Mariola: The day started as usual. It turned out to be another great day at work where we completed some duties that I had done previously last week. Isaac showed me how he is preparing another article for the newspaper, as he uses important information from a few different sources. This information then has to be checked and compared, with decisions being made in regards to its uses. In the afternoon after work we had arranged kayaking but this time it was very special, as we took a different route. It was an organised tour with 2 guides, which took us under the bridges of Foso de San Felipe and through the canal with 10 metre walls which was just breathtaking. In the evening our new friends from the local school came over. We spent some time at home having great time while playing cards and discussing differences in our cultures. Overall we had a great fun with our new Spanish friends. Dan: I woke to up to my normal alarm time this morning and realised my routine was kicking in. I went to work and met Ketty. We went to the aqua park to get their details for the information seminar happening next week. Ketty gave me a tour of the park and got me a voucher for free entry. I found it interesting that the Spanish start work at 8am and work until 2pm/3pm. They then take a “Siesta” until 5pm/6pm. Everyone always thinks Spanish siestas are great, getting to go to bed in the middle of the day. However, in Ceuta and other parts of Spain it is actually just a really long lunch break. I found this intriguing as in most jobs in Ireland, your typical hours consists of 9am-5pm or 8h/12h shifts and then your finished. At Least with the Spanish way, they can collect their kids from school, go home for a while, go to the beach etc and they aren't confined to a one hour break, and are able to go back to work fresh and rested. After work we had arranged to meet at our usual spot- El Puente (The Point). On my way there I had to stop and admire the statue of Hercules. It is incredible! We had a quick bite to eat and then headed kayaking where we had booked a kayak tour around the forts moat, which is the last undamaged moat in Europe. It was amazing looking at the castle walls from below. Words can not describe it, and then looking down into the water we could see an abundance of fish swimming under our kayak. After this we headed home and got ready to head out with the Spanish students. They brought us around the town and introduced to a lot of their friends. We had a great night and were looking forward to the weekend ahead. Lariane: My day started off really well. I went to work on time and had enjoyed a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, cherry tomatoes and olives on toast drizzled with olive oil. This is a key part of my routine because due to the hours I work, I don't get a long break. At work I learnt about the importance of the D.N.I. (documento de national indentidad) which is your identity card and the minimum wage regulations. In order to apply for it they must make an appointment either through the phone or by the website on https://www.citapreviadnie.es/citaPreviaDniExp/. This document allows the citizens of Ceuta to take the ferry into Algeciras and even travel in Europe. This document is also necessary in order to apply for their passport. Sadly from what I've heard so far, most people my age in Ceuta don't have a passport and haven't ever been to Morocco and some have never been to Algeciras either. The D.N.I. is renewable every 5 or 10 years in most cases, depending on the age of the holder. This is important to us as a business because if we do the accounts for a business with an experienced D.N.I. it could make the process take much longer than needed.
If I were to one day move to Ceuta or Spain in general though, I'd be given a N.E.I. which is the número de identificación de extraneous or Foreign Identification Number. This allows me to make large purchases such as a house or a luxury car. Another hot topic of conversation in the office is the minimum wage in Spain which is known as SMI (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional) and applies to all workers regardless of their age, gender or employment contract, including casual and temporary work or personal work within the service of a household. Depending on where you live in Spain that same S.M.I. could have you living like a king or a pauper. The Spanish minimum wage (or salario, wages in Spanish) is revised and set each year by the government. I have been doing data entry all week, and on Friday I was doing month end which is very long. There was an error with the figures inputted on the data capture form and this took a while to find but when I found it, it was great. Not only was I like the cat who got the cream but the whole office seemed delighted, as though we had all collectively achieved something. It is hard to explain how or why but it felt amazing to be able to apply my theory into real world practice. After work, we grabbed a light bite to eat and went on a kayak tour. There was so much history and knowledge hidden away in the walls of Ceuta that I couldn't even grasp it all. The day was somewhat different from the last few times we've gone which meant we could try surf skiing, which Juan had told us about. I wish I had more experience and balance in order to do it better though. It cost €10 to rent the kayak and €25 per instructor / guide. I would highly recommend that anyone who comes to Ceuta park takes in this experience as the views are amazing and so much fun. At night, the students from Puertas del Campo came over to our apartment and we had a few drinks at home before heading out. In Ireland, the night is well on the way by midnight and over by 2pm in the morning. Whereas here, the night is only beginning at midnight and it doesn't end until 6am and even then, you go for breakfast afterwards. This was a little too intense for me and so I didn't quite make it breakfast but it was a very interesting experience. I also noticed that they drink much more responsibly overall than back home. It was a great evening. I managed to have a “fluent” conversation with a few of the people that were only Spanish speakers and I feel like I'm becoming more and more confident with my “Spanglish”. Patrick: Last day of work before the weekend and it went well as usual. Ima is in Madrid for the weekend so it was just Javi and myself in the office for most of the day. I’m trying to speak as much Spanish as I can and he is really patient with me and tries to help me when I get stuck. He’s a really good guy and he has a good sense of humour. He is going to Granada for the weekend as his wife is there for work. He goes up most weekends and she comes down whenever she can. He showed me photos of Granada and the place looks beautiful. I showed him some pictures of Galway and told him that if he ever wants to visit I would help him out however I could, just like he is doing for me. We have organised a kayak tour around the city walls with a guide for the evening. We arrived at the beach ready to go and set off on the water with the sun shining. The walls are the oldest part of the city and date back to the 10th century. Ceuta was captured by the Portuguese during the Conquest of Ceuta in 1415, who began to strengthen the defences in the 1540s by building the Royal Walls including bastions, a navigable moat and a drawbridge. Some of these bastions are still standing, like the bastions of Coraza Alta, Bandera and Mallorquines. The place is well preserved and you can tell the locals take pride in them. The water is crystal clear and you can see fish when looking down from the road. Up on the walls themselves is a very interesting place with beautiful views of Ceuta and the Rock of Gibraltar. A lot of history has taken place there, so you can learn a lot about how Ceuta was established, and how it was defended. Juan had already given us a tour of the upper walls on Wednesday, so we learned a bit about the history and how it was used and why it is such an important place in the history of the city. Probably my favourite part of the tour so far. That same evening we met up with some of the students from the school again and had drinks with them at our apartment. They brought us into the town and had a great night with them all. They introduced us to some really nice people too and everything was great. A great way to end the first week of our Erasmus placements. Learning new skills, a new language, new cultures and making great friends along the way. This is what Erasmus is all about. If anybody is reading this and still deciding whether or not Erasmus would interest you, here’s your answer. Do it. You won’t regret it and it can only help you in ways that I probably won’t even understand until I get back to Ireland and get a chance to think back from afar. Seriously, do it!
1 Comment
10/31/2022 09:24:53 am
A lot of history has taken place there, so you can learn a lot about how Ceuta was established, and how it was defended. I truly appreciate your great post!
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