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My name is Estefania Calo García, I am a PhD student at the Universidade da Coruña, in Galicia, Spain. I am a researcher of Sociology and the subject of my research is mainly about residential needs, urbanism and cities. I have focused it on the housing needs and housing policies and their impact on the city and population, and how citizens can get a proper house in Spain.

Part of my formation is to realise research stays in different centres, principally in foreign universities. But, why did I decide come to Leicester? First, I think that the case of the United Kingdom is very interesting for my thesis. Secondly, of all the different Universities and Research Centres I was very interested in the Â鶹ÊÓƵ and in the Centre for Urban History because the Postgraduate Studies and Research Programmes here are really interesting and extremely motivating for me. So I decided that being at the Centre could contribute to improving my investigation and gave me another perspective, a historic one.

After the bureaucracy process, once here, what did I find? First, a fantastic and really good welcome. I could arrive at the very beginning of the course so I attended the international week and the seminars at the centre.  After, I got my office, my e-mail account and my student card so I began to work. The resources here, at the department and at the main library were really helpful. At the department´s library I could get the historical point of view that I was looking for, an idea about how the cities were developed throughout the years and the situation of housing in different periods, and how I could do that in my own research about Spain. At the main library I could find really interesting journals focused on housing studies which are more contemporary and I have discovered authors and networks that I didn´t know.

I established my work team and I spent many hours reading, being inspired, smelling history, surrounded by knowledge.

Personally, I made friends, here and outside the department. I have improved my English, and I have become a better person because every single experience you have, good or bad, makes you grow as a person. My way is still long, I have a lot of things to learn, a lot of people to meet, a lot of places to visit but my stay in Leicester was interesting, motivating and will be forever with me.