Sheffield through new eyes – a Spaniard in the steel city

By Ben Tyrer, BA Hon Languages with TESOL (Spanish), Final Year.

Making friends, finding your favourite spot to wind down, discovering the best places to eat. All part of finding your feet in Sheff. Here at SHU, we come from all over the UK, but what if your first taste of Britain is right here in the Steel City?  I spoke to Marta, a Spanish student who spent her first semester studying at Hallam, to find out a little bit about her Erasmus experience and see if she could give us some of her recommendations.

Top munch?

We don’t all speak the same language, but the look of happiness when we get some good grub is internationally recognisable. Mmm. I was far too hungry when asking Marta about her favourite places to dine and I have a pretty good idea of where I’m going after I’ve finished this…SUNDAES.

“It is a place where you go and you can’t be sad, everyone is happy eating their waffles, crepes or ice creams, if you are sad, you go to Sundaes and you’ll be happy”

We all could do with a pick-me-up from time to time and I’m definitely going to check it out. Sundaes Gelato on West Street isn’t just for the heavy hearted however. “If you are happy you can go and you’ll be even happier”…I’m sold.

 

Making Friends?

SHU GoGlobal is a great way to get involved with other cultures and meet people at SHU and although they do a lot to help incoming exchange students, GoGlobal is for everyone!

“I went to some conversation clubs and also to some trips and I would definitely recommend it to new Erasmus students. It is the best chance to get to know new people and make friends, you also learn things about the UK and Yorkshire”

I personally went to Liverpool for a tour of The Beatles museum and also had a great time at the Christmas Conversation Club (there was a quiz when I realised maybe I could do with learning a bit more about the UK and Yorkshire too).

Heading Out?

So you’ve got your mates, full belly of waffle and ice cream… Where to now?

Cubana!

“We like Cubana because the environment is similar to the Spanish one”

Cubana has eaten nearly as much of my student loan as I’ve eaten their tapas. Great food and also a great vibe during the evenings. It’s more chilled than a lot of other places too if that’s what you’re looking for!

 

The Leadmill

“We love it, mainly the silent disco because it is something that in Spain we hadn’t seen before”


A student favourite for a reason! Sheffield offers loads of fun and quirky nights for students and this one was a huge hit with the Spaniards!

Marta really enjoyed her time in Sheffield. It’s a great city to study in and there’s even more to it when you see it through new eyes!