Bienvenido a Cádiz…y España!
By: Sam Bradley-Kelly, Foster Undergraduate
Hola a todos! My name is Samuel Bradley-Kelly. I am a senior studying Business Administration with a focus in Finance and International Business (CISB Program: Spanish Track), as well as a Foster Honors student. I decided to complete my study abroad in Cádiz, Spain because of two reasons. The first was due to the persuasion of my fellow colleagues who did this program last year. The second was due to the Dutch students I met while studying abroad in Guadalajara, Mexico my first year at UW; they convinced me that I had to go to Europe.
Cádiz is a beautiful town situated on a peninsula in the southeast corner of Spain. Locally-owned stores line up the allies of Casco Viejo, which is the old part of town that I’m currently living in and where the university is located. At dusk, there is the opportunity to witness photo-perfect sunsets.
As a business major, what excites me the most is that Cádiz is big for their port (along with tourism). The port is located 5 minutes away from me and is nearly the size of many medium to large-sized ports in the US. Another beauty, that I have the chance of strolling through every single day, is Plaza Mina which is a block from my place. Late at night, families love to find a bench or an outside restaurant to post up at and enjoy the harmonization of a summer breeze, a cold beer or helado (ice cream), and young children playing fútbol or other various games.
Many of us that are a part of this program have had the chance to also explore other cities in Spain which include Ronda and Sevilla. Ronda is famously known for the three bridges or Puente Romano (Roman-style bridges) as well as their traditional bullfight that takes place once a year (unfortunately we left a few hours before the event was to take place).
Sevilla is one of the main connecting cities to Madrid (by plane and train) as well as to other European countries as it serves host to an international airport (which I will be using to go to Paris in a few weeks!). Sevilla is a fantastic get-a-way especially for those that are in search of Flamenco. I personally want to thank Madison for putting together this great trip, especially picking out a great hostel called Oasis Backpackers’ Hostel. Also, the evening that I got to personally witness a local Flamenco show, a few of us had the chance to try out tapas near our hostel. Imagine a small plate with grilled ox sirloin skewer with honey garlic sauce. The best part of this dish is not the meat but using the free bread to dip into the leftover sauce.
If I put my finger on one of the best cultural moments in Spain so far, it would be the night that we were in Sevilla. As we were walking to go watch this Flamenco show, we encountered a group of locals outside of a restaurant playing musical instruments and singing traditional folklore songs. I included a picture to give visual meaning.
I look forward to continue sharing my experience with everyone over the next three months of my journey! Chao!
