Viva Valencia!

Valencia has officially been my home for a little over a week now and I have come to adore this city. It is much more authentic than Madrid with colorful buildings scaling narrow cobblestone streets. The city is very lively with people moving at their own leisurely pace through the large plazas and along sidewalks draped with sale-filled shops. It has taken all of my will-power not to buy the heaps of adorable clothing that taunt me from the store windows. I just keep my mind focused on all of the amazing weekend trips I have planned, which is where I know my money will be much better spent. 

View from our balcony

My dorm is in the historic district of town around of series of twisted back alleys that I am still continuously trying to navigate. My roommate, Tori, and I lucked out with the largest room out of everyone else in the program. We each have a twin bed, desk, and armoire and share a nicely sized bathroom. My favorite part of our room, though, is our balcony that looks over a quant little ally way, to which at night is full of locals walking from tapas bar to tapas bar.

The Penthouse

The dorm, called Colegio Mayor Rector Peset, is home to us 15 American kids and then about 200 spanish students. The ages range from 18-22 but most are freshman still in their teens, which is something that my single friends have not come to appreciate. I feel like a freshman again and I love it. It's almost like I'm back on the tenth floor of Russell Hall, except I have my own bathroom and a bedroom that is something a little larger than my mom’s closet. One thing we have learned, though, is the walls are very thin here so the gossip is kept to a minimum, which I greatly enjoy. The boys above us, however, have no problem blaring their spanish dance music until the wee hours of the morning. But honestly, by the end of each night I am so exhausted nothing can keep me awake once my head hits the pillow. Overall the local students are all very nice and love helping us with our spanish, especially when it comes to teaching us all of the dirty slang words. Since we are on a different class schedule as them, meal times are the main conversation times. We all sit in the same cafeteria together and chat about evening plans and whatever else my limited spanish vocabulary can produce. We have been out with the spanish students twice, and both times I have gone home “early” (a.k.a. before 6 am). 

Out with the spanish kids from el Rector Peset

American ladies take spanish night life!

The food in the dorms is pretty good. Just like almost all of the food in Spain, I can tell that it is all made fresh everyday, something very different from much of what I eat in America. The meals are simpler. There is usually soup or cheese for the first course, and meat or fish for the second. EVERY plate comes with french fries, which I have learned to stay away from. While walking through the plazas, the aromas of paella and pastries make me crave authentic spanish cuisine, but I’m doing my best to save my food budget for weekend trips to other parts of Spain and Europe... well despite some gelato splurges every once in a while. Although I prefer the eating schedule of Spain, I have not completely adapted to it. Instead of having 3 average meals a day, Spaniards eat 5 meals a day of all different sizes. In the morning they eat something small, like a crescent, and then around 11:00 they eat a small sandwich called a “bocadillo”. Lunch is their biggest meal of the day comprised of multiple courses. At around 5:00 or 6:00, they eat another small meal and then finish their night off with tapas and drinks between 9:00 and 11:00. Most of us are still eating about three meals a day so by the time lunch or dinner rolls around, I am famished. Today we went to a local super market and bought some snacks to serve as our intermediate meals so that, maybe, we won’t keep engorging ourselves at every almuerzo y cena.   

I have completed my first week of classes. All I can say so far is I don’t think they are going to be any walk in the park. I am taking four classes: spanish film, culture of civilizations of Spain, spanish literature, and spanish business. Homework is not overwhelming so far but time management is going to play a key role for the weekends when I travel. I could get used to this Monday through Thursday thing though. UGA should really consider converting to the three-day weekend schedule... it makes us students less...umm stressed? 

Tower of Micalet and Plaza de los Torros

Ironic photo moment at the Plaza de Virgen

 On Wednesday we had a scavenger hunt to get to know the city better. In teams of three we had to run the city around and take pictures in certain monuments or plazas. Of course we had no idea where any of these locations were and without the use of our handy-dandy smart phones, we had to find them the old fashion way... asking for directions. Perfect time to practice our spanish right? Wrong. And we come to embarrassing moment for Katy attempting to use her spanish number two. On my teams hunt for the Plaza de la Virgen (a.k.a Plaza of the Virgin), I stopped an asked two police officers on horseback for directions. For some reason, however, I could not seem to pronounce the word “virgen” correctly and it came out sounding like I have a speech impediment. I eventually had to just show them the name on a piece of paper, which made them simultaneously burst into laugher due to the mere context of the word virgin. They told us the directions and with my head held low, we went on our way. Of course it does not end there. While we zigzagged our way around the city for three hours we happened to run into them three more times, each reunion filled with finger-points and laughter. There goes my respect for the Spanish Police Department.

Exhausted teammates at the last location of the hunt.

On Thursday we climbed up the Tower of Micalet, which sits atop the beautiful Valencia Cathedral. The view was 100 percent worth the breathless hike up to the top. We could see all of Valencia for miles and miles. It made me realize how big the city actually is and how little of it I have seen yet.

 

On Saturday, we went to Valencia’s aquarium, The Oceanográfic, which just so happens to be the largest aquarium in Europe. I didn’t think anything could compare to the vastness of Atlanta’s aquarium, but this place was magnificent. There were massive walruses and wales, as well as, the strangest tropical fish I have ever seen. My favorite part, and what has turned out to be one my top experiences here, was the dolphin show. It was absolutely incredible! Those animals are geniuses! They were doing synchronized dances and flips in the air. With solely hand motions and whistle chimes from the trainers, the dolphins put on a better show than I think any human could. Just so you know Mom and Dad, I’m thinking about changing my major to dolphin training....

So far Valencia has treated me well. I have begun to set into a weekly routine, which I like. I try to run every afternoon in el Jardín de Turía, which is a giant park that stretches 6 miles long in the middle of the city. It used to be part of the Turía River but was converted into a park in 1986. The park is always full of people running, biking, or walking their dogs (which of course makes me miss my own pup, Scout). The sides are lined with soccer fields that are alive with little-league soccer games in the evenings. There are playgrounds, skate parks, fountains, and picnic tables. It is just an over all peaceful place to spend time. 

The big nights to go out in Valencia are Thursday and Saturday. Since we aren’t overloaded with schoolwork, yet, many of the other night we have just gone out to the many local bars that serve 1 Euro sangria and beer. I’ve come to love the culture of Spain— happy, easygoing, and vibrant. Although my appearance doesn’t fit in well, I think my personality does, which has made the adjustment to my new life here much easier. 

Easy night at our favorite tapas bar, Montididos. 

We have already started planning some weekend trips! Next weekend I will be heading to London! Then the weekend after that... drum roll please... Morocco!... Talk about standing out from a crowd. (Don’t worry Dad I’ll be safe I promise!)

I’ll check in again soon with even more fun stories to tell! 

Chow.