My Erasmus Experience in Huelva, Spain
Excited for having one semester full of sun, reggaeton and palm trees, I went to study in Huelva, hoping to have an extended summer – and it turned out to be so much more than that.
Honestly, I did not really know what will await me in this place that I have never heard of before, this small city in the south of Spain. Huelva always needs further explanation; about an hour from Sevilla, and it takes you one hour to go to Portugal, and the beach is close, which was my main argument for going there. Little did I know that I would confidently call it „home“ soon. Don’t be fooled by thinking that a small city will be too boring to spend a semester there! For me, it turned out to be perfect: from my flat, it was a 30-minute walk to the University, ten minutes to the main square, and all my friends lived close by. The city has some amazing viewpoints and nice street art, cheap tapas places and bars with beer for 1,80 €.
Huelva is not touristic at all, that is why I got to experience a lot of the Andalusian culture and was forced to learn some Spanish, since people in shops, restaurants, and other public places hardly speak English. Additionally, it is a perfect starting point for travelling across Andalusia, the Algarve or Portugal in general, visiting some islands or even Morocco.
Housing and costs of living are cheaper than in Graz, and like most Erasmus students, I chose to stay in a shared flat which can be found through the websites Housing Huelva or Idealista. There is also a student accommodation next to Campus el Carmen, the main campus. From what I have heard, it is not only incredibly expensive, but also very inconveniently located for all kind of activities; most clubs, bars, cafés and restaurants are in the city centre.
My courses took place at the main Campus of the Universidad de Huelva. It is quite pretty there: several cafeterías, areas designed to study, a huge park with sport facilities, palm trees and picnic tables where you can lay down in the green grass after class. I think I spend almost all my breaks outside during the semester.
The bureaucratic mess at the beginning taught me to be patient – in the end, it all worked out. Do not be afraid to ask for help at the international office, I spend quite some time there to readjust my Learning Agreement due to short-notice changes of the timetable.
There is no school practice organised by the University, and they were not allowed to place me in a public school. Nevertheless, I got support from a professor, who arranged an internship at the Private Montessori School of Huelva for me. These hours at the Primary School were the best part of my education in Spain – the teachers were very friendly, the children loved practicing their English with me and tried to teach me some Spanish. Most of the time, I observed the lessons and assisted the teacher, but I also worked with one pupil with special needs and taught English lessons. On one day, I brought my guitar to sing with the class. This experience gave me insights in an other education system and showed me what it feels like to be in an environment where you hardly understand the language of instruction.
I am not exaggerating when I say that these months – September to February – have probably been the best time of my life. I met so many amazing people and learnt about their culture – on Christmas Eve for instance, we organised an international dinner with food from everyone’s home, which added up to 10 different nationalities. Since I was in doubt about me finding people that I really connect with abroad, I was relieved that this part actually worked out very well.
This Erasmus semester gave me more confidence and showed me what I can achieve if I just take my life in my own hands. I have been to some crazy beautiful places with nature that I have never seen before; I spend a night in the Sahara Desert, went hiking in São Miguel, did my first solo trip to Lisbon, drove a car in Madeira, made friends in hostels, tried to salsa dance, slept at the beach, saw a thousand breathtaking sunsets and stayed up for some sunrises.
Fotos und Text: Hannah Neuhold