It has been a week since we arrived in Valencia, Spain. It is weird to think of it that way though. Since we have been here time has flown by so fast, but at the same time it has felt like we have been here for a long time. What I mean by that is everything around the city seems so much more comfortable to be around and more natural then when we first got here. I am also getting accustomed to the different traditions or culture of Spain. In Spain, people do not eat lunch until around two and the lunches they eat are the biggest meals of the day. On top of this, they do not eat dinner until later than 9. This has been something that has been hard to adjust to while in Spain. However, like everything that is different I am adjusting.
A great part of being in a foreign country is getting to try new things. Since being here I have tried to learn how to salsa, eat many new Spanish foods, and I went to my first futbol game. The futbol game was my favorite event so far. Seeing the excitement of the local fans is acting the same as if the game was a college football game. What surprised me the most was how they wouldn’t stop cheering for long, even when the opposing team scored a goal 5 minutes into the game. Learning how to salsa was also fun, but I have never been a fan of dancing before. The Spanish food has also been amazing. Getting a chance to try so many new foods has also been great.
This last weekend we volunteered at the park for a festival to help mentally impaired people. The ride I mainly worked while I was there was this rock wall, but when the kid would get to the top of the rock wall instead of climbing back down they would go down a zip line. It was exciting to see how exciting or nervous the children would be, and at the same time helping out the community.
On Sunday this past weekend, I also had a chance to go shopping around downtown, or in the old quarter. The old quarter here is so beautiful with the old architecture, it is so amazing. They also have a market where people sell a mixture of items from tourist items to items that citizens of Valencia could actually use, such as pots and pans and other cooking instruments. It was awesome to be able to see these people selling items in the market. Life in Valencia so far has been exciting and fun, it is sad to think that we are already done with one week, but we still have two more weeks to hopefully have more fun and experience more.
Outside of the futbol stadium
At the game!
The zip lining course I volunteered at
