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One Week in Cadiz

by Sarah H-K. We have now been in Spain for a full week and I am feeling a lot more comfortable with navigating the city and with using Spanish in conversation.  The first week of classes is done and I am very excited for the weekend, but we also had a fun week.  On Tuesday we had class and our elective again, and during the evening we went to the movie theater.  There I saw “Bajo La Misma Estrella,”  which is the Spanish version of “The Fault in Our Stars” although it directly translates to “Under the Same Star.”  I had read the book and seen the movie in English, so it was pretty easy for me to understand what was happening, even when I couldn’t understand the words.  Knowing the plot also helped me infer more words, so it was great practice for listening. Wednesday we had class, then had a surfing lesson.  The water was chilly, but learning to surf was so much fun.  After many tries, and falls, I finally managed to stay on my feet a couple times.  Exhausted, we had a mini siesta and dinner before heading to the beach to play cards and games and spend some time together as a group. Sarah HK beach   On Thursday we had class where we learned about prepositions as well as some Spanish expressions.  We go to the market most days for the second part of class to ask questions with the locals, and I find these exercises some of the most helpful, as we actually get to apply what we learn in class to our conversations.   We spent the afternoon at the beach and, because it was low tide, a couple of us explored the rocks and tide pools, which we enjoyed, but our feet did not, as the rocks were uncomfortably sharp.  At night, we saw a flamenco performance in the courtyard of the school.  First the dancers paraded through the street, and then they did their full show on the stage.  I had never seen flamenco live before, and I really enjoyed seeing the traditional dances.  Most of the performers were adults, but one group was comprised of five girls, maybe 13 or 14 years old, and their talent for such a young age was very impressive. Today, Friday, we had class and electives, then went to new Cádiz for dinner on the beach and to walk around and explore a bit, which is something we had all been looking forward to.  Most of the shops were closed, but there was still a lot to do, including admiring the stunning sunset, eating gelato, and taking some solid selfies (see below). Sarah HK group shot