At Last

This weekend was more of a relaxing weekend.  On Friday I met up with my buddy from the university, Mavy.  On my way to meet her, I passed a cello and guitar duet playing Christmas music.  I love street entertainment when the musicians are good and this was amazing.  As I am watching and slowly start to walk away, I realized that I was in the middle of Asian tourists who were the definition of tourists.  Their group leader even had a flag.  I met up with my friend Mavy, ordered some take-out Chinese food and sat in front of the steps of the train station.  We ate, talked and enjoyed the night.  Thank you for a wonderful night.


After weeks and weeks of Nancy and I planning to go to the science museum, we made it there at last.  It was unlike any museum I have ever been to and was the definition of the Spanish way.  The museum was open space bright space with makeshift walls making exhibits.  There were  exhibits on the human body, communication, future home improvements, furniture from old to new and many more.  It was a cool museum and I am glad that I finally had the chance to see it.

El Día de Acción de Gracias

I was very sad and homesick yesterday since I was not with my family for Thanksgiving but I was able to celebrate with the other American students here in Valencia at a restaurant.  When I first arrived, it was me, my teacher, his wife and our Vice President of International Relations.  It was a little awkward but I was able to practice my Spanish and I had the chance to see the inside the kitchen where they were cooking 10 turkeys!

Dinner included appetizers of toasted bread with ham and tomatoes, stuffed mushrooms and celery with a cheese sauce.  For dinner, they served mashed potatoes with some time of curry sauce and of course turkey with gravy.  They also had homemade cranberry sauce which was AMAZING.  To drink they served red and white wine and beer.  And for dessert, we had pumpkin pie squares.  It was absolutely delicious.

Fun Fact: Spain celebrates Black Friday but it actually begins on Friday.

A Relaxing Weekend

Yesterday, Nancy and I took a trip outside of the city to a town with a lake with our friends from Ireland, Naomi and Sarah.  Online it gave the town such a high review but after arriving, we quickly figured out that the high reviews were because it was the nearest "nature point" outside of the city.  Nevertheless, we ate our picnics down by the lake and enjoyed the fresh air.  I even was able to have an animal fix since I yet again pet a random cat on the street.  This one looked like a house cat and appeared to be much healthier than the last one.  As much as I like Valencia, I hate living in a city.  The air isn't as pure and there are too many people around.

My weekend really started on Thursday with a dinner with my Anthropology class.  I met my one classmate at the nearest metro stop and we arrived at the restaurant together.  We were on time and there were only three other people there.  The rest of my class arrived a half hour late.  They were running on Spanish time.  We ordered a variety of tapas: fries with sausage, fried cheese, breaded calamari and seasoned chicken wings, and pitchers of Sangria and beer.  It was a great time and due to the kindness of one of my classmates, I didn't have to take a taxi back home.  His parents were in the area and they live near me.  They walked another girl and I home.

On Friday, we had one last dinner with Matthias.  We ate at a Korean restaurant where I ordered a noodle dish with vegetables and meat.  After, we had a drink with cinnamon and other herbs which helps with digestion.  It was absolutely delicious.  Everyone went their own ways after dinner but Matthias and I went to a cafe and talked for awhile before returning home.  On Saturday, Nancy and I woke up to say "hasta luego" to Matthias and later, I went to the city center to buy more Christmas gifts for the family.

Hasta Luego

"Hasta luego" is a common phrase used here when you part ways from someone.  The direct translation is “until later” but it is used no matter who you are leaving or if you will see them again.  It is said when you leave your family to go to school.  It is said to the random person in the elevator or the cashier at the store.  It doesn’t matter if you might not see them again because who knows, you just might.

                

Tomorrow I have to say a huge “hasta luego” to my dear friend Matthias.  He is finally heading back to his home in Switzerland after spending six weeks in each of these cities: Montpelier, France; London, England; and of course Valencia.  Tonight, all four of us, Nancy, Rayni, Matthias and I, are going out to dinner to celebrate our time together in Valencia. Over the last six weeks I have had the chance to get to know him and I will miss him.  I am proud to call him my friend.  Good luck in the future, Matthias, and hasta luego.

Friday the 13th

First, I would like to begin this blog post about Paris.  It is a shame what happened in that city on Friday.  It is horrifying that someone can put so much thought into killing innocent people.  My heart is with those families.  But my heart isn't just with the people of Paris.  It is with the people in Japan who survived the earthquake, with the people who witnessed the funeral bombing, with the people who face misery in their countries everyday that the news doesn't report.  Innocent people shouldn't have to die.

That being said, I would like to talk about my weekend.  On Friday, I visited the Museum of Bellas Artes.  I was instructed to go for class but I also wanted to go because of my own interests.  I did not take any photos even though I saw other people using their phones to do it.  I do not want a repeat of the Picasso Museum in Barcelona.  (A link to the post from Barcelona is at the bottom of the page.) The museum was beautiful.  There were walls two stories high of religious paintings and little rooms with paintings by famous Spanish artists such as Francisco de Goya and Joaquin Sorrolla.  There was old pieces of furniture.   Above is a picture of the outside of the museum, courtesy of Google.  Just by seeing the outside, one can imagine the grandeur of the inside.  And it was free!

On Saturday we were supposed to go to a lagoon but we missed the bus so instead we walked around the city and had lunch in the park.  It was a very nice day to spend time with friends, especially Sarah and Naomi who are from Ireland.

On Sunday, we celebrated the birthday of my host father Jose.  All eight of the grandchildren, from age 3 to 12 were over.  We had paella, the traditional Spanish rice dish, and a cake of three chocolates.  It was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed spending time with my Valencian family.




On the way home from the museum I couldn't figure out the bus route so I walked and took some pictures of the city.  To the left is the Puente de las Flores.  This bridge goes over the old river and is covered with beautiful flowers all throughout the year.  To the right is a fountain near the museum.  It is part of a garden/park called the Jardin Real de Valencia.

To read about my adventure in Barcelona, read this post: http://saliciaabroad.blogspot.de/2015/10/barcelona.html

Los Gitanos

There is a minority group here in Spain called Los Gitanos.  In English, they are known as the gypsies.  They are a cultural group originally from India and there are populations of the gypsies all over the world.  Here, they make up less than 1% of the population and face heavy discrimination.

In my first Multicultural Society and Education class in September, my teacher began the semester with a lesson about discrimination.  We determined that we discriminate against people who are different than us because we don't understand them or we are afraid of them.  We are afraid of what we don't understand.  My class, as a whole, decided that discrimination is a horrible thing.

Two weeks ago, we began our discussion about the gypsies and my teacher asked us to talk about some of the traits of a gypsy.  There was nothing good said.  My classmates called them dirty, poor, thieves.  I was the only one who knew anything about their culture.  My teacher was surprised when I knew so many things..when I knew the positives.

As we talk more and more about the stereotypes and issues with the gypsies, I watch my classmates turn mean, nasty and rude.  It's hard to watch because I have befriended some of them. These girls welcomed me into their group. I a foreigner.  I do not fully speak their language.  I am not a citizen of Spain.  I am not from this continent.  Why do you welcome someone who isn't from this side of the world but not someone who lives in your same city?

Their blindness sickens me.  They have had these stereotypes drilled into their head and they cannot see past them.  It makes me realize how far America has actually come.  When I am in class and we talk about the discrimination of the African Americans or Native Americans, no one scrunches their nose and calls them dirty.  Yes, we do have a ways to come until racism is erased from our society, if it is ever erased.

I give my teacher credit.  I didn't like her at first but now I look up to her.  She is trying so hard to make them understand that this group of people is not what everyone makes them to be.  She assigns videos which I know none of them watch and she has discussions about it which they whisper through.  Not all of them are blind to this but a lot of them are.  My teacher is trying to make a change, to make this world a place where discrimination doesn't exist, and I look up to her for it.

Churros, Dinner and Gandía

I had a pretty good weekend.  On Friday, Matthias and I went downtown and I had the chance to try churros with chocolate.  It was so flavorful and filling that I couldn’t finish it.  The chocolate was pure melted chocolate.  It was very tasty.

On Saturday, Nancy, Matthias and I went to a restaurant for dinner.  I have been to this restaurant before and it is my favorite here in Valencia.  We ordered a jug of homemade Sangria, nachos with a cheese sauce and guacamole, seasoned meat, mushrooms, potatoes and toast with cheese fondue, stacked and seasoned vegetables with goat cheese and chicken fajitas.  The meal was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed spending time with friends.  If you are ever in Valencia, I recommend Maria Maniles for tapas.  After dinner, we went to a little café for coffee and wine.  The inside was very interesting.  It was decorated with Romanesque paintings and sculptures.  Everything was made of dark wood, including the chair and wall panels.  The ceiling was made of midnight blue velvet with good stars to represent the night sky.  It was a very cool café.

Yesterday, Nancy and I went to a small city named Gandía with our Irish friend Naomi.  We mostly walked around the historic city center.  We saw the inside of a convent that was built in the 15^th century and an old church.  We also went to two museums: a museum of archaeology and a Catholic religion museum.  I really enjoyed the religious museum because it was something different.  There were different paintings and portraits of important Catholic figures and scenes from the bible.  There were different sculptures made of stone and metal.  All throughout the museum, you could hear acapella religious hymns, sung by male voices.  It was a wonderful experience.

Some Interesting Facts and Differences

1I have talked about the meals before but I haven't mentioned the restaurants.  At night restaurants don't open until at least 8 because of the late dinner time and are open late into the night.

2. Las Fiestas.  The parties start at one in the morning and end at eight.  People take the last metro into the city, eat dinner, go to the clubs and then leave the city when the metro opens.

3.  La siesta.  Yes it is true.  At the lunch hour, it is nap time.  All the local shops and restaurants close and it is time to rest. 

4.  It is uncommon to go away for college and if you do, you live in an apartment.  There is no on campus housing.

5.  Teenagers aren't allowed to drive until they are 18 and then they have to go to driving school.  There is no other option.

6.  Obviously there are not dollars here.  Spain uses the European Union's currency, the euro.  There are many coins: 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents. 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, 1 euro and 2 euros.  There are only 5, 10, 20 and 50 euros.

7.  Food prices are cheaper but clothing prices are more expensive.

8.  There a couple stores like our Walmart and Tops but if you want fresh food, you head down to the markets. There you find whole ham legs, intact fish and seafood, frsh fruit and vegetables and local bakery stands.

9.  American-made songs are all over the place but they aren't used in context. The song "Freedom" was used during a news piece about monkies.  Talk about random.

10.  Movies, tv shows and their titles are all translated over.

12 Things You Need to Know Before You Go To Valencia.

1. When I began this post, Netflix wasn’t in Spain so I was going to say this: There isn't Netflix in Spain.  Don't even try to log on.  You will be disappointed.  However, it arrived while I was here so head this warning: DON’T LOGGIN TO NETFLIX.  Don’t let your addiction follow you to Spain.  You know it absorbs your life at college so it will probably do the same here

2.  When you arrive at UCV, you will not have a schedule because you are not technically registered.  Contact you international coordinator ASAP!

3. Everyone speaks English and they want to hear you speak English.  It is nice when you are having issues, like going to buy medication when you are allergic to certain pills or having to deal with the mess that is your schedule, but other than that it is BAD.  Also, the international students try to talk to you in English because it is a common language and they are comfortable speaking it.  DON'T. Talk as much Spanish as you can.

4.  Your host parents are a wonderful resource.  They can help you find routes to school and show you where to go to buy things and where to visit.  They might even offer to kick butt if people are doing you wrong.  And if you get my host family, Rosa and Jose, consider yourself lucky.  They are wonderful people.

5.  At least half of the people smoke here.  Chances are that you will have a couple friends who smoke. It really shocked me at first because I wasn't expecting it.  I am an asthmatic and the smoke bothers my lungs.  Now it barely bothers me.

6. Another thing that you should be prepared for is the way people greet each other.  At home we give the awkward hello nod and smile, maybe a handshake.  If you know someone well you give a hug.  Here, if you are a girl, you greet everyone, boys and girls, with two “kisses”.  By kisses, I mean you touch cheeks and make a kiss noise.  You do not actually kiss someone’s face.  If you are a guy, you kiss the cheeks of girls and give a handshake/bro hug to another guy.  It’s little awkward at first because we value our personal space in America.  I still don’t know which direction you are supposed to start when kissing cheeks and it is still a little awkward to be at someone’s face, especially a face of the opposite gender.  In general, people are a lot touchier.  Things that would indicate a boyfriend and girlfriend, actually indicate a friendship.

7.  Some signs are in the dialect of Valenciano.  Don't worry, you aren't going crazy.  It isn't Spanish.  It is okay if you cannot read them.

8.  Socialize with your classmates.  At first they will look at you as if you are an exhibit in the zoo but once they warm up to you, they can be very helpful.  They are very patient about your Spanish and like to know people from other countries.  They also can help you with your homework assignments and show you places to go in Valencia.

9.  Water is not free here.  If you order water in the restaurant, it will be bottled.  It is not from the soda machine.

10.  Whenever you go to a museum or the City of Arts and Sciences, bring your student I.D.  Often you won't have to pay full price or you will get in for free.

11.  Don't be alarmed if you walk into a cafe or stare and see hanging pig legs.  This is customary here as it keeps the ham juicy.  Also, stores sell whole seafood, eyes and all.  The smell is disgusting but is how it is sold.

Finally, the most important:

12.  Enjoy your time here in Valencia.  You don't need to travel everywhere while you are here.  I highly recommend visiting Madrid and Barcelona but Valencia has a lot of things to do.  If you are gone every weekend, you will miss out on festivals and seeing friends.  It is not about where you go, but what you do.  Valencia is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to study.  Please enjoy every minute of it.

Festivos

Over the weekend, I was asked multiple times if Spain celebrated Halloween.  The answer to every question was yes.  Halloween is celebrated here like it is at home: costumes and trick-or-treating.  So after hearing this same question time and time again, I decided that I wanted to do a blog post about "los festivos" or the holidays. So, here is some facts and information about different holidays:

1. Spain celebrates all the same major holidays such as New Years Eve and Day, Easter and Good Friday, and Christmas.

2. In addition to Christmas, Spaniards celebrate the "Three Kings Day" which symbolizes when the three kings brought Jesus gifts after his birth.  Children leave their shoes out the night before and in the morning they find candy from "the kings."  That day, there are parades throughout Spain.

3. Spain has a Labour Day but it is on May 1.

4.  Most areas have a community day.  I made a post about Valencia's Community Day in early October.  There is also a National Spain Day which was on the same weekend as Valencia's Community Day.

5. "Las Fallas" is a holiday only in Valencia during the spring where artists make these beautiful paper mache characters and at the end of the festival, all of them are burned.  (Fallas pictured to the right).

6.  In December, there is a Constitution Day.

7. There are many public holidays dedicated to Saints.