Sorry for no updates all week. We went to Madrid and I didn't have much time to update.
Tuesday from Madrid we went to Segovia where we toured a big castle and saw the Roman aqueduct. It is so big and the fact that it was built without any machines or mortar around 2000 years ago and is still standing tall and strong today is amazing to me!
Wednesday we went to the Prada and Reina Sofia museums. I had been to the Prada before with my high school trip, but now that I have studied most of the paintings in SHA and UCF Spanish classes, it was much more exciting to see.
Thursday we went to Toledo on the way back to Valencia. Toledo used to be the capital of Spain. It is a very old city and full of many amazing sites including churches, paintings and sword factories. They sell swords and many expensive items handmade from gold in shops all throughout the city. The city is also surrounded by water which used to be used for protection but now just looks amazing.
Friday I went in search of this nicer bowling alley that some bowler at the bowling alley I've been going to said to check out and that we had found online before I came here. I looked up the directions and it said that Metro line 4 dropped you off accross the street from it, which is perfect because that's the line closest to here. I rode the line the 30 minutes to the stop, but I didn't see it. So, the driver pointed out the street that I had to walk up for 15 minutes before I arrived. It was worth it though. The place was huge! It had a big movie theater, a whole bunch of restarants and clubs, a fitness center, stores, a big courtyard that connected them all filled with fountains and children's fun areas, and of course the bowling alley, Planet Bowling. It was 5Euro a game or for 11Euro you can buy a pass for 1Euro games, food and drinks for a month, which I bought. I bowled 5 games and finally started to get everything to feel right again. I can't take this much time off, it's going to kill me... I'm going to go back to the old place Monday night to postbowl for last week and to bowl this week, plus once more next week for the end of the league. I won't probably go back to Heron City where I went yesterday just becasue of the distance. Leaving, I didn't want to walk through those streets again since I didn't know that area, so I asked at the desk and they told me to take the bus out front. 2.5 hours and 1 bus and 2 metros later I got back to the study center... Not worth the hastle since I found out there is another Planet Bowling near the City of Arts and Sciences which is only like a 3 miles from here. I'll probably go by there Wednesday after classes since my pass thing I bought will work at any Planet bowling location. Is it bad I wrote more about bowling than Spain? Guess that shows where my heart/mind is now lol
Today, I got up and ran in the morning. I went the other direction in the riverbed park and saw some really cool stuff. There were tons of playgrounds all unique and amazing plus a bunch more fountains and a festival of nations. I really wish we had a park like this in Louisville and in Orlando because it is such a cool place for the whole family and I love having a safe, entertaining place to run. After, some of us went to the beach to relax for a while. It's so pretty and the weather was perfect today. It's a weird beach though because you have to walk forever in the sand before you reach the water. It is the longest beach any of us have ever seen, but it is still awesome! :) I love the beach!
Ok... off to do homework and stuff... and I just read the comments and Joni- I would love to come back here with you some day! and Mom-you keep asking for more pics, did you see the ones in the last post? Love you all!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Sunday, May 24, 2009
SCUBA/Biking/Mas Fotos!
SCUBA diving was AMAZING!!! It was about an hour and a half drive out there, but so worth it! We went to this little SCUBA school where they gave us wet suits, masks, and snokels and got into this little boat and went out. We stopped near this huge rock formation where we were aloud to snorkel around when it wasn't our turns. They had 4 instructors there who would each take 1 person down at a time to teach us and show us. The rocks were amazing in themselves. We jumped off this one structure and climped up and around to this hidden cave and a little hidden pool. So beautiful! And snokeling we could see some of the fish and reef life.
Then, I got to go under. They put the huge backpack of gear on me and then taught me the hand signals for ok and ear preasure and go up. They also showed me the important buttons to get more air, go up or down, and see how deep you are and how much oxygen is left. Then he pushed me off the boat backwards into the water so I can make sure I'm comfortable with the breathing thing. Then the instructor holds onto you from the back and slowly lets out the air thing so you start to go under. The stuff we saw was amazing! So many red speckled startfish (He had me touch one of them) and other cool creatures and plant life. He showed me how if you just cross your arms like you are hugging yourself and barely move your flippers you can go right thru a school of fish and they will swim right next to you without being scared away. We were down for about 20 minutes I think. Breathing was a lot easier than I expected down there, and since he was with me the whole time, I didn't even really get scared like I thought I would.
It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done and I definately want to get certified in the US so I can do another trip like this one. One girl brought her waterproof digital camera so i will post some of her pics once she sends them out. I bought a disposable waterproof one that I will post after I find a place to get them developed. I didn't take it under water with me because I wanted to have my hands free since I didn't know what to expect. I have some cool ones from snorkeling and of the rocks and stuff though along with some of me in the gear.
Yesterday, we went bike riding about 6 miles or so each way (about an hour ride each way) through the park, the city, and a special bikers route to the beach. It had so many hills and rough terain that it was a killer and my butt still hurts today, but it was worth it. The beach was really pretty and was full of beautiful stones all down by the water. I collected some of them to put in a glass bowl when I get my first house. It started to rain so we left the beach around 2 and rode back through on and off drizzling. My legs are killing me today, but I'm glad I went. I got to see a lot and proved I could do it.
Well, I think that's it for now. We leave in the morning for Madrid until Thursday with a stop in Toledo on the way back on Thursday. Should be a lot of fun. I am most likely bringing my computer, so I will keep updating.
And finally... PICTURES!!!!! WARNING there are A LOT! But I made sure to be in some just for you Mom :)
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=ae700e9846c8a6b06d9889752d9a603c&sid=0BZMmrVm4bMnKg
Enjoy!
Then, I got to go under. They put the huge backpack of gear on me and then taught me the hand signals for ok and ear preasure and go up. They also showed me the important buttons to get more air, go up or down, and see how deep you are and how much oxygen is left. Then he pushed me off the boat backwards into the water so I can make sure I'm comfortable with the breathing thing. Then the instructor holds onto you from the back and slowly lets out the air thing so you start to go under. The stuff we saw was amazing! So many red speckled startfish (He had me touch one of them) and other cool creatures and plant life. He showed me how if you just cross your arms like you are hugging yourself and barely move your flippers you can go right thru a school of fish and they will swim right next to you without being scared away. We were down for about 20 minutes I think. Breathing was a lot easier than I expected down there, and since he was with me the whole time, I didn't even really get scared like I thought I would.
It was one of the most amazing things I have ever done and I definately want to get certified in the US so I can do another trip like this one. One girl brought her waterproof digital camera so i will post some of her pics once she sends them out. I bought a disposable waterproof one that I will post after I find a place to get them developed. I didn't take it under water with me because I wanted to have my hands free since I didn't know what to expect. I have some cool ones from snorkeling and of the rocks and stuff though along with some of me in the gear.
Yesterday, we went bike riding about 6 miles or so each way (about an hour ride each way) through the park, the city, and a special bikers route to the beach. It had so many hills and rough terain that it was a killer and my butt still hurts today, but it was worth it. The beach was really pretty and was full of beautiful stones all down by the water. I collected some of them to put in a glass bowl when I get my first house. It started to rain so we left the beach around 2 and rode back through on and off drizzling. My legs are killing me today, but I'm glad I went. I got to see a lot and proved I could do it.
Well, I think that's it for now. We leave in the morning for Madrid until Thursday with a stop in Toledo on the way back on Thursday. Should be a lot of fun. I am most likely bringing my computer, so I will keep updating.
And finally... PICTURES!!!!! WARNING there are A LOT! But I made sure to be in some just for you Mom :)
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=ae700e9846c8a6b06d9889752d9a603c&sid=0BZMmrVm4bMnKg
Enjoy!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Ok, yesterday day wasn't too exciting. Just went to class during the day then at night we did a trip to the beach town/port area. We took the Metro over to it and Catalina (a lady who works here and is really nice and leads all the social stuff) gave us a tour of all the old buildings and churches and the port. It was all pretty interesting. We also went to the Semana Santa museum which is where they keep all the big Holy Week floats that they pull along the beach along with live performances during Holy Week. They also had some of the costumes that the people wanting to be forgiven wear. These freaked us out as Americans because even though they were colored and had pictures of Jesus and Mary on them, they are the models the kkk stole their costumes from so it was creepy. Then we ate and had a drink at the oldest pub in Valencia. I tried their specialty that they make there called Vermouth (sp?) and we also got to see their wine cellars.
This morning in my first class we went to two amazing gardens nearby. The first was huge and we only had time to look at a fraction of it. My favorite part was the stone path with steps leading all around multiple areas and up some small hills. From the top of some of them, you could see an area of the park where they are doing an archeological dig on some old Moorish palaces which I thought was cool. The other garden we went to used to be owned by a family and was donated to the city. It was much smaller but just as amazing. It had a dirt path that led up and around a little hill and over a few small bridges with little water falls. I really want to go back to both gardens and read one day and take even more pictures.
In my other class today we went to the bull fighting museum and got to see some of the behind the scenes stuff of the arena. We got to see where the bulls wait before they go out and some of the castrated bulls that stay in the pens to keep the other bulls calmer until they have to go out. The we got to go walk down into the arena itself and take some pictures.
Nothing really exciting tonight... I went out to dinner with some of the girls and bought some more candy. There are so many candy stores around here and it's all SOOOO good! And cheap! In this area all the food is really cheap. Everything in the stores is expensive though so I'm glad I don't need to buy a lot of nonfood things while I'm here.
EXCITING NEWS: I just found out that I get to go SCUBA diving tomorrow morning! That should be a lot of fun! I bought a disposable waterproof camera to take out there with me but it only holds 27 pictures so hopefully I can get a few good ones.
Here are the bowling terms I said I'd put up:
bolera = bowling alley
pista = lane
bolo = pin
bola = ball
partida = game
curva = hook
flechas = arrows
la doble real = big four
I will try and get the pics up tonight... The camera cord is somewhere in my computer bag which I have to lift up my bed to get to...
This morning in my first class we went to two amazing gardens nearby. The first was huge and we only had time to look at a fraction of it. My favorite part was the stone path with steps leading all around multiple areas and up some small hills. From the top of some of them, you could see an area of the park where they are doing an archeological dig on some old Moorish palaces which I thought was cool. The other garden we went to used to be owned by a family and was donated to the city. It was much smaller but just as amazing. It had a dirt path that led up and around a little hill and over a few small bridges with little water falls. I really want to go back to both gardens and read one day and take even more pictures.
In my other class today we went to the bull fighting museum and got to see some of the behind the scenes stuff of the arena. We got to see where the bulls wait before they go out and some of the castrated bulls that stay in the pens to keep the other bulls calmer until they have to go out. The we got to go walk down into the arena itself and take some pictures.
Nothing really exciting tonight... I went out to dinner with some of the girls and bought some more candy. There are so many candy stores around here and it's all SOOOO good! And cheap! In this area all the food is really cheap. Everything in the stores is expensive though so I'm glad I don't need to buy a lot of nonfood things while I'm here.
EXCITING NEWS: I just found out that I get to go SCUBA diving tomorrow morning! That should be a lot of fun! I bought a disposable waterproof camera to take out there with me but it only holds 27 pictures so hopefully I can get a few good ones.
Here are the bowling terms I said I'd put up:
bolera = bowling alley
pista = lane
bolo = pin
bola = ball
partida = game
curva = hook
flechas = arrows
la doble real = big four
I will try and get the pics up tonight... The camera cord is somewhere in my computer bag which I have to lift up my bed to get to...
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
So, it's really late and I just finished my homework for the night and wanted to post real quick before I go to bed.
League was interesting last night. The lanes are just bad here, and all the scores reflect that. I was told to go practice at another place, which just happens to be the same one we looked up at Boardwalk, so I'm going to check it out when I can (it's like a 20 minute bus ride so I need to figure out the routes first). I learned a bunch of the Spanish terms for bowling, and I'll post them all tomorrow after class.
Today in my first class we went to La Plaza de la Virgin (that I walk through almost every day to get places) and a really pretty old building that used to be where they traded silk. The sculptures and gargoyles were amazing! The whole building fascinated me. I'm going to go back again soon and look at it some more.
In my 2nd class today, we did stuff I never expected to do in a class. It was my dance in movies class, and we walked over to my professors' (they coteach) apartment a few blocks away to watch a movie about a flenco studio making a production. They had food set out for us and Sangria to drink (and beer for the 2 guys in our class that wanted it). I never imagined I would have a professor give us alcohol, especially not to drink during class. But the Spanish culture is so much different than ours that it is just normal here to have a drink while doing stuff (even though the professors are American). It was a really good movie and a much better experience sitting in thier living room than in a classroom for the movie. I really like this class because it is so laid back.
Tonight one of the bullfighters came and gave a presentation about their training and what it's like to be in there with the bull. That was pretty interesting too. Except my allergies kicked in strong today so my head was pounding and lightheaded the whole talk... no fun. Doing homework with my head like this wasn't easy either, but now I get to sleep :) Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning, and if not I'll pick up a decongestent at the farmacy.
Ok, goodnight all! I promise I will post more pics soon! I even had someone take one with me in it today for you Mom!
League was interesting last night. The lanes are just bad here, and all the scores reflect that. I was told to go practice at another place, which just happens to be the same one we looked up at Boardwalk, so I'm going to check it out when I can (it's like a 20 minute bus ride so I need to figure out the routes first). I learned a bunch of the Spanish terms for bowling, and I'll post them all tomorrow after class.
Today in my first class we went to La Plaza de la Virgin (that I walk through almost every day to get places) and a really pretty old building that used to be where they traded silk. The sculptures and gargoyles were amazing! The whole building fascinated me. I'm going to go back again soon and look at it some more.
In my 2nd class today, we did stuff I never expected to do in a class. It was my dance in movies class, and we walked over to my professors' (they coteach) apartment a few blocks away to watch a movie about a flenco studio making a production. They had food set out for us and Sangria to drink (and beer for the 2 guys in our class that wanted it). I never imagined I would have a professor give us alcohol, especially not to drink during class. But the Spanish culture is so much different than ours that it is just normal here to have a drink while doing stuff (even though the professors are American). It was a really good movie and a much better experience sitting in thier living room than in a classroom for the movie. I really like this class because it is so laid back.
Tonight one of the bullfighters came and gave a presentation about their training and what it's like to be in there with the bull. That was pretty interesting too. Except my allergies kicked in strong today so my head was pounding and lightheaded the whole talk... no fun. Doing homework with my head like this wasn't easy either, but now I get to sleep :) Hopefully I'll feel better in the morning, and if not I'll pick up a decongestent at the farmacy.
Ok, goodnight all! I promise I will post more pics soon! I even had someone take one with me in it today for you Mom!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Weekend/Run
Another weekend over...
This weekend was good. Nothing too exciting. Spent most of yesterday walking the streets and shopping and just checking it all out. I love just walking around and watching everything. I found another bookstore that I want to go back and check out too :) And I found a pair of jeans that fits me! And a couple shirts on sale! It is still so rare for me to find clothes I like, so that was exciting. I also tried this special drink they sell in carts all over the city. It's supposed to be good for you, and I was thirsty from walking all over. It was like nothing I've ever tasted before, but it was really good. I'll write down the name next time I pass a cart so I can post it on here. Then I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things and made dinner. I decided to use the fresh zucchini and carrots I had bought at the Mercado Central last week, so I cooked those in some olive oil, mixed in a small can of peas and some chopped ham and stirred it into a big pan of fresh rice I cooked. It was pretty good. Needed some seasoning, but I didn't have any so I just added a little cheese. It made a huge thing so I froze the leftovers. I want to try it again at home when I have other random stuff to mix into it. It can be fun to cook random recipes :)
Today I did a 8k (5,19mile) run at 10am. I used my iPod Nike thing to keep track of my own times and stuff. I ran the first 3.52 miles, then walked for a little bit. I started running again the last about 1/2 mile. I did the whole thing in 54 minutes. I was proud of myself. There were a ton of people today, I think around 100,000 out there running and walking. I was definately well into the first half to finish. We got free shirts for running and got to wear numbers on our backs. It was pretty cool. Afterwards I just did homework and cleaned up and stuff. Nothing too exciting. Class again tomorrow, then bowling tomorrow night.
And if you happen to see this, Happy Birthday Grandma Janet!
This weekend was good. Nothing too exciting. Spent most of yesterday walking the streets and shopping and just checking it all out. I love just walking around and watching everything. I found another bookstore that I want to go back and check out too :) And I found a pair of jeans that fits me! And a couple shirts on sale! It is still so rare for me to find clothes I like, so that was exciting. I also tried this special drink they sell in carts all over the city. It's supposed to be good for you, and I was thirsty from walking all over. It was like nothing I've ever tasted before, but it was really good. I'll write down the name next time I pass a cart so I can post it on here. Then I went to the supermarket to pick up a few things and made dinner. I decided to use the fresh zucchini and carrots I had bought at the Mercado Central last week, so I cooked those in some olive oil, mixed in a small can of peas and some chopped ham and stirred it into a big pan of fresh rice I cooked. It was pretty good. Needed some seasoning, but I didn't have any so I just added a little cheese. It made a huge thing so I froze the leftovers. I want to try it again at home when I have other random stuff to mix into it. It can be fun to cook random recipes :)
Today I did a 8k (5,19mile) run at 10am. I used my iPod Nike thing to keep track of my own times and stuff. I ran the first 3.52 miles, then walked for a little bit. I started running again the last about 1/2 mile. I did the whole thing in 54 minutes. I was proud of myself. There were a ton of people today, I think around 100,000 out there running and walking. I was definately well into the first half to finish. We got free shirts for running and got to wear numbers on our backs. It was pretty cool. Afterwards I just did homework and cleaned up and stuff. Nothing too exciting. Class again tomorrow, then bowling tomorrow night.
And if you happen to see this, Happy Birthday Grandma Janet!
Friday, May 15, 2009
Yesterday, my classes both involved getting out of the classroom. We went to the Mercado Central for my culture class where it is a huge indoor market with a ton of booths selling anything and everything. Tons of fresh fruit, veggies, nuts, meat, seafood, and things like that. I bought some strawberries, eggs, veggies, cherries, and dried strawberries and bananas. They all look sooo much better than from the supermarket. But the meat looks really gross, as it all still has the full body including eyes and feet, so I stayed away from that.
In my Dance in Movies class we watched a short film about a bus driver and his gypsy passengers who regularly start dancing flamenco. Then we went to a cafe to discuss the film. I had the Hot Chocolate which was absolutely amazing! Much thinker than hot chocolate at home. It was rich and silky and just overall amazing!
Last night we had a social event to go out and talk with Spanish people. Almost the whole group went to this bar/club where there was a lot of dancing and music and a lot of people. It was a lot of fun. I took pictures with all the people I talked with as proof I actually spoke with Spanish people. They were all friends of the lady who directs all the activities here, so they were all nice people who wanted to help us with our Spanish in exchange for helping them with their English. It was a lot of fun! I love how different Spanish dancing is than American dancing. Spanish is a lot more fun and a lot less... a lot less like ours... It is also interesting how Spanish people greet with a kiss on each cheek if it is a male and a female or 2 females (2 males shake hands). I was taught that you kiss the left cheek then the right in Spain, but the right then the left in Italy. I also learned that saying "Mucho Gusto" as they teach us in school is very proper and way outdated and that we should say "Que Tal" instead. Very interesting and fun night.
Today we had to get up early to go the City of Arts and Sciences (just a few miles away) which has a bunch of really cool looking buildings. We went into the Science Museum with a lot of cool interactive exhibits for a few hours which was fun. They had a lot of digital exibits where you interact with things using greenscreen, 3D imaging, and other fun activities that are similar to the stuff you can do on a WiiFit. Next, we went to the Aquarium which was really cool! They had many different exibits that went through different waters of the world. The beluga whales were definately my favorite. When we walked downstairs to look through the tank window, one of the two belugas stayed right outside the window and made faces at us and waved his fin for about 5 minutes. I have the feeling they are trained to do that. It looked like it was having fun interacting with us, and everyone watching loved it! Afterwards we watched a really cool dolphin show. The dolphins are so smart and it's really neat to see all that they can do. When we left there, I went with a few people to go to a mall accross the street that had a store similar to a Super Walmart because we needed to pick up a few things. Then we took the bus back. It was a really fun day :)
In my Dance in Movies class we watched a short film about a bus driver and his gypsy passengers who regularly start dancing flamenco. Then we went to a cafe to discuss the film. I had the Hot Chocolate which was absolutely amazing! Much thinker than hot chocolate at home. It was rich and silky and just overall amazing!
Last night we had a social event to go out and talk with Spanish people. Almost the whole group went to this bar/club where there was a lot of dancing and music and a lot of people. It was a lot of fun. I took pictures with all the people I talked with as proof I actually spoke with Spanish people. They were all friends of the lady who directs all the activities here, so they were all nice people who wanted to help us with our Spanish in exchange for helping them with their English. It was a lot of fun! I love how different Spanish dancing is than American dancing. Spanish is a lot more fun and a lot less... a lot less like ours... It is also interesting how Spanish people greet with a kiss on each cheek if it is a male and a female or 2 females (2 males shake hands). I was taught that you kiss the left cheek then the right in Spain, but the right then the left in Italy. I also learned that saying "Mucho Gusto" as they teach us in school is very proper and way outdated and that we should say "Que Tal" instead. Very interesting and fun night.
Today we had to get up early to go the City of Arts and Sciences (just a few miles away) which has a bunch of really cool looking buildings. We went into the Science Museum with a lot of cool interactive exhibits for a few hours which was fun. They had a lot of digital exibits where you interact with things using greenscreen, 3D imaging, and other fun activities that are similar to the stuff you can do on a WiiFit. Next, we went to the Aquarium which was really cool! They had many different exibits that went through different waters of the world. The beluga whales were definately my favorite. When we walked downstairs to look through the tank window, one of the two belugas stayed right outside the window and made faces at us and waved his fin for about 5 minutes. I have the feeling they are trained to do that. It looked like it was having fun interacting with us, and everyone watching loved it! Afterwards we watched a really cool dolphin show. The dolphins are so smart and it's really neat to see all that they can do. When we left there, I went with a few people to go to a mall accross the street that had a store similar to a Super Walmart because we needed to pick up a few things. Then we took the bus back. It was a really fun day :)
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Fun classes???
So I have officially had one session of each of my classes, and I am shocked to say I actually like them all and think they will be fun...
I already talked about my civilizations and culture class where I get to see sites all over Valencia and make a scrapbook as my final project. Next I had dance in film where we will spend the beginning of each class watching films that contain flamenco dancing and the second have in a cafe or a bar talking about it (all in English). Our first homework was to go to a Flamenco show at a bar nearby last night. It was amazing! I don't know how the dancers more that fast! My final class I had this morning, Business and culture in Spain. We spent the first hour in the computer lab learning about some of the big business empires in Spain (clothes companies) then went out to check them out by spending 2 hours walking through stores up and down the biggest commercial street in Valencia. Can't complain about a class that takes fieldtrips to the mall :)
After class, I went for a run in the park that used to be a river. I went left this time and saw all the little playgrounds and sports fields and stuff. There are so many paths leading down the river bed and it is so gorgeous! Plus, I felt completely safe because there were so many people down there walking, running, biking, picniking, playing sports and just hanging out. After I went to lunch with the Club de Espanol where we meet a few times a week to just talk in Spanish and hang out since most people in the Study Center only speak English. It is a good way for us to practice our Spanish. After, I walked back over to the shopping street and just wandered around through the stores for a few hours. Specifically 2 of the bookstores; I think I could get lost in bookstores for days, even in other languages.
I love how safe this city is. During my run and during my shopping I was alone, but so were a ton of other women. I feel so extremely safe here, especially compared to Orlando where I feel like I constantly need to be on guard. I'm still very cautious and aware here, but I really feel safe walking around all day. Even at night when we walk in groups, it's super safe.
Last night and today are really funny because there is a big Barcelona vs. Bilboa futbol game tonight. The streets are filled with 1000s of fans all dressed in jerseys and flags and team colors. It's so funny to see. They are all chanting and singing and yelling and blowing horns and so excited. It's all in a very positive way. They are enjoying themselves and getting really into it unlike at home where fans just get drunk and act stupid.
I must say that I am completely in love with Valencia. The only things I don't love are that there isn't a 24 hour store to buy groceries and other neccesities at, everything has weird hours (which is also kinda fun though) and is closed on Sundays. If it weren't for the fact that it's literally on the other side of the world from everyone in my life, I would definately consider living here lol It's such an amazing place!
I wanna go bowl right now, but it's already 8pm and if I walked there now it would be 830 when I got there, and I would have to walk back in the dark with my ball... while I'm sure it's safe, I don't want to risk it. Guess I'll have to wait til tomorrow... Have a great day! :D
I already talked about my civilizations and culture class where I get to see sites all over Valencia and make a scrapbook as my final project. Next I had dance in film where we will spend the beginning of each class watching films that contain flamenco dancing and the second have in a cafe or a bar talking about it (all in English). Our first homework was to go to a Flamenco show at a bar nearby last night. It was amazing! I don't know how the dancers more that fast! My final class I had this morning, Business and culture in Spain. We spent the first hour in the computer lab learning about some of the big business empires in Spain (clothes companies) then went out to check them out by spending 2 hours walking through stores up and down the biggest commercial street in Valencia. Can't complain about a class that takes fieldtrips to the mall :)
After class, I went for a run in the park that used to be a river. I went left this time and saw all the little playgrounds and sports fields and stuff. There are so many paths leading down the river bed and it is so gorgeous! Plus, I felt completely safe because there were so many people down there walking, running, biking, picniking, playing sports and just hanging out. After I went to lunch with the Club de Espanol where we meet a few times a week to just talk in Spanish and hang out since most people in the Study Center only speak English. It is a good way for us to practice our Spanish. After, I walked back over to the shopping street and just wandered around through the stores for a few hours. Specifically 2 of the bookstores; I think I could get lost in bookstores for days, even in other languages.
I love how safe this city is. During my run and during my shopping I was alone, but so were a ton of other women. I feel so extremely safe here, especially compared to Orlando where I feel like I constantly need to be on guard. I'm still very cautious and aware here, but I really feel safe walking around all day. Even at night when we walk in groups, it's super safe.
Last night and today are really funny because there is a big Barcelona vs. Bilboa futbol game tonight. The streets are filled with 1000s of fans all dressed in jerseys and flags and team colors. It's so funny to see. They are all chanting and singing and yelling and blowing horns and so excited. It's all in a very positive way. They are enjoying themselves and getting really into it unlike at home where fans just get drunk and act stupid.
I must say that I am completely in love with Valencia. The only things I don't love are that there isn't a 24 hour store to buy groceries and other neccesities at, everything has weird hours (which is also kinda fun though) and is closed on Sundays. If it weren't for the fact that it's literally on the other side of the world from everyone in my life, I would definately consider living here lol It's such an amazing place!
I wanna go bowl right now, but it's already 8pm and if I walked there now it would be 830 when I got there, and I would have to walk back in the dark with my ball... while I'm sure it's safe, I don't want to risk it. Guess I'll have to wait til tomorrow... Have a great day! :D
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