We're half way there - Livin' on a prayer

     This week is the half way mark on my trip here in Spain. A month ago yesterday I was saying goodbye in the Detroit airport and a month from tomorrow I will land back in the DTW airport. It is crazy how much has happened since then.
     Today as I walked to school I was reminiscing on that first day when my madre picked me up from the bus and drove me to our apartment. Everything was so unfamiliar to me. Now the roads that were foreign then I now know and are comfortable navigating through. I have already taken midterms for my classes and I am beginning to work on papers and projects.  I traveled to Xativa, Peniscola, Barcelona and Porto! I have planned trips to Madrid and Rome in the remaining four weeks I have here. It is so cool how easy it is to travel around Europe once you are here. I am excited to go to Madrid and Rome but also to continue exploring Valencia. This week was a good exploring week her in Valencia. Here is a recap.....


Monday June 18 - My alarm did not go off so I woke up when I usually leave for class...oops! I showered and got ready real fast and I managed to make it to class on time! My class on MW is a spanish literature class which is tough for me because I am not very good at literature in english let alone analyzing spanish poems and plays. The professor is a fun guy but the material is rough. In the afternoon I went out with a friend to explore the neighborhood area we live in. We walked down some new streets and managed not to get lost.


Tuesday June 19 - I had class in the morning and then I came home for lunch which was nice. Lunch is the big meal of the day here so it is nice to spend time with my madre and hermano and get a big meal. We had a lasagna type dish, it had Alfredo sauce and spinach in it. It was good. I have tried so many new things here. I did some homework in the afternoon and took a really nice siesta. It was a friend's birthday on Tuesday so she wanted to celebrate but unfortunately nothing was really happening on a tuesday so I ended just taking a nice walk around town. The city still amazes me with beauty and tranquility. 


Wednesday June 20 - I had my literature class and then a field trip to the Cathedral in Valencia for another class. I had three hours between class and the field trip so I explored. I couldn't find anyone to explore with so I flew solo. It was  godo time to clear my head and relax. I found a beautiful park to eat my bocadillo in. Below is the fountain in the area of the park where I ate lunch.

 The park was not very full so it was very quiet and I could just hear the water of the fountain. In the garden there was a mini city almost where it appeared children could ride their bikes or toys on roads. There were traffic lights and crosswalks. There was one small boy playing on the sidewalk when I walked through. Below is part of the area, which was quite large.

I continued my exploration of the garden which led me to an ice cream stand. It was in the 80s on wednesday so the ice cream sandwich that I got really hit the spot. I continued on my way toward the Cathedral. Below is the center of a roundabout I encountered on my way.

I took a scenic detour and found a park with trees that looked like they were from the Jungle book. The trunks were huge and complex. There was also a park with a playground. Once I regained my bearings of what direction I wanted to go in, I encountered a man that was not very happy with me. I was simply walking down the street minding my own business when he asked me if I was an American. This is not that odd of a question because people often are curious where we are from especially when we are all together and speaking english. This time was different though. Before I could respond to the man he began yelling at me. He waved his hand in the air and yelled F*** Obama and something about our government then continued to yell F** you at me. I did not respond to him at all and merely continued walking. It sure did scare me though. I made it to the cathedral where my class was meeting before the tour. 

The Cathedral in Valencia was beautiful. There were a lot of small chapels on the side of the main church which was cool. We were able to climb up the bell tour for only two euro so we took the challenge. Our teacher warned us that is was quite the hike which was true. It was spiral staircase all the way up and it got steep towards the top. The stairs were small and we could not see the top or bottom, just stairs. The view from the top was worth the climb though. We could see all of Valencia in all directions. We were able to tell where our school was and where we all lived, which was cool. Below is Sam and I representing AOII on top of the cathedral.

 The city of Valencia and me! There will be more pictures of city on my facebook if you want to see more.

 On the way home from the cathedral Sara and I stumbled upon a clothing store that was having a huge sale. We tried on a bunch of dresses and skirts. We both ended up getting a dress. They were only 8 euro. Apparently in july here there are huge sales so we are trying to hold out until then so we can get some good deals! I made it home just in time for dinner. We had potato tortilla which is my favorite dish here. After dinner we went to a bar called Portland after Portland Oregon and is own by a guy from there. Below is Genna, Sam and I with Chris in the background.

We met a guy who was wearing a Michigan State Shirt. We all got really excited! The guy didn't really know what MSU was, he just liked the shirt so bought it haha. It is cool how we meet people from all over while we are here. 

Thursday June 21 - I had my early class today which is never too fun. After a week of not being on the beach, today was a beach day. The buses went on strike starting today so the usual 5 minute wait for the bus was 45 minutes today which was frustrating because I just wanted to be at the beach.The beach was a blazing 90 some degrees today. I was sweating from just getting there. I had my umbrella so I stayed under that most of the day to not get too sunburned. The beach was packed with people today. When I stood still and just listened it almsot sounded like an amusement park because all of the noise. The water felt so nice after roasting on the sand. I managed to not get too burnt today and mostly just freckled. Today at dinner it was just my madre and me because my roommate is traveling this weekend. The conversation started slow and then my madre went to call her mom. She calls her mom every night to say goodnight. When she got back from her phone call we talked for almost a half hour. It was really good and I understood most of what she said. She was laughing and in such a great mood. It was really refreshing to know that I can be confident enough in my spanish ability to hold a conversation. It has been such a great experience living with a host family. I feel right at home here and my madre is so great! 

After dinner I was able to skype chat with Emmalilly, Madison and Cameron which was great! It was so nice to hear from all of them and about their adventures this summer. I cant wait to see all of them again. Hopefully I will be able to skype my parents and Jon this weekend!

Although I am not traveling this weekend is still going to be a busy. There is a festival on the beach all night on Saturday to celebrate Saint John and Formula One racing is here in Valencia on Sunday. Not to mention the homework I should be doing and the beach which is constantly calling my name. 

I hope all is well with you where ever your summer adventures have taken you.