On Friday July 26th, those of us in the Advanced Spanish Class had our presentations. We had to talk to the class in Spanish about a topic of our choice on Hispanic culture. Most of us chose a public figure who represents hispanic culture. I chose one of my favorite baseball players, Juan Soto, to talk about as I feel he is a great present day example of someone who embraces their culture in a space where it can sometimes be discouraged. On a normal day, our classes are broken up into 2 sections (8:45-11:30 and 12-2:15) with a lunch break in between. Some friends and I like to walk to a market that is close by to the school and get a little treat. For me, I always go for the chocolate croissants but we were so busy preparing for our presentations that I stayed at the school to go over last minute details.

After school, we got lunch at the dorm and then went grocery shopping to get some snacks for the remainder of the trip. I love the grocery stores here because the fruit and baked goods are always so fresh and it has the perfect combination of Spanish and American snacks. I have found new flavors of many of my favorite snacks from America, including Paprika Lays and Tex-Mex Doritos. Once we finished that, my friend and I dropped our groceries off and went shopping until our activity at 5. She found a white dress at a pop up stand in the middle of one of the plazas (Plaza de los Flores). 

Next, we went to the activity of the day which was an archeological museum with remains from when the Phoenicians and Romans lived in Cadiz. It is so interesting to be reminded of how old humanity and the world truly is. We saw remains of a human, cat, and cow as well as bits of the ancient city. After that, we climbed up a tower that is the highest point in the old city of Cádiz to see the view of the city. It was so pretty and cool to see all the places we’ve been to from a higher angle. After, the tour guide showed us a scope within the tower that showed us the same view that we saw from above, only it was able to zoom in so far that we could see people walking on the street.

The night ended with a bunch of us eating the snacks we got in my room and then my friend and I having a chill night dressing up and going out to dinner. Then, we grabbed our sweatshirts and beach towels to sit on the beach and see the stars. I think my favorite thing about Cádiz is the diversity of the activities you can do in one day. Never in the U.S. would I get to go to school, shopping, a museum, and the beach all in one day and, all within a 20 minute walk from one another.

Hola! It’s so crazy to think that we only have one more full day in Cádiz before we make our way back home to the states. It truly feels like we just landed in Jerez yesterday but in fact, we’ve been here for two weeks! I feel as if I could talk forever on the sheer beauty of the city of Cádiz but I’ll try to keep this one short.

Today we had a pretty chill day as it was our last full day of classes here and our final exam is tomorrow afternoon. We spent the morning like we have for last two weeks, waking up early and dragging ourselves to a quick breakfast before walking to La Universidad, which is a quick five minute walk from El Colegio Mayor. I will say that I have become quite fond of our routine here in Cádiz and might even miss the luxuries such as a nicely made café con leche every morning. We spent our morning and afternoon going over all of the material we have learned in the last two weeks in order to prepare for our exam. After class ended we all walked back to El Colegio Mayor and sat together for our last lunch there in the cafeteria.

I took some time to organize my room and get ready to pack tomorrow before I went out shopping with Jeremiah, Jordan, and Olivia. We walked around Cádiz absorbing every last bit of the beautiful views, kind locals, and unique shops. We ended up walking around for a few hours getting our last souvenirs for our friends and family. Along the way Santiago and Zoe met up with us and also did their last round of shopping. We then headed back to start studying.

Almost everyone spent some time in La biblioteca before we all sat together for our last dinner at the cafeteria. After dinner I went back to studying and reviewing all the information we had gone over in class earlier today. As nervous as I am for this exam, I’ve had such an amazing time here and I wouldn’t change the nerves and worries for the beautiful experience that I’ve had over the last two weeks. I was so excited to be able to come on this trip for many reasons but I didn’t know I would have this much fun not only exploring a new country but also meeting amazing friends along the way. I have learned so much not only by improving my spanish speaking skills but also by talking to new people that I probably wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for this trip. I am so sad to leave Cádiz but I am confident that I have made memories to last a lifetime and I am happy to say I have gained a little bit more knowledge and understanding of the spanish language and culture.

Buenas tardes! Today marks the last day of our trip to Cadiz, Spain, and there’s so much that I’d like to say! However, I’ll condense it into a few paragraphs. Cadiz is a beautiful, small town with a variety of activities, stores, views, and venues that are accessible by foot or by bus. Most of the time, we were walking because of how close everything is in this town!

Just in front of the university we stayed at is Parque de Genovés, an oasis with a park with a waterfall, a hidden grotto, and a boardwalk with an amazing view of the North Atlantic Ocean. On the same street lies Playa de Galleta, an intimate beach where families relax and teenagers chill. However, a good walk away, lies Playa de Santa Maria, an even bigger beach where everyone hangs out. Nearby are a few clubs, if you’re into that life!

Cadiz has a plethora of restaurants and bars with culturally diverse food and refreshing drinks. In one of my solo excursions, I ate a restaurant called “Pizzera.” The Italian restaurant had one of the best pizzas that I’ve ever eaten in my life. I ordered a Pepperoni pizza which contained the normal cheese, tomato sauce, and pepperoni. In addition, there was basil, a mix of different herbs, and olive oil included. As I cut my pizza with my knife, which I have never done before, I enjoyed every second. Conveninently enough, Pizzera was a two minute walk away from the university.

I’d like to take some time to reflect on my experience in Cadiz. For weeks straight, I was nervous about the trip. I had no idea what to expect considering this was going to be my first time on a plane. Initially, I went on this trip without any friends, acquaintances, or any knowledge of Spanish culture. All I brought was my carry-on bag, my backpack, and my Dominican heritage to back me up. However, on this trip, I made friends who will be in my life for quite some time! Simultaneously, my relationship with myself improved as I was given the opportunity to get to know myself in a foreign country. My favorite experience was watching the sunset while on a double decker boat.

Having Spain be my first trip outside of the United States was an honor and such an adventure. I learned about Spanish culture, improved my Spanish-speaking abilities, and met amazing people. Best believe, I will be telling friends and family everything that happened on this trip. This program was a moment of my life I will never forget, te lo juro! Adios!

Hola! I am sad to say that this is our last Sunday in Spain. While our schedules are busy from Monday-Friday, it has been very nice to have the weekends to recharge. This weekend has been especially relaxing and I am grateful to be able to share it with you all.

We started out the day by going out to breakfast. At 10:00, Olivia and I went to a bakery that has been very popular within people from our program. I had not gone yet, so I was very excited to go. All of the furniture in the bakery had different shades of beautiful pastels, and the display containers had many different delicious-looking pastries. I decided on a bacon egg and cheese, while Olivia chose a(much more visually appealing) crepe with Nutella and strawberries. My breakfast came out to a total of three euros, which was a great deal!

After breakfast, Olivia and I walked back to El Colegio Mayor to get ready to go to the beach. On our way, we stopped to get some food for lunch. I got tomatoes, jamon iberico, and bread to make into a sandwich. During my time here, my favorite food by far has been the jamon iberico. I also have really been enjoying the grocery prices, considering they are much cheaper here than in the United States!

Olivia and I headed to the beach using the bus with our university-provided bus passes. When we got off at our stop, We went to a nearby store to buy some boogeyboards. Unfortunately, the waves at the beach were very disappointing and we did not catch many waves. Despite this, we still had a great time. We spent hours swimming around and talking about whatever came to out minds.

After the beach. Me, Jack, Jeremiah, Olivia, Grae, and Jordan went out to dinner at a delicious Italian restaurant. We ate different kinds of pizza and pasta and had great conversations. After our dinner, we somehow ended up at an American-themed bar, which was really fun!!

I have been so grateful for my time here and I am sad to leave. I have learned so much about the culture and language here and I know it will be difficult to go back to the states. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed hearing about my day!

Hello everyone! I am sad to say that we are wrapping up our final weekend on the trip. It has been such an amazing opportunity being able to experience the life, history, and culture in the beautiful Cadiz!

Today, I started off the day by waking up and walking to my favorite cafe, Capricho, with Sotara. I love the decoration in the cafe- it is a pastel floral theme. They have a little bit of everything there from egg sandwiches, toast, waffles, crepes, etc. They also have amazing milkshakes (my personal favorite is strawberry!). There, we ran into Hailey and Eva and we all sat together for brunch. After we finished at Capricho, we walked back to the dorms to get some rest before Sotara and I ventured out to the mall, El Cortes Ingles. Last weekend we went shopping in the downtown area and the mall for a combined total of around 7 hours so we definitely needed rest for this adventure!

We took the bus to the mall and after getting dropped off, walked for about 5 minutes to reach the destination. First, we stopped in the jewelry section where almost every piece of jewelry was 10% off. I purchased a ring similar to one that I had found in one of the shops the other day but was not able to find my size. Next, we stopped in the fragrance section as fragrances in particular have had awesome discounts here! I bought some perfume to bring home for my grandmother. We looked around for a while more, then decided we were hungry. Before eating, we saw a nearby Photo Booth and took photos in it. You could even get your passport pictures taken in the booth! Afterwards, we stopped for Burger King in the food court- it was on our bucket list while we were here to try to see if it had tasted different than home. Personally, I did not taste a difference, but it is crossed off the list now. We planned to stop at the market to purchase some snacks, but as it is Sunday most places were closed so we came back to the dorm around 8 PM to study for Tuesday’s final and rest.

I am so grateful for this experience. The professors from the University of Cadiz have been amazing and not only have I learned and improved in my speaking and understanding, but have developed an understanding and appreciation of the culture. This trip was definitely out of my comfort zone as it was my first time traveling alone, and first time to Europe, but everyone has been so welcoming and traveling with a group of other students from UML has made it so much fun. I definitely plan to return here!

We are only four days away from finishing our study abroad experience in Cadiz, Spain and that makes me feel really sad. This has been one of the best trips I have done, not only because of the different activities we have done but also because of all the learning experiences I have been able to participate in.

              When I heard about this study abroad opportunity, I thought I was just going to learn and improve my Spanish skills in the classroom. However, the way in which this study abroad experience is organized allows you to practice your Spanish skills with the outside class activities that are planned. One of the activities I have enjoyed the most has been the tour around the city. The reason I liked this activity is because you can see areas of Cadiz that you would not see in another country due to the rich history they have. In addition, I liked the cooking lesson we had because we learned to do paella with chicken and meet. Honestly, it was one of the best foods I have ever tried around Cadiz.

              Additionally, we have been able to experience different cultural activities. A great example is the flamenco class we had on our third day. Then, today we were able to experience a real show of flamenco, and honestly, it was one of the things I have enjoyed the most. Another activity I was looking forward to having was learning more about the history of Cadiz. Therefore, the tours around the cathedral, towers, and ruins were really cool to see.

Lastly, I would like to add that choosing this trip was a great idea due to the lessons I have been to learn and especially being able to experience a completely different lifestyle from the US. Therefore, I highly recommend future students in the Spanish department to apply for this study abroad experience.

I can’t believe it’s already been the end of our first official week here in Cádiz and that we’re going to leave soon 🙁

It feels like we’ve already been living in Cádiz but for a short amount of time. I have gotten to learn so much the past couple of days about the culture and language while also meeting great people.

I woke up later than usual today, considering I was so tired after preparing for my presentation for class yesterday. We all took the time to celebrate our hard work afterward and treated ourselves to a good time!

For breakfast, I ate some fruit alongside some bread today. Cádiz had made me fall in love all over again with fruit! After that, I took some time to freshen up, get dressed, and step outside my patio door, feeling the warmth of the sun. At this point, soaking up the sun first thing in the morning has become my morning routine.

Around 4 pm, some of my friends and I got to pass by a couple of stores and brought some gifts, clothes, souvenirs, and items for our families and friends (as well as ourselves)! One of my favorite shops that I went to was the jewelry store where I got to buy some earrings for my mother, which I know she is going to love! I got to interact with the person who ran the store. He was super nice about me accidentally dropping one of the earrings that I wanted to buy, (which ended up slightly breaking), but improvised and saved it by styling the earrings I wanted with different materials. In the end, the outcome was great and he was super sweet throughout the whole interaction! Glad to know we both have good taste in jewelry~

We continued to walk around, visiting some more food places and stores to grab some snacks before heading out to a restaurant to eat tapas! We all got to order different kinds like lagrimitas de pollo, gambas de ajillo, and so many other good ones to share!

After some time, we went to La Plaza de Catedral to meet up with Sra. Matz and some of our other friends before heading over La Puerto de Gadir for the Flamenco show at 9 pm (21:00).

Getting to see the Flamenco show was the best part of tonight. I have so much respect for the dancers and the art. The footwork, singing, passion, and emotion left me speechless and in awe. I was so invested in the story that the dancers were portraying to us.

Each day, I feel myself falling in love with the culture and lifestyle of Cádiz. I also feel my understanding of Spanish improving as I continue to practice with my classmates and the locals in the area. In the future, I’m sure I can become fluent. Cádiz is only the start!

Here are some pictures:

Hi everyone! Today was a pretty lowkey day out of what is normally our jam-packed, hour-by-hour daily schedule. It was nice to have a day to reset, relax and prepare for the weekend and our final full week in Cádiz.

This morning started off like any other, with students meeting in the cafetería for breakfast before class starts at 8:45 in a UCA (la Universidad de Cádiz) building a few minutes’ walk away. Breakfast is always a chance for us to slowly wake up with a small meal and catch up on how our classmates are feeling. Today I had my usual pan blanco con mermelada y manzanilla, zumo de pino y té. Then, I walked over to the Facultad de Medicina for our daily Spanish classes. I am in the Accelerated Spanish 3 and 4 option, which allows me to learn the equivalent of 2 semesters of Spanish in just 2 weeks in an intensive setting. Our classes move at a quick pace, with instruction done entirely in Spanish, but the challenge is honestly really refreshing and I genuinely feel that I am learning so much. I know that my other classmates feel the same.

We always have a brief snack/lunch break in between classes from 11:30-12, where we either walk down to the closest supermercado for pastries and snacks or just hang out in the building’s central courtyard, talking, resting, and doing homework. Today, I just laid on my back on a bench next to my friends and soaked in the sunlight. One thing about being in Cádiz is that the weather is just always perfect: 80 degrees and sunny. I wish I could have spent the day at the beach, even though I enjoy our Spanish classes.

At 2:15 we finished classes for the day, and some of my classmates and I walked back to the dormitory building to eat lunch in the cafetería. While eating lunch, we planned out the rest of our afternoon and evening: errands, laundry, homework, dinner, sleep. Some days are just like that.

After lunch, Zoey, Grae, Jeremiah, and I went to the farmacia and the supermercado in search of some essentials: snacks, energy drinks, and water. Our dorms at UCA are single occupancy, with your own bathroom and miniature refrigerator. I always try and keep cold waters and snacks in my room for whenever I get hungry; snacks are also great to share with people while doing homework or hanging out at the beach.

When we got home, we all dispersed to take naps or do loads of laundry or start homework. I relaxed in my room with a little “Love Island USA” before putting on a load of laundry. A tip for anyone interested in coming to Cádiz with UML on this trip is to pack light: there is laundry in the dorm building for 3 and 1.50 euros, so you can always wash and rewear clothes instead of packing 14 outfits for 14 days.

After my laundry, I joined a group of my classmates in the library to work on my homework and daily journals. For homework, we were practicing affirmative tú commands. For our journals, we have to write an entry each day in Spanish dictating how we were feeling and what we did that day. It takes me a lot longer to write in Spanish than it does in English because I’m still building my vocabulary and grammar skills, but it truly helps me practice and improve my written skills.

We all did homework until 8:45pm, which is when dinner opens in the dining hall. It’s so late compared to at home!! It took some getting used to at first. Tonight’s dinner was pizza, french fries, salad, and soup, so it definitely felt like home in that instance. After dinner, we had plans to go right back to the library, but a group of us decided that we needed fresh air and sun on our faces, so we went outside!

Across the street from the dorm building, there is a park called “Parque Genoves.” It’s part skate park, part botanical garden, part nature exhibit, and part playground, all in one. It’s so lovely, and tonight we spent a lot of time there. Zoey, Jack, and I connected with our inner child and played on the playground, using the zipline, climbing up to the slide, and spinning endlessly on whatever those spinning turning things are. We had so much fun being outside, enjoying the way the setting sun painted everything a dusky blue, and feeling connected to the community that we have been trying to immerse ourselves in since we got here over a week ago.

Outdoor playtime is tiring, so Grae, Zoey, Jeremiah, and I decided to take a walk to get ice cream. We went to a helateria we had walked by when we were doing errands earlier in the day. It ended up being the most inexpensive and the most delicious ice cream we’ve had so far! We’re definitely going back.

I think my favorite thing about being in Spain is walking around and finding my way back home. Maria always told us before we got here that you can never get lost in Cádiz– just find the ocean and walk alongside it until you end up back at the school. It’s stayed true, and it’s how I find our way home almost every night. Just walking through dimly lit golden streets with cobblestones sidewalks in Europe’s oldest city, laughing and brushing arms with friends I met 8 days ago, is so special, and it is an experience I will only have during this program, during my time in Cádiz.

Today marked the first full week we have been here in Cádiz. I started off my day by going to the dining hall to meet my friends for breakfast before classes start. In Spain they do not have the same breakfast dishes that we typically eat in the United States. For breakfast we usually have a choice between either white or wheat bread with an assortment of jams that we can put on top. After that we all walked down together to the University to attend our classes for the day. We have classes here Monday-Friday from 8:45-2:15 with a 30 minute lunch break from 11:30-12:00. Initially when I attended my first day of classes I was very nervous and unable to follow along with my professors as they only speak in Spanish. However after a lot of practice and patience from my professors I have improved so much with my vocabulary and grammar in Spanish. While also being able to follow along and understand what they are saying throughout the whole class time. The professors are very kind and patient with all of us while trying to learn and improve upon our skills.

After classes we all went back to the dorms to have lunch together before getting ready for our activity we had in the afternoon. For lunch they typically have a main course of either pasta, rice, or soup. Then you have a choice between either a type of meat or fish and then they also typically serve fries and salad along with that as a side. After that we all went and got ready for our activity for the day. Today’s activity was we were going to el Puerto de Santa Maria where we were going to tour the Castillo de San Marcos and then we had a wine tasting of the wine made locally.

In Cádiz since it is a smaller city, everything is very close to one another so many people walk to all the places that they need to get to. As a group we walked about 20 minutes to meet our tour guide who then brought us on a boat which took us to the Puerto de Santa Maria. This province is similarly built as Cádiz however its architecture seemed more historical. We then walked to the Castillo de San Marcos which is a historical monument built by the spaniards to defend their colony and ships. We then had a tour guide walk us around and explain the history behind each area and part of the Castillo. After that they brought us to an open room where we then did the wine tasting. They had us taste a variety of five different wines to try all of which were from Jerez, Spain.

After that we walked back to the boat which brought us back to Cádiz. My friends and I then went to a restaurant called Ajolá where we all ordered a variety of tapas. Tapas are small dishes of different types of food which are made for people to share with one another. We ordered many different tapas which we just passed around and shared with each other. After that we walked back to the dorms where we then met in the library to study and prepare for our classes while also completing any assignments we had to do.

Saturday, July 20, 2024, was the beginning of our first weekend on our study abroad in Cádiz, Spain. We had the weekend to ourselves, and we were free to explore the city as we pleased. With no obligations to attend to, everyone ended up doing their own thing on Saturday. From studying and doing homework to going to the beach, anything was possible.

My Saturday started when I woke up around 11:00am and got ready to head out at 12:00pm. I had created plans to explore the city with Alex, another student on the study abroad trip, the previous night. We had originally planned to head straight to the mall called El Corte Inglés Bahía de Cádiz, but we took a small detour before heading to the mall.

First, Alex and I stopped by a small fruit and vegetable stand that happened to sell freshly made fruit juice. I got zumo de piña for €2,00 and Alex got zumo de naranja for €2,00 as well. It was honestly one of the best juices I have ever had. Then, we began moving towards the bus stop necessary to reach the mall, but we got distracted by the most beautiful shop named El Atelier de Sara Ochoa. She is a local artist in Cádiz and just opened her shop about a year ago! She has many beautiful prints that make the most unique souvenir.

Finally, we reached the mall after wandering around aimlessly for an hour or so. This mall had five floors and sold and/or had anything and everything you could think of. Almost everything was on sale too! I actually bought dresses for my nieces which ended up totaling to about €34,00. We ended up leaving the mall after seven hours, but it was well worth the time spent. I had a great time seeing more of the city than I expected and discovering the absolute gem of a shop El Atelier de Sara Ochoa is.