On Wednesday night, the whole group went to Caleta beach for a sports night. We played volleyball, soccer, and Frisbee as took pictures as the sun set over the water. At one point, several students got into a quite heated round off competition. Surprisingly, some locals were still on the beach at eleven at night.
Hotel Atlantico Patio
The next day, half of the group went out for refreshments and conversation while the others took a flamenco lesson. We all convened at the most luxurious hotel in Cadiz: the Hotel Atlántico. We sat on the hotel’s beautiful back deck, providing us with a picturesque view of the ocean. As we drank coffee, sodas, and lemonade we discussed Spanish history, Spanish culture and our time in Cadiz so far, in Spanish. It was an invaluable experience to be able to talk in a large group whole practicing our Spanish.
That night, we all went to the movies to see the newly released “Minions.” It was fascinating to see what the movie-going experience is like in Spain. There are several key differences between Spanish and American movie theaters. For example, in Spain you get separate tickets for the popcorn and for the 3D glasses, the concessions area offers a la carte penny candy and, the popcorn is not buttered. The movie was in Spanish with no subtitles. However, I was able to understand the majority of the dialogue even though the characters spoke quickly, with accents and used slang. I know I would not have been able to understand the majority of the movie before I left on this trip. My Spanish must have really improved after only a week in Cadiz!