Tina Tsaparas
Study: MSc Nutrition and Health.
Destination: Spain.
Internship.
Hi everyone,
My name is Tina and I study the Master Nutrition and Health. For my Internship I will be in Spain the next half a year. At this page I willkeep you updated with my experiences. You can also follow me (@tinatsaparas) and other WURldexplorers on Instagram: search for #WURldexplorers!
Internship in Spain
Hi there! My name is Tina Tsaparas and I am a master student, studying Nutrition and Health with a specialisation in Nutritional Physiology and Health status. I have decided to do my internship from September to the end of January in Valencia, Spain. I will participate in a research that investigates the longevity and healthy ageing of elderly with either mild cognitive impairment or elderly that suffer from frailty. These groups of elderly participated, for a duration of six months, in a program of aerobic exercise and are compared to a control group (a group that did not perform any exercise).
Arrival in Spain
Hola! After saying goodbye to my friends and family in Holland, I arrived in Spain! I exchanged the rain and low temperatures for the sun and heat since it is still summer time all over in Spain. When I arrived, I had no accommodation so therefore I booked two nights at a hostel.
Hace mucho calor!
Hola chicos! We are now getting closer to the end of September, but in Spain the temperatures are still high and it feels like summer! Even the local Spanish people sometimes complain, when they grab anything they can, to use it as a fan, while saying “hace mucho calor” (= it is very warm!).
Hiking!
Hi there! One month has already passed since my arrival in Spain, but there are still so many things I want to do and see! Even though I have to work at the university every day, there is plenty of time in the weekends to go on nice trips and visit some beautiful places.
Sports in Spain
Buenos días! Things are going well in Spain; the weather is still very nice, and I have learnt a lot in the laboratory during these first months of my internship. Also, I am doing a course on the Spanish language which is quite intense, and next to that I subscribed to the university gym, which is not as nice as the one we have at ‘the Bongerd’ though ;)!
Paella
Since Spain is known for its good food like tapas and paella, I cannot go back to Holland without tasting these dishes! In Valencia there are a lot of good tapas bars located throughout the city. The typical way of having your tapas is to select the freshly made tapas which are called ‘pinchos’ and contain different sizes of wooden skewers in the middle, indicating the price. When you are finished eating, the amount of wooden skewers you have collected are summed up and indicate the bill.
Reunion
Since Valencia has many direct flights from different airports in Holland, as well as in Germany and Belgium, it seems that Valencia is quite a popular destination amongst the Dutch people; and I am very happy about that! Since this provides a good opportunity for my family and friends to come and visit me!
Toledo!
Last weekend it was time to explore some more of Spain, this time by visiting the city Toledo! At 6.00 am in the morning we left by bus to arrive four hours later in Toledo, which is close to Madrid.
Christmas break
Since many Erasmus students left Valencia to spend the holidays with their families, I decided to do the same thing. I flew back home to spend Christmas with my family. I also took advantage of the opportunity of being in the Netherlands by going to a festival with my friends, visiting Wageningen, and getting the ‘winter’ feeling when the first snow fell down!
Going to Africa
This time my story is not about Spain, but about a completely different continent: Africa! I decided to stay one month longer in Valencia to complete my work in the lab but also to go on a holiday! With one of the Erasmus student associations we travelled by bus through Spain and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar by ferry, to arrive at our destination: Morocco!
Weekend break
My internship period in Valencia has almost come to an end, only a few weeks are left! Therefore my mother decided to take the opportunity to have a small holiday by visiting me again. This was very convenient for me as well, since due to the sales and my trip to Morocco, I have a lot more luggage to bring back home than I planned!
Surfing!
With only one week left in Valencia until my Erasmus period would be over, I decided to make a small bucket list with the things I wanted to do before I leave. Since Valencia has a wonderful beach and it was quite windy the last days, it was the perfect opportunity to go surfing!
And all of a sudden it is over
I am writing my final story upon return in the Netherlands after ending my Erasmus period. The last week I had to finalise my work in the lab, and teach the things I learned to an Italian girl which started with her internship in the lab and will be taking over my tasks. It was nice to be able to explain everything to her, and to have as an intern, my own intern, which followed me and listed to me carefully, as I did at the start of my internship half a year ago.