Longest weekend of my LIFE

Valencia was uncharacteristically cold and wet today. It was seriously a challenge to leave my warm bed this morning since I knew I would soon be braving public transportation to venture out to Godella, a town that's about 30 minutes away. After my class this morning, I was swallowed up into the belly of the metro station and crammed into a reeling subway car along with hundreds of other students, employees, and vacationers on their way through the city. I relished the free moments to people-watch and collect my thoughts.

The reason for my journey was to spend the afternoon with a vibrant woman named Rosario. My internship with Social Services gives me the privilege to keep her company and help her with errands each Monday. Paralyzed from the waist down, she spends her days in a wheelchair. Rosario and I talked for over an hour about her family's bread bakery, robotic engineering, and how much we wished it had been a sunny day so we could have taken a stroll/ride in the countryside. Her mischievous smile crept up as she asked me if I would join her as a "ladrona," or thief, next time. She pointed out the window in the direction of a small orange grove. "When it's warmer outside," she grinned, "I like to snatch an orange or two from those branches. But we'll have to make sure no one's watching." I think we're going to get along wonderfully.

After returning from Godella, I stayed at school until almost 9 pm to work on a paper that's due tomorrow. LONG day. Now, I'm full of delicious veggies and homemade tortilla (basically an egg and potato pancake). Perfect comfort food :)

This past week has been a whirlwind, but the weekend is more worthy of discussion. Thursday night, I was invited to dinner at the home of some friends of Hector. There were about seven girls from my program and five Spanish guys. Let me tell you, those guys can COOK! I was so impressed. There were two giant, round, oven-baked sandwiches, a pot of rice with chicken and veggies, and a couple of tortilla dishes. Well, okay, so the tortilla was store-bought...but still! I never would have expected a small group of twenty-three-year-old guys to come up with such a delicious feast.

After dinner we talked and played some games for awhile. We listened to an eclectic mix of tunes from Kenny G to Shakira to Michael Jackson. At one point during the night, I was hoisted up onto the dinner table...I was so shocked that I didn't know what to do! I ended up standing there awkwardly for a couple of seconds and jumping down. Everyone pretty much laughed at me, but I can't blame them!

Later, we left the house to go to a discoteca. We danced for hours (well, I tried to...I still need to work on my moves!) and eventually the DJ announced the last song of the night. The lights came on at 4 a.m., and I was jolted back into the reality that I had class that morning at 10:30. Woops. Keep in mind I usually don't even stay out that late on weekENDS. It definitely took me awhile to recover, and I didn't say much in class the next day, but I absolutely had a blast that night.

Friday after class, our program organized a poetry recital to celebrate Valentine's Day. I read a love poem by Pablo Neruda which you can check out in English and Spanish here. After the recital, I went with a group of friends to our new favorite dessert restaurant for some rich hot chocolate. It was well-deserved after such a long week. Friday night, since I was so exhausted from Thursday, I stayed in with Nina and my madre. We ended up watching a movie called Noel followed by the Canary Islands drag queen competition. Needless to say, it was interesting. After I couldn't keep my eyes open even to watch a glittery man traipse around in a rooster costume mouthing the words to Lady Ga-Ga's "Bad Romance," I went to bed.

Saturday, I went with a big group to a beach town called Gandia. It was sadly raining that day as well, but we toured a Ducal Palace and later crowded together for warmth in a coffee shop. That night, the Arctic Monkeys gave a free outdoor concert. I wouldn't say they're my new favorite band or anything, but it was fun to see practically everyone in the city between the ages of 12 and 30 in one giant mob, jumping and singing along. That night ended quietly, with a group of three other friends at an Argentinian restaurant eating heavenly pasta at one in the morning.

Now, dear readers, you can understand why I haven't had time to update until now. I'll definitely be dedicated to writing more often so you don't have to sit through such a long description all at once of what I've been up to...but hopefully it's been enjoyable! Thanks for sticking with me. Buenas noches, amigos.

¿Más cosas?

I'm falling more in love with this city and these people every day, even though little things frustrate me at times--like the fact that you have literally 2 seconds to cross the street when the walk sign starts to blink, and that practically every business closes from 2 pm to 5 pm for a collective siesta.

Many of the quirks here are endearing. Accustomed to the usual warm weather, Valencians bundle up tightly in their winter coats, scarves and gloves when it drops one degree below 60 Farenheit. I realized early on that observing passersby on the street below does not help at ALL when trying to figure out how cold it is outside. My madre is horrified if I go out with a bare neck or light jacket, even on a sunny day like today. I wonder how the Valencians would handle a snowstorm like the one I'm "missing out on" in Charlottesville?

As I've mentioned before, it's offensive to leave uneaten food on your plate. My apartment mate, Nina, and I regularly leave the dinner table completely stuffed to please our madre. I didn't know that it extended to restaurants as well. At a tapas bar last weekend, one of my friends couldn't finish her generous helping of seafood paella. The waiter came by, saw the rice left on her plate, and told her that if she didn't finish her food he would make her sweep the floors. His grin suggested that he wasn't being serious, so my friend pushed her food around a little to make it seem like she'd eaten more. But he knew. At one point during the evening, he pointed to the little lobster-shrimp left on her plate and showed her how to eat it. When she complied and sadly ate her "amigo," he wanted her to take it one step further: apparently the brains are the most delicious part. The waiter picked up the head and pushed it close to her mouth. The disgusted look on her face sent everyone else into laughter. I wonder, though, how we would have reacted if it had happened to us!

In addition to dangling dismembered crustaceans in the faces of their customers, most Valencians are very open about personal matters. During a celebratory meal with some of my madre's friends and family members, one of the guests asked me my weight. Everyone looked at me expectantly, like it was just another lighthearted question such as "What is your favorite color?" or "Where did you buy your shoes?" It was definitely surprising. I mumbled something about not really knowing my exact weight. It's not like I'm sensitive about it, but that's an intimate question for a first-time encounter over lunch. It's fascinating to learn about what's customary or taboo in this new culture.

In other news, I have met with my intercambio Hector (pronounced Ector). Basically, this is a way for students from my program to meet and get to know Valencian students in order to practice our Spanish and their English. The curious thing about my intercambio is that he speaks ZERO English. We walked through a park for awhile, pointing to things like benches, trees and streetlights and quizzing each other on their names. Every time I would ask him a question in English, he would get anxious and say, in Spanish, "I'm ashamed!" It was hilarious, but I tried not to make fun of him too much. I enjoyed our conversation though. I'm looking forward to meeting with him again soon.

I've also found a church that I enjoy. The pastor and his wife are originally from Texas, but they have lived here for over twenty years and both speak perfect Spanish. At first I found it strange to worship and listen to a sermon in a foreign language. I quickly realized that it's more about the attitude and less about reciting familiar words. I actually learned a lot because I had to really think about the words I was singing and hearing. The church is very small but intimate. Everyone I met was extremely friendly and excited for me to return. I hoped I would find such a welcoming church here but I never dreamed it would happen so soon.

I've crossed off nearly everything on my to-do list already. If you have any suggestions of things you think I should do while I'm here, I'd love to hear them! Off to enjoy my weekend now. Hasta luego.

El fin de semana segundo

After a few more days of adjusting, I feel much more at home here. I've learned to recognize my way home, even at night, which is definitely important! I'm becoming more of a city girl than I ever thought was possible. This is truly an exciting place to be.

Much has happened since my last update. This past Friday morning I went to the center of town with a group of friends. It was the day of the celebration of Saint Vicente Martir, and there was a procession throughout the city. Aromatic leaves were scattered over the ground, and it smelled wonderful. These were, we think, to line the way for the saints and the procession.
Musicians, priests, church members, falleras (ornately dressed women reminiscent of the Fallas festival in March where elaborate sculptures are burned in the streets), and floats proceeded through the streets of Valencia. While enjoying the festivities, I drank horchata! It tasted of yeast and wasn't as thick as I thought it would be. I'll have to try it another time before I come to a conclusion, but it was an interesting experience for sure. Number 1, CHECK!

The next night I joined some more friends for dinner at a local restaurant. I don't remember the name, but I will probably never forget how delicious the food...well, most of it...was that night. I decided to take part in the "menu del dia," the full course meal, to complete the experience. For my "primeros platos," I tried Paella Valenciana for the first time. Ohhhh my goodness, it was incredible. There were mussels, pieces of chicken, beans, and some sort of crustacean mixed in with the yellow rice. I was in heaven. For my second course, I decided to go with sepia, or cuttlefish. The texture was very strange...it was rubbery like calimari, but much tougher. The flavor was nice but it was so hard to cut that I just gave up. Most of the others who ordered the same thing had similar problems. But when dessert arrived, all was well. I tried coconut mousse, the perfect amount of sweetness to complement a delicious meal.

The weekend also consisted of a relaxing trip to the beach (too cold to swim, but I was still extremely excited to see the Mediterranean sea) and a stop at my new favorite dessert place for chocolate con churros. These are basically long fried doughnuts that come with a cup of creamy, steaming chocolate for dipping. Heavenly. I would post a picture but by the time I took one, there was only one lonely churro left. I was too excited to eat them, haha.

I'm crossing things off my list quickly...I'll have to think of some more to add. These last two have both been about food, which is a passion of mine. Mmmmm. I'll have to think of a way to incorporate that into my career. Food critic? I think that sounds perfect.

Hasta luego :)

GOoooool!

So far I've managed to accomplish number 7 on my "things I want to accomplish in Valencia" at least a thousand times per day. Some highlights include:
-playing fútbol at the University of Valencia
-Smiling at the cutest little kids I've ever seen in my LIFE, no lie
-riding the escalator up through all eight shining floors of El Corte Inglés with my apartment-mate

-standing at the top of an outdoor mall at night and looking out at the sparkling city below

As far as number 9 goes, I'm enrolled in a cooking class for next week. I'll learn to cook paella and flan, and to make sangria. I can't WAIT! More to come.

As for my classes, I couldn't be happier. My professors are absolutely hilarious, and they seem to be extremely passionate about their subjects. I'm in Spanish Culture and Civilization, Intro to Spanish Art, Survey of Latin American Literature, and Spanish Mass Media. After practically an entire day of introducing myself, I now know many of my classmates' favorite foods as well as their deepest, darkest secrets. I hope to get to know everyone even better as time goes by. I'm sure this semester will fly, but for now, I'm happily looking out from the beginning with hope and anticipation. To quote one of my program's administrators, I am "supermega"-thrilled to be here.

Valencian Nightlife 101

1. For stamina, sleep until late in the afternoon before going out. Lunch isn’t until around 3 pm anyway, so no one will miss you.

2. Don’t even THINK of going to a club with friends before at least one in the morning. If you do, expect to be the only ones there.

3. If you can hear someone shouting right in front of you, and can even remotely understand what he or she is trying to tell you, the music isn’t loud enough.

4. Politeness won’t get you anywhere. When traveling through an overcrowded dance floor, don’t be shy. Pushing and shoving your way through is the only way to get where you need to go.

5. Relax, let loose, and have fun. No one will judge you for your (lack of) dancing skills. And you’ll make more friends that way!

¡Estoy aquí!

After twenty long hours of travel, and four planes later, I have made it to Valencia. Everything worked out wonderfully...no issues at all. I even sat next to the Mayor of Valencia and his wife on the plane from Madrid. He gave me his business card and phone number ''because I don´t look Spanish.'' He was looking out for me. He said I needed some time to get used to the city before venturing out alone. So far, I haven't exactly listened! I'm still alive, so I guess I'm ready. haha.
Valencia is absolutely beautiful. In the taxi on the way to my apartment, all I could do was silently take in everything. I probably looked really intelligent with my mouth wide open in awe.

This is the first time I've lived in a city, so I'm not used to such craaaazy driving and so many confusing little alleyways. My apartment-mate and I managed to get lost on two different occasions today. It was definitely mostly my fault! But we made the most of it, and the map helped too :) It was an adventure.

My host mother, Marisa, is incredibly sweet- but she has an intense and very direct way of laying down the rules. Electricity is very expensive here, so there are certain lights in my room that I can't use frivolously. During the day, the window AND blinds must be left open to let in the fresh air and natural light. The beautiful sunny weather this afternoon made my soul happy. I was more than glad to comply. Her food is delicious, but she serves us WAY too much. It's offensive to leave food on your plate to throw away, so we've been stuffed for hours. I guess it's better than the other way around. Today we went on a walking tour after lunch, (pictures to come!) and we passed several bakeries. Everyone else was saying how hungry they were, and how they wanted to return later..but I could't even THINK about food! That's really saying something, because I love sweets.

This morning we went to the school building for the first time. I was a little tired and disoriented since I woke up at 4 a.m. (yay for jet lag) and I watched Finding Forrester, dubbed in Spanish with my host mother until late last night. I didn't pay too much attention to the bus route- hence the getting lost on the way back. The professors and administrators here seem like such a fun, caring group of people. They crack jokes all the time. I can't wait to get to know them better, and to get to the point where I can effortlessly (well, almost) understand their super fast remarks. My Spanish is already improving after less than 2 days! I can only imagine how much better it will be after four months.

Tomorrow, we're all going hiking. I'm pretty pumped! And then there's a welcome fiesta late tomorrow night. I definitely need my rest before then. Let's hope my madre doesn't make this a late TV night again! Although, it was quite humorous to hear a squeaky, high-pitched Spanish voice come out of Rob Brown's mouth.

I'll try to post pictures soon. In the meantime, I hope everyone who's reading this is doing well! With a Valencian goodbye and a double-cheek kiss, ¡ciao!

Soooo close...

I officially leave for Valencia in 2 days. It's so surreal. I have a lot to do before I leave though... I'm desperately trying to finish an intense internship application, see friends and family before setting off, and attempt to fit a semester's worth of stuff into one little suitcase. All I really want to do is daydream!

The only thing I'm really nervous about, honestly, is the fact that (according to what I've read) Valencians sleep very little. It's normal to go out for a drink after dinner (at about midnight), dance or hang out with friends, then go home in the early morning only to wake up in a couple of hours for school or work. Don't get me wrong; I love to have fun and I definitely don't want to miss out, but I NEED sleep! I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. I want to be open to learning as much about the culture as I can while I'm in Spain.

Anyway, I'm sure these will be MUCH more exciting once I actually have stories to tell. Must get back to painstakingly checking things off my to-do list. My next update will be from Valencia! Yesssss.