classes at the University of Cadiz. Divided amongst various classes, those in my class, along with myself, have learned many tenses essential towards establishing the foundation for a future of fluency in Spanish. Our two wonderful professors, Almu and Albierto, have taught us the past, future, and conditional, answering any questions we may have, with patience. Throughout the past two weeks, many of us students have seen an increase with our confidence in the Spanish language and look forward to continuing our education after the program comes to an end.

Aside from the language, I have also learned a lot about the culture and history of Spain, and it’s current state. During this study abroad program, I opted into an option third class, focusing on these topics specifically. Although, I have gained a far better understanding of these by also being aware of my environment and engaging in conversations about these matters with my professors, and some of the locals. For example, one thing that took me by surprise was learning that Spain’s unemployment rate is approximately at 18%, a figure that is very high. Though incredibly high, the unemployment rate is far better than the 30% that it once was in the recent past. Not only does my textbook cover this topic, and discussion regarding to it occasionally appears in class, it is also present in public. There are many times that I am approached by a stranger asking for money. It is quite sad how frequently it happens and to know how hard it must be for them to find work. Other times, I will witness street performances, showcasing talent or offering some form of entertainment or service for donations. Here is a photo of a headless man, sitting out in public, trying to make a living through such entertainment:

Some great ways that have helped immerse us into the culture are the many excursions we have been on so far. Within the province of Cadiz, we took a journey to Baelo Claudia, which is an ancient Roman archaeological site, containing Roman remains from the period when Spain was a part of the Roman Empire. To better grasp an understanding of many of the topics, they are researched and presented on by the students of the additional class. A classmate, by the name of Phil, and I gave the presentation on Spain in the Roman times. Below is a photo of the ruins.

Earlier in the week, we all took a cooking class to learn how to make tapas. And yesterday, we took a ferry to the Port of Santa Maria and partook in wine tasting and sightseeing.

Among the various activities, I have noticed some – I do not want to refer to them as culture shocks – differences. (I, personally, find myself to be very free spirited and openminded that the differences I experience here, in comparison to the United States and England, are no less stunning than seeing the odd things that people back home do.) Anyways, I think one of the two big differences for me are the hours in which the Spaniards eat their meals, for instance dinner is eaten after 21:00, and the permittance of toplessness at the beaches. Another interesting occurrence is the presence of young children at the park across the street after midnight/one in the morning. The community here is interestingly enough: liberal, diverse, and, for the most part, safe.

One experience I really enjoyed since being here, was being at the bar one night and having a woman approach me, speaking English. First, she assured me that she was not trying to sell me anything, and then began to tell me that she was, at that time, working. Her job was to conduct a meet-and-greet situation at the establishment. She was handing out stickers of different flags from different countries. The purpose was to wear the flags of all the languages you spoke and to walk around meeting new people interested in learning or helping teach the language. It was quite a nice activity to partake in because not only did I get the chance to practice my Spanish, but I also got the opportunity to practice my French, and help someone with their English – all in one night.

With so much accomplished in just two weeks, I cannot wait to see what next week has to offer.

Across the shore of Cadiz is a little town know as El Puerto de Santa Maria; a beautiful hidden gem with historical treasures. At first glance, Santa Maria doesn’t seem to have too much going on, but as I share with you my experiences from today, I am sure you will see why its such an important city to the providence of Cadiz. Today we were able to explore Bodega Caballero and the Castle of San Marcos (Castile de San Marcos) and sample a bit of the wine in the end.

A “bodega” is the spanish word for a wine cellar that stores the wine as it ferments over the years before reaching your glass. Santa Maria is part of the triangle of Sherries in Andalucia, Spain. Including Santa Maria, Jerez de la Frontera, and Sanlúcar de Barrameda are the cities that support the manufacturing of wines that you are able to taste across Spain and mostly throughout Andalucia.

To begin our tour, we walked though the outside gates entrance where we discussed the history of the Sherry chain. Fun Fact 1: Outside of the main entrance was one of the three only trees left of its kind; the Dragon Tree.

“Drago” Tree

Upon entering cellar the rich odor of the fermenting grapes and yeast invites you into the magic of wine production. First Veronica, our fabulous tour guide, explained there are 3 different grapes used to make the multitudes of wines created here, we only focused on one. From that one grape, they are able to make 5 different types of wines based on the age of fermentation. They compress the grapes, transport the juices to wooden barrels, add various ingredients to help the process such as alcohol and yeast and wait. Fun fact 2: the barrels that the wine is placed in is 200 year old American Oak!

This shows the inside of the wine barrels. Top layer is the yeast layer that helps indicate if the wine is ready or not and how much alcohol may be contained.

An important part to note about this process how the wine is mixed. On the bottom level, is the oldest and the youngest is on the top. In order to make sure all the wine is the same,  1/3 of each wine is mixed with each other on the various levels. The longer they age the wine, the darker/ redder the wine becomes.

Barrels on barrels on barrels of wine. Boy did it smell like yeast!

Proceeding through the cellar, we are pointed to a street, “Bodega Los Almizcates” that once was used by inhabitants of the city before it was closed off within the storage space of the cellar.

This old street progresses to another smaller room which contained wine that fermented for 20 and 30 years. Whats special about this room is that the wines aren’t mixed from top to bottom like in first room, but rather from left to right. I thought of this room as the “royalty room” as the barrels contained the “plaques” of autonomous people.

“Vors” means 30 “Vos” means 20

Top layer has been fermenting for 30 years, middle layer for 20 years. (Bottom wasn’t mention but I would assume 10 years) as said before, the process goes from left to right. This panorama doesn’t show it clearly but this is actually a round room. Here you can also see the plaques mentioned before

Fun Fact 3: On our way to the Castle of San Marcos we saw one of the few first maps that included North America. Christopher Columbus is not only well known in America just of his “discovery” of America, but it well respected by the people around Andalucia for leaving from Spain for his more well known trips. A lot of his time was spent here in Santa Maria planning trips and receiving the funds from the queen to make his voyages to the New World.

Approaching the Castle of San Marcos looks like a picture out of the medieval times. Once you pass the entrance is when you are able to see various influences come to life in the building. To summarize what Veronica said about its history, the Castle wasn’t a castle, but a structure that changed over time with whoever was in control. Majority of the changes after the mosque was under the ruling of King Alfonso. At first, the building was a roman temple, then converted to a mosque once the Muslims ruled, then converted to a christian church, and then finally a castle. At the right of the entrance is a fountain where the muslims washed their feet and hands before entering the main room where remains of the muslim decorations still are.

Adjacent to the praying room is a sacristy which was built in the 15th century. The sacristy was the most holy room of the entire building because this is where the sacramental gift remains here most of the time. The alter of the sacristy has carvings of gargoyles to protect the house from evil spirits that may have remained from the wars and violence happening outside of the building. It was built by a prisoner who spent 7 years creating it to lessen his sentence. Unfortunately, he passed away after completing the structure.

At the end of our castle tour, we had our wine tasting. Im a newbie to the entire experience so it was quite fun to try the traditional wines of Cadiz. Sherry wine is something here in Cadiz the people take pride in having. Pretty much what they create here is the primary wine found in local restaurants to accompany the “tapas” (like appetizers, but its the meal)  served.

In total we tried 5 types of wines:

• Fino: A very dry wine that is best with “pescado” (fish). The color is a very clear with just a tint of a yellow color. Takes 3-5 years to make
• Oloroso: Named so because of the “olor” (odor/smell) the wine has. Its a strong smell but a little bit better taste than Fino- in my opinion. More of an orangey- red. Takes 7 years to make
• Cream: Which is a combination between the Oloroso and Pedro Ximénez. Dark red hue. Takes 14 years to make.
• Pedro Ximénez: The fruitiest of all; sort of a raisiny taste. This is due to the process of how the wine made. In comparison of how sweet it is, there are 400 mg of natural sugar from the grapes in a 1 liter bottle. Dark red hue. Takes 7 yeasts to make.
• Vermut: Although its new one, I didn’t like the flavor of this one too much. It has a much smoother flow compared to the rest but a flavor I wasn’t a fan of. Dark red hue. Takes 7 years to make.

In order from left to right: Vino… Vermut

Well, I hope you enjoyed learning a little more about the craft of wine and the Castle of San Marcos. If there is ever the chance to visit Cadiz, be sure to take a little day trip as well to this antique town as well. Although not mentioned before, but there is the Plaza de Torros here which is another cool place to visit as well and various restaurants with excellent fish and seafood plates.

Plaza de Torros from an earlier time in my trip

Hasta Luego,
Corinne

Just when I thought I knew it all when it comes to the kitchen – my mom went to culinary school after all and has taught me well – I learned something new, and pretty handy at that!

Today we went to Foodie Cádiz, a kitchen located on la Calle San Germán, to learn how to cook tapas. There were three chefs helping us this evening, and one of them asked us what the first thing a chef does, which, of course, is to wash their hands. After doing so we each received a black apron and gathered around the kitchen island for the group photo. Then we proceeded to dive into the world of Spanish cuisine.

We stood in a circle around the large island and went through the Spanish names for each of the ingredients of each of the tapas on the menu, which consisted of empanadillas de pista, dobladillo de caballa, tortilla de patatas, pan con tomate y jamón, and sorbete de frutos rojos. There were also, of course, ingredients to make sangria.

The chefs began explaining how to cut each vegetable, handing the task off to a willing participant after each explanation, until we were all peeling, cutting, or whisking away. There were eggs to crack and whisk, potatoes to peel and cut, tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant, oh my!

And my handy new trick? Do you know how tomato skins are so hard to cut, and the inside so soft, that when you do finally break through you make a big mess? Well, if you take a chef’s knife and puncture the tomato skin with the notch in the knife where the blade meets the handle? Easy as pie. It cuts smooth as butter after that.

Soon, while veggies were being sautéed by some of us, others began to prep the dishes. First came the dobladillos de caballa, which consisted of mackerel, arugula, cherry-sized green-and-red tomatoes, and a mustard mayonnaise sauce, on a small flour tortilla. An assembly line was formed, one person dabbing the mayonnaise onto the tortilla, passing it on to the person who had the mackerel, who then passed it on to the person with the arugula, and finally to the person with the halved tomatoes, who plated the tapas.

The second dish to be plated was the pan con tomate y jamón, or bread with tomato and ham. One of us would cut up a baguette (of which there were three in total), then two of us would each take one piece and brushing it with a tomato purée and then plating two pieces per dish. Next another would pour some olive oil over the tomato purée, and finally cured ham was folded on top of the bread (and cheese placed on the bread instead of ham for the vegetarian in our group).

When the veggies had finished sautéing, four of us took to the task of making the empanadillas de pista, a kind of dumpling-esque tapa with the veggie filling. Pre-made circles of thin dough (like gyoza wrappers but with wheat) were filled with veggies and then folded over into semi-circles. The two sides of the dough were then pressed together gently with a fork, and the empanadillas were put onto a pan and coated in egg.

Next we set up our dining space. We tool out three tables and set out paper mats, napkins, and silverware, and then brought chairs over. Finally, it was time to eat. We each got up and grabbed a plate of dobladillo de caballa and a plate of pan con tomate y jamón, as well as a glass of sangria. One of the chefs asked how many of us would like to try the gazpacho she had made for us, and many of us did.

Now, when you saw that tortilla de patatas was on the menu, did you think we were going to be eating flour or corn tortilla wrappers filled with potatoes? That’s probably what I would have thought before I came here, to Cádiz. Fun fact: a tortilla española is actually eggs whisked and cooked over a stovetop. Thus, our tortilla de patatas was simply whisked eggs poured over cut up potatoes and baked in the oven. Simple, but tasty. Then the empanadillas came out of the oven and we each were served two to try. After mostly everyone had finished their food, out came the sorbete de frutos rojos, or the “red-fruit sorbet,” topped with a cookie.

Finally the night came to an end. We all said a big thank you to our hosts, and took our leave. What a night…¡Que delicioso!

(photo credit: Jacqueline Cochrane)

Foodie Cádiz’s website:

http://www.foodiecadiz.com/

Vejer

Today we ventured to three different locations each with it’s own unique and incredible features. First, was Vejer de la Frontera.  This beautiful city is breathtaking and became more incredible with every fact I learned about it. The city is located at an altitude of about 200 meters above sea level and has about 13,000 inhabitants. Their patron saint is La Virgen de la Oliva, and the city has Moorish influence.

Since Vejer is located in such a strategic high position, it was often used as an enclave by different grouping of people who inhabited it, such as the Phoenicians or the Carthaginians. Later, it became a fortress against Muslim forces for many.

Another point of interest is La cobijada, which is both the type of outfit and a statue of a woman. She is covered from head to toe in a black costume, with the headpiece also covering one eye. It resembles somewhat the dress of Muslim women, and was influenced somewhat by many cultures encouragement of the modesty of women and was at one time the official dress of women in the city.

Due to it’s altitude, Vejer was also a watch tower for pirates coming into shore or other attackers in the day. The beaches of Vejer all along the coast were also part of the site of the important Battle of Trafalgar, in 1805 where Britain defeated the French and Spanish. This allowed Britain to become extremely powerful in the next 100 years.

Also a fun fact, fighting bulls are bred here.

Bolonia

Bolonia contains the ruins of a Roman city, back from when Rome had control of Spain in the early first century. The Roman city is called “Baelo Claudia,” after the Roman Emperor Claudio. The remains of the city wasn’t discovered until around 1991. You can still see certain aspects of the city such as the remains of the baths, the theater, and the aqueducts. Bolonia is also extremely close to one of the most popular beaches, and also has a sand dune.

The baths, called Las Termas, were heated by a furnace that ran under each of the sections. To me, it’s incredible how they did this without the technology and knowledge we have today.

The theater was the typical amphitheater shape, in which it was a semi circle with passageways along the back for seating and essentially a backstage crew. It was currently in the process of being preserved further.

Only a small part of the aqueducts remained. The aqueducts were of course used to bring water into the city for all purposes from personal use and the baths, to fountains or farms.

Tarifa

Our last stop was in Tarifa, a port city. Nowadays, it is a common sight for tourists and a stop for many cruise ships. It is the most southern part of continental Europe as well. Therefore, the coast of Africa (Morocco) can be seen here. In my humble opinion, this was one of the most incredible things to see. I wish the quality of the picture was better, but it was faint even while we were there. Look out over the horizon, and what looks like a distant mountain is Morocco!

In my opinion, all three cities are worth visiting. Vejer and it’s breathtaking view, Bolonia and it’s gorgeous ruins, and Tarifa and it’s vicinity to Morocco. These cities are places that I had never heard of until I visited there, and I am so glad that I went. I have been in Spain under a week and already I am awed. Every day never ceases to amaze me, and I think only today did it set in that I was truly here and that Spain has such a rich history and breathtaking cities and landscapes.

Today you will join me on a trip to Cádiz’s past. We will travel first to la Plaza de la Catedral to visit the famous Cathedral, and later we will find ourselves in el Torre Tavira

***

First, the Cathedral. We enter and receive audio devices that will guide us through the Cathedral. We visit first the Chapel of the Assumption, the first of the pictures shown below. Next is the Saint Sebastian Chapel. We notice then the beautiful high ceilings. We then walk to the center of the Cathedral, and view the impressive High Altar.

You see the entrance to the Crypt and we decide to descend into the dim light of the underground space. We observe tombs and other artifacts and learn their history from the audio tour.

Emerging from the Crypt, we continue our path around the Cathedral, stopping by the Saint Tomas of Villanova Chapel, the San Servatius Chapel, and the Chapel of the Relics/the Chapel of the Tabernacle where we keep quiet, as silence is mandatory.

We also view the Saint Germain Chapel, The Corpus Christi Monstrance, made entirely of silver, and the Saint Joseph Chapel, where we learn about the restoration of the Crucifix.

We then enter the Sacristy, where we view relics of the past, as well as a hand washing station with a Latin inscription. Finally, we look at the Chapel of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Exiting the Cathedral, we make our way to the Cathedral tower, and make the climb up the spiral ramp to the top. At the very end of the ramp we ascend a spiral staircase, and what a view! The tan and white buildings and the gorgeous blue ocean lie before us. We then notice the three bells of the bell tower, and suddenly a loud pang sounds from one of the bells, startling us. Once we have had our fill of the beautiful scene, we return to the ground.

***

Next on our agenda is el Torre Tavira. We walk there from the Cathedral and purchase tickets for a visit to the camera obscura, in the Torre Tavira. We climb with our tour guide up to the level where we view the picture. Our guide explains to us that a camera obscura, or a pinhole camera, gives a picture in real-time, made by light reflecting off of a mirror which projects the scene onto a blank screen.

Our guide turns off the lights and opens the window to the mirror, letting the light in through the opening in the ceiling and revealing a panorama of Cádiz. Our guide turns the device in a circle, and we see all of Cádiz, North to South and back again. Our guide explains that raising or lowering the platform with the screen on it puts into focus different distances.

We are given a virtual tour of the city, from the Cathedral to the Gran Teatro Falla, from the Castillo de Santa Catalina to the Punta Candelaria, and from the Mercado Central to the old vineyard. We learn interesting facts, such as the different types of towers in Cádiz, and why there are so many (to see when ships were arriving with goods to sell). We are told that there is only one natural road out of Cádiz, and that without it the city would be an island.

***

Thank you for accompanying me on our trip today! I had a great time and I hope you did too. My stay here in Cádiz thus far has been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. It is still early in my stay, but already I have learned so much. Aside from practicing my Spanish I have practiced living with another culture and getting accustomed to the customs of the people of Spain: greetings, foods and eating at different times in the day, and so much more, things that are all foreign to me. I have learned about the rich history of the Iberian Peninsula and how this formed the Spanish nation as we know it today.

But there is still much to practice, learn, and experience, and so the journey continues…

Ever have a dream that you could do anything? A dream where you could go anywhere in the world and see all the differences to that of the life you’re living now? Any place that speaks a different language, eats different food and goes about their day-to-day?

That’s what Spain is like. A whole beautiful mess of culture, language, food and opportunity all new to me . Though things are still all new and my heart is beating a mile per minute due to the excitement of it all, I still can’t get over how amazing this place truly is. There is a term we hear a lot before we embark on our journeys abroad and that is ‘culture shock’ and honestly I didn’t truly understand the meaning behind the word until I arrived here. Home, is so foreign in nature to the home that is Spain and I wouldn’t have it any other way because it is a wonderful type of different. From the start, there was no delay in the flow of information from the families, teachers, community, people and other students. Although, I do not have a lot of personal experience with speaking spanish, and I was slightly nervous to go to a country where I didn’t know the primary language, I have found that there are many people who will jump at the opportunity to assist me in understanding and learning the language.

My experience here is a little less than typical, because instead of taking a traditional class I am taking an internship and working at a local food pantry. It is a truly eye-opening experience. I get to see a different side of Spain then most students, but I consider myself lucky to be exposed to the whole Spain rather than just the glamorous parts. There is no hiding the fact that there are troubles everywhere in the world, and I feel personally inspired to get to see the hardships that many face in the place that they call home and how they choose to manage those hardships.

Beyond that, there are many parts about Spain that are absolutely beautiful. The architecture is so antique and historic, and the city just breaths history. From the old Naval Fort to the Cathedral and the historic statues around the city like that of Lucio Junio Moderato Columela– Principe de los escritores de agricultural. There is something to learn about at every corner and never a dull moment with music running well into the night, artists and players on the street performing for the masses, and plenty of shops full of food, clothing, etc. to explore.

The food too is something completely different than from back home, even normal things are made differently here. Hotdogs are normally much smaller here and a couple go into a bun. There are chocolate dipped donuts that are frozen to harden the chocolate, instead of glazed with chocolate. Rice, beans, and fish are extremely popular and are found in many dishes or mixed with many other foods. However, the weirdest for me so far has been the change in etiquette with eating, such as eating fries cooked in oil with a fork instead of just using your hands; which honestly is a great idea instead of getting your hands dirty. There are still foods that are in both Spain and back home, such as Oreos and Chips-A-Hoy cookies, Pepsi and Coca-cola drinks, and surprisingly Tic-Tacs and 5 Gum; so it is nice to have a taste of home every now and again while being immersed in all the new.

Of course, there is also always the beaches; something that Spain is extremely well known for. The beaches are nothing like that of those back home, the water is warm and brighter blue compared to the cold and dark waters of Hampton Beach back in Massachusetts. The sand is also much softer beneath my feet than that of the beaches I have traveled to back home. I cannot deny that it is a wonderful thing to be no more than a five minute walk from the beach, and to have so much time to go and enjoy it.

Though i thought coming to Spain would be more troublesome than good, and that there would be little purpose for me to learn another language. I am now more than happy that I came than I ever thought I’d be. From the people I’ve meet to the places I’ve seen, Traveling to Spain has been one of the best decisions in my life, and it’s only my second day.