¡Fallas!

The second after I stepped off the plane from Italy, I noticed that Valencia had changed. In the metro on my way home, I was squeezed tightly between a pair of eager German tourists, a group of teenage girls giddy about being out of school for an entire week, and an elderly man with a disgruntled, tired look on his face. I looked down the length of the train and glimpsed the perfectly coifed shiny black hair of a Fallera, pinned in place for a day of representing the festivities while wearing an ornate and colorful dress. Fallas had begun.

As I broke ground level after surfacing from the belly of the underground, I noticed even more signals of the arrival of this sensory celebration. Children filled the streets, laughing and running with one another. For a split second, I smiled and found this absolutely adorable. The kids were just enjoying the fresh air and each other's company, right? ....No. A child, who couldn't have been more than six years old, pulled out a lime green lighter and lit something in his hand. In exactly four seconds, a ridiculously loud ''BOOM!'' erupted from the tiny paper roll he had thrown to my right.

I have to admit that I jumped a little. Okay, a lot. This must have been hilarious to them because the little devils began happily tossing more and more sound-bombs in my direction. I picked up my pace and hurried past, muttering to myself that I would never let my six-year-old play with fire.

Aside from the petardos (the loud firecrackers), there are many things I loved about Fallas week. One of my favorite parts was the sudden appearance of numerous street stands that offered fried sugary delights such as churros, buñuelos or lanzas served with steamy thick chocolate. Although I could definitely handle having those all year round, my figure would probably suffer drastically. I just had to settle with smelling their sinful scents and tasting their greasy goodness for a short time. I already miss them.

Most importantly, the sudden appearance of numerous elaborate, sometimes gigantic, papier-maché structures was impressive to witness. Here are a few examples, since my explanations would not even begin to do them justice without pictures:

Alas, the entire celebration of Fallas culminates in the Cremà, the night where all the statues erupt into flames and burn away. Most of the structures are parodies of events, people or ideas from the past year. This burning is a very symbolic exchange because it represents a cleansing in order to make room for a new, fresh year. The whole thing seems a bit sad to me with my limited foreign understanding of a festival that has integrated itself into the Valencian community for decades. It's disconcerting to see such beauty displayed for six days and then completely destroyed in a three-minute show of fireworks and flames. Here are a few pictures from this night:

You'll notice that they were taken from a distance. This is because Christy, Abby and I decided to stand at the very front of the line and subsequently found ourselves in a shower of ashes when the HUGE structure burst into flames above us. Needless to say, we high-tailed it out of there. Here are our shocked expressions:

Overall, Fallas was nothing like I'd expected. Aside from the annoying firecrackers and suffocating crowds, I enjoyed watching and taking part in this tradition. Seeing the structures burn and wither into smoke and soot, I felt strangely connected with the community. Witnessing something so spectacular and unusual undoubtedly brings people together. Old or young, three-day tourist or Valencian native, we all experienced the moving power of art and ingenuity.

I've only been back in class for a week and a half since Fallas, but this Thursday is the start of our 12 day vacation for Holy Week. I'm looking forward to spending a week with my Dad in Madrid and then jetting off to London for a few days to meet some girls from my program. Hopefully, I'll also be able to reconnect with a high school friend. With countless decisions and transitions on my mind, it'll be good to have some time to get away.

Buenas noches a todos.

Italia

These past two weeks were a speeding blur of crazy, vibrant, delicious, fiery, and tranquil.

I loved every minute.

My trip to Italy with Christy was full of gelato, beautiful buildings, sore feet, new friends, and multiple triangle-shaped pieces of cheesy heaven.

We stayed in Milan for all four nights and explored the city on our first full day:

On our second day, we caught an early morning train to say buon giorno to foggy Venice and spoke Spanish while strolling through the streets with our new Chilean friend Felipe.

Our third day was scheduled to be spent in Fair Verona, home of Shakespeare's Capulets and Montagues. We missed our early train but decided to make the most of the morning: we read leisurely and played in a park.

We had plenty of time to catch the next train to Verona. We spent the day wandering through the city admiring the style of the buildings, visiting a grand plaza with a Roman arena, walking through the Juliet House, stopping for a generous slice of pizza for lunch, and seeing Juliet's tomb.

I'm so thankful that Christy and I were safe and happy throughout our entire trip. I already miss Italy, but being back in Valencia is comforting. At least I know the language, and can (usually) find my way around the city without a completely confused look on my face. I'm going to miss this place.

Come back soon for pictures from Las Fallas, an annual week-long celebration full of firecrackers, street food, fiestas, millions of tourists, and elaborate paper-mache structures of societal parodies erupting into flames!

Ciao.

I'm alive!!

Believe it or not, this is the first free moment I've had since my last update. My brain is literally buzzing from all the running around I've done today, and these past few days have been such a whirlwind!! My feet are telling me to slow down. I feel like a walking zombie. But I'm continuing to fall in love with Spain, and I'm definitely enjoying my time here.

First off, BARCELONA! What a fascinating yet strangely impersonal place. In comparison to Valencia, it seemed much more cosmopolitan. It was absolutely full of tourists- I think I literally heard snippets of every single language imaginable. Traipsing around the city with two equally American-looking girls, I didn't feel as though we stuck out as much. We joined the sea of tourists and rode the tide to the Sagrada Familia, a modern cathedral designed by the late architect Gaudí. It had been in construction for over 100 years, and will supposedly be finished around 2025. Here are some pictures from the outside:

One of my favorite places we visited in Barcelona was the Parque Güell, also by Gaudí. I especially loved the colorful mosaics everywhere. Gaudí was inspired by images in nature, which gave his architecture an organic, earthy feel while remaining modern. He left his imprint throughout the city, and this park was able to display some of his most whimsical creations. This is a picture of me sitting on the longest park bench in the world, followed by a crowded staircase in the park and two of the crazy Gaudí houses:

Though Barcelona was exciting and new, I really prefer Valencia. I can't exactly explain why, but it just seems to have a more friendly, cozy atmosphere. I still think this past weekend was one of my favorites so far in Spain! The yummy food, good company, and off-the-wall architecture made it fun.

Since returning from Barcelona, I hit the ground sprinting. Not just running, SPRINTING. I've had lots of homework/essays/trip planning to keep me busy, and it's just now slowed down long enough for me to take a deep breath and relax. Busy doesn't even begin to cover my day today. After three long hours of class, I high-tailed it to a doctor's office. I had a problem with my ear, but now it's fixed! I'll never again take for granted the wonderful gift of hearing. Right afterward, I walked briskly back to the apartment to put down my heavy schoolbag and ran out the door again to meet Hector for a walk to the beach. Even though I arrived completely worn out, being so close to the sea was calming. We had a pretty deep conversation about the meaning of life, and I was impressed with my ability to keep up & offer some semi-intelligent thoughts in Spanish. We stopped for a cafe con leche along the shore and I taught him some highly important English words like "swingset," "zipline," and "elbow." He'll practically be a native speaker in no time! Here are some photos from the excursion: rock art, jumping on the pier, and the port at sunset.

I hope you enjoyed the pictures! I'm about to crash since I literally haven't stopped moving for days. Now I can tranquilly ponder my upcoming trip to Milan, and possibly Switzerland, with one of my best friends here. I'm relishing the privilege to say that I'm flying to Italy for the weekend. What an exciting lifestyle.

Buenas noches, amigos y familiares! (Goodnight, friends and family!)