Bienvenido a España

Well I suppose this is the perfect opportunity in my life for me to write one of these things, so here it goes. This is the official blog documenting my travels and triumphs while studying abroad in Valencia, Spain. I usually have some free time during the siesta, so I will try and update as often as I can during that time. Happy reading.

It all started Tuesday at 2:30PM when my flight took off from Cleveland Airport towards Dulles/D.C. I wasn't in Washington long before I boarded my very large flight to Madrid. I flew through Aer Lingus airlines, which is an Irish airline, I believe. This was pretty cool seeing as though all of the flight attendants had such pleasant accents and giant shamrocks were painted on the wings of the plane. However, I sat next to an older gentleman whose elbow was protruding at least half a foot into my spaces the whole flight. I tried to sleep most of the time and was moderately successful. I arrived in Madrid at 7AM Wednesday morning, went through customs, and then got my boarding pass for Valencia.

The flight to Valencia lasted less than an hour. Once there I got my luggage and headed out to the street to find a taxi that would take me to my host mother's house. I found a nice valenciano that loaded my suitcase into the trunk and asked me where to go. I told him the address (all is in Spanish, of course) and we were on our way. It was really awkward at first because I hate making small talk in the first place, let alone with my Spanish taxista. He asked me what I was visiting for, and I said I was a student. He then asked me if I was French, which I was both pleased in the fact that I managed to pass as European, but highly disappointed that I didn't come off more Italian. Funny story either way.

When I got to the apartment at which I am staying, my host mother Sra. Lopez was waiting for me. She greeted me with a big hug and a kiss on both cheeks. She is the sweetest woman and has already been extremely helpful in helping me learn the ways of the city. She complemented me on my good looks and the fact that I packed light haha. She showed me my room next, which is actually very nice. It has a comfy couch/bed, lots of room for storage, a desk, a small TV, and a window that lets in tons of light and has a great view of the street. The rest of her house was so well kept. She is a widow, so she does not have a large apartment, but I like it a lot here.

I unpacked while she prepared La Comida (our equivalente of lunch that is eaten between 2 and 3 in the afternoon). Her two adult children Oscar y Diana along with Diana's boyfriend came over to share the paella that she had made. It was very good, and I hope to learn how to make it. I didn't eat a whole lot though, since my body hadn't adjusted to the time change yet. I really enjoyed meeting the rest of her family. They are very talkative people, and it's a little difficult to keep up with everything they are saying.

After la comida Sra. Lopez took me on the bus route that I needed to take to get to the University, which is a across the city. We went there and back, and I got told about all the different plazas that we passed along with some of the history that went along with them. Upon returning I passed out for a good 2 to 3 hours... kind of an extended siesta. We ate dinner around 8:30PM. She had prepared some noodle soup along with a kind of Spanish style chicken cordon bleu (I forget the actual name) and french fries. I am so thankful my housemother is a good cook! For dessert, I had probably the best orange I have ever tasted in my life-- Valencia is known for its oranges. We chatted for a while afterwards and then she prepared herself for bed. I was thinking about going out and walking for a bit, but then I decided against it because 1) it was already after 11, which was a lot later than I expected it to be, 2) I was still exhausted from my flight and 3) I have problems opening the door to the apartment, so I didn't want to have to wake her up. So I decided to stay in, unpack some more of my stuff and then went to bed a little after midnight.

I'm about to go exploring a little bit now, so I will post more about what I did today later.