Josh Milligan- May 12, 2014

We made it! After approximately 8 hours in the air and 6 hours split between two buses we have all arrived safely in Valencia, Spain. We may have arrived tired and hungry but we were excited to be here. Of course having your homestay families waiting for you with the promise of a home cooked lunch will certainly raise the spirits of just about anyone!

Upon our arrival in Valencia our students were whisked away by their homestay families to enjoy two of Spain's most enduring images: the traditional, multi-course lunch and a siesta. Reports from our students informed us that the food was only rivaled by the opportunity to shower and to nap. After everyone had eaten and rested we reconvened at ISA headquarters for a discussion about the program and the schedule of things to come over the course of the next few weeks. We will have a jam packed schedule but it is filled with a wide variety of cultural experiences that will allow for our students to immerse themselves into Spanish culture. In fact, we would have such an opportunity later in the evening at our welcome dinner.

In Spain dinner typically doesn't begin until 9 or 10 o'clock, however, our friends at ISA knew how tired we were so they generously offered to begin our dinner at 8:30! After a short tour of the area surrounding the ISA office we made our way to a restaurant/club that had been reserved for us to experience a traditional Spanish tapas meal. All together we were served nine different tapas plates, among them were: gazpacho, bolas de bascalao, a croissant covered with eggplant, olives, brie, and a tomato marmalade, and variety of fried sea food (calamari, mussels, and sardines).

Our students proved to be quite adventuresome in their eating, trying many dishes they weren't too sure of. This was most clearly demonstrated when a group of students all simultaneously took a bite of sardines, which, if it isn't clear from the picture below, still retained their heads!

Experiencing such a traditional meal their very first day in county would be daunting for any student. But Horizons students are resilient and they met this new experience headfirst (quite literally in this case).

Our first full day in country has come to an end, but our adventure is just beginning. The students have found their way home and are resting up so that they can experience all that Valencia has to offer tomorrow, when they are met with their next opportunity!