Huelva – un destello de luz
¡Hola! My name is Nik and I was an Erasmus student in the beautiful city of Huelva. I would like to share my experience with all of you, because I know that is really important to get some information about the destination and experience from someone who has gone through this!
When I was thinking about where to go for my Erasmus mobility … for me there was only one option: SPAIN! Fiesta, siesta, sol, playas … But now when I am thinking about why I have decided exactly for Huelva … I cannot find the answer. I have to admit that before my Erasmus experience I didn’t know that Huelva actually exists … The first time I have heard the name Huelva from a friend of mine, who also did his Erasmus there … and this strange name stayed in my head all the way to the choice of my destination for the mobility. And today I can say that I am really proud of my head that it kept this name inside for so long. :)
University of Huelva (UHU)
The University of Huelva is the only public university in the city. They offer you some courses in English that are intended especially for Erasmus students. The offer of these courses is really limited and most of them are from the area of economics. One thing that I really did not like was that they were changing courses all the time … When you finally find something that can be ok for you … they delete this course or move it to the other semester. But if you speak Spanish, the offer of courses in Spanish is really diverse (for all fields of study). They also offer a really helpful free Spanish course from A1-B2.
Stereotypes, first impression and reality?
I went to Huelva totally open-minded … I had heard some stereotypes about Spanish people, but I am not a big supporter of stereotypes … because first of all I want to get to know this nation and then make my own stereotype/opinion about them. I can say that Spanish people from Huelva are really kind, helpful and generous. They live a really relaxed life, without any hurry or stress. They are really living a “no pasa nada” kind of life. :) But there was one thing that I was a little bit disappointed. I think that every student who goes to the mobility, checks the photos about the destination on the internet before the departure. And when you put Huelva in Google … you get many amazing photos of the beaches. But the reality is different! The photos of the beaches are from Punta Umbria, Mazagon, El Portil … (about 25 minutes by bus from Huelva City), which are small cities close to Huelva City. And many of us were disappointed because, we expected something similar to Portorož … walking to the beach and enjoy after the lectures.
Local culture and habits
“No hablo Inglés, solo español!” is the phrase that you will hear all the time. The level of English is really low, so it’s good if you find someone who speaks Spanish to help you to survive the first days and arrange all the important things. The whole Spain, but especially Andalusia, is a really religious country … almost every month there are some religious celebrations on the streets of the city. In Huelva the two most important ones are “Semana Santa” - holly week, when there are processions during all week (many streets are closed and you need like 1 hour to move for 300 metres) and El Rocio, which is pilgrimage to one small village close to Huelva.
Places and activities
Huelva is the ideal city for travelling … Many famous and beautiful cities are located really close to Huelva. One big advantage is also that the flight tickets from Seville (approx. 1 hour from Huelva) are really cheap. During my mobility I visited Seville, Malaga, Granada, Cordoba, Azores, Morocco, Lisbon and Porto. I would definitely recommend you to visit the Azores in Porto. Ryanair has a new line from Porto to Azores, which is really cheap (approx. 65€ for the return ticket). And the Azores are really a paradise in the middle of the Atlantic. One thing that I will never forget is Colour Run by Desigual and ESN meeting of all Erasmus students from Spain in Seville. It was a really amazing experience, when you feel very proud that you are part of this big Erasmus family. Something that you should not miss is also the Doñana national park, where you can see around 300 different types of birds and endangered Iberian lynx.
Culinary and students meal
Huelva (actually the whole Spain) is known for “tapas”, which are a wide variety of appetizers or snacks. You can order hot or cold “tapas”. I will present you some of them that I really like and I recommend them for trying:
Patatas Bravas (fried or boiled potatoes with a spicy sauce)
Because of the vicinity of the ocean Huelva is known especially for sea food. The most famous is cuttlefish which is very typical in Huelva, and that is why people from Huelva are also known as Choqueros (Choco is cuttlefish in Spanish).
In Huelva, they don’t have students coupons :) But in the Campus El Carmen they have a big canteen, where you can get a menu for 4,35 € - 2 main dishes/1 main dish and one salad + bread, drink and dessert.
Accommodation
In Huelva, there is one dormitory, but it is more expensive than renting a flat. In my case no one of the Erasmus students lived in the dormitory. All of us were living in flats. I suggest you not to look for the flat before the arrival. There is one company called Housing Huelva that helps you find one. Every day they organize a “room hunting” tour, where they show you free flats, and on this tour you can also meet your future flatmates (like I did). The best way is to book a hostel for 2-3 nights and then go to these tours, and I am 100% sure that you will find flat and flatmates. The price for renting is around is around 180€.
Night life
The main days to go out are like in Slovenia – Friday and Saturday. But in Huelva there is also the Erasmus party Wednesday, when the ESN team prepares theme parties (on the boat, nerd party, Halloween party …). Usually you go out around 1 a.m. (but before that you are doing/drinking “botellon” in one Erasmus flat). First you go to some pubs and bars (all of them on the same street), where you enjoy the drinks and atmosphere (Mombasa, Lancelot …) and after this you go to one of the two discotheques in Huelva (Ego or Theatre). The prices for chupitos (shots) in pubs are 1 euro and in discotheques are 2 euros. Long drinks are between 3-6 euros. And Spanish people love to drink rum!
The best way to get around the city is by bike or on foot. Huelva is a small city and everything is pretty much close (except beaches). You can rent a bike for 40€/semester in the Campus El Carmen. If you are lazy, you can use public bus (1 ticket = 1,10 €), but if you buy a ticket for 10 rides, you pay only 0,65€ per ride). To go to the beach you have to take a bus (1,55 € – one way), but you can also go by bike (1 hour) through the beautiful natural park, where you can observe one of the symbols of the city – flamingos!
Costs
Costs are more or less the same as in Portorož. But you have to know that you are there only for a short period of time … So you want to try and experience everything! I won’t lie, but I spent around 800 € per month. Only the scholarship is definitely not enough to cover everything. You should go to Huelva also with your own savings or savings of your family. Mummy? Daddy?
PROS & CONS
J good location for travelling
J low prices/costs
J beautiful beaches
L limited offer of courses in English
L post-erasmus depression
I would like to say that I am really happy that I went to Erasmus in Huelva. This experience is totally unreal, and when you come back home you are thinking all the time about everything that you have seen, experienced … I definitely do not regret that I went to this mobility, because you really grow up like a person … you meet so many amazing people, new cultures, different ways of life. I would like to conclude with one sentence that we were using all the time during the mobility: Erasmus is not a year in your life...is a life in a year!
If you need some advice, some more photos, movies, information about Huelva and Erasmus, please feel free to contact me anytime on my email address (nik.jerovsek@gmail.com) or on my FB profile.
¡Hasta luego, amigos!
Nik Jerovšek
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