Spain 2

I do believe I left you all in Toledo, a mere two days ago, and yet I have many updates. Well, not that many, but enough to merit another posting perhaps. Tomorrow I will have been here, in Valencia a week. I am currently writing from my new "home" which sadly does not have internet (there are three protected wireless networks I have yet to learn how to hack into...). Anyway the point is I will have to post this later when I find some blagosphere, and I do not remember exactly what I said in my last posting, so I might repeat some things.
Toledo = gorgeous, you must go there if you are in Spain. Enough said.
Now moving on...

We left for Valencia Sunday morning around 10:30 or a little later, driving in two large buses for many hours (thanks in part to our drivers getting lost) and arrived in the city before dark, around 4pm. We met our host families outside of the soccer stadium, since it's close to the university, the ISA office, and it's where we would be meeting the following morning. Nervousness and excitement competed about equally in almost all; what with our families looking for us, and us looking for them, and us also looking for all our luggage and trying to find it, the scene was not just a little hectic. Now to the part you've all been waiting for... My host family.

First Impressions:
Scared. There are two tiny Spanish-speaking (actually Columbian) people approaching me. One is wearing more makeup than I've seen since backstage Grease, along with tall boots, tight jeans, and braces. The other, still not more than 5'5'', sports a mustache to make most men envious, large glasses, and a leather jacket akin to that of Max and Andrew's. That car can't possibly hold all this stuff but wait, yes, they are going to squeeze it all in. Are you kidding, this thing has two doors? Is there a trunk here somewhere? Well, cozy is an understatement, but thankfully the house is only a fifteen minute drive away. But seriously, you could fit two of these little red two-doors in my car, which isn't that big to begin with... What have I gotten myself into?

Upon Reflection and Introductions:
My host family speaks excellent Spanish, slower and clearer than most Spaniards, thanks to being from Columbia. They've picked up the odd word or two of English from hosting many students from the States, as well as elsewhere. My host "dad" used to be a professor of Spanish in Columbia, and has impeccable grammar. He is not shy about correcting me, and is keen to answer all questions, of which I am very grateful. He is fairly soft-spoken and very friendly. He plays guitar and bass, and works outside the city in a suburb about 20km away where he, I think, composes music. I like him a lot. My host "mom" is an amazing cook, and keeps an impeccably tidy house. I say tidy for two reasons: the obvious is that, of course, this place is spick and span; the other comes from the sailor's use of the term. To tidy means to stow everything away onboard a ship, and I must say my room does not feel unlike a cabin, but I guess I'll get to that later. Alba, as my host mom is called, is extremely friendly and talkative, and very used to students in her house. She does our laundry once a week, and cooks all our meals. She doesn't care when we come in at night so long as we're fairly quiet, and encourages us to watch TV and ask questions to better learn the language. Both host parents remind me in some ways of mine, especially my mom. They tend to interrupt you speaking, which is simply a European custom and one I'm fairly used to. Actually, that, really, is the only resemblance, but I'm sure I'll think of some others later.

My Homestay:
I live on Dr. Waksman avenue, a few blocks south of the old part of town (the pretty part), and about forty five minutes walk (several miles?) from the University/ISA office. There are a couple of small parks nearby, and the avenue is split by a wide median with trees and greenery. There are palm trees everywhere. And orange trees. With, believe it or not in January, ripe oranges. I like in a tall apartment building that is fairly modern. Our apartment is on the seventh floor of fourteen, although luckily we're on a corner and the living room has a good view over the roof of the neighboring building of blue skies and, well, more city. When you walk in (the door's knob is in the center of the door, and doesn't turn, you use the key only), you're in a narrow hallway extending to the living room. On the left are three doors to three rooms, one of which (the second) is our own. The other rooms, as ours, are tiny, with a bunkbed in each, a TV, a dresser, a closet, and two nightstands. The curtains are pretty. The sheets match. Besides us, during Fallas, and in fact the whole month of March, our host family also hosts other students visiting from all over Europe, so for one month I will have at least four to six house-mates. Interesting. I got the top bunk, which is what I wanted, and Tana got the bottom, which is what she wanted, so thank goodness for small blessings. I guess we also have clean sheets, lots of blankets, free food, laundry, and TV, so there are plenty of things to be thankful for. The living room is also the dining room, which is actually only a small square table under the window with the view. There's one sofa and two comfy chairs, small by US standards but adequate and comfortable. Across lays a shelf with books and pictures and a giant flat screen TV. The corridor turns left at the living room, passing two bathrooms (one mine and Tana's to share) and ends at the kitchen, which is more narrow even than mine at home. There are other rooms next to the living room where I'm assuming Alba and Italo sleep, but I'm really not sure.
The weather here is amazing so far, somewhere in the 60's. On the other hand it's apparently been unusually warm, and will get colder in February. Somehow I have a feeling that colder is somewhere along the lines of the 50's instead of the 60's though... We'll just have to see.

The city:
Think DC cross Miami. I've never been to Miami but this is kind of what I would think of Miami as being like. There are some tall buildings, but they're shorter in the old part of town, and not imposing like in NY thanks to wide avenues and lots of trees. Most of the trees are palms, but there are plenty others that I couldn't identify. A few years ago, maybe a decade or so, the river that runs through the city flooded and nearly destroyed parts of the old town. The solution: divert the river! In it's place now lies an amazing park, winding through the city North to South, ending at the Museum of Arts and Sciences, the modern and fantastic building one sees in any pictures of Valencia. This city is a fantastic mixture of old and new, although it is, of course, still a city, and takes some getting used to. There are lots of cars, but not as much as in DC, and the streets aren't as crowded as NY. The parks are everywhere and the bus system is excellent. A monthly bus ticket is somewhere around 40 euros, and at 1.25 euros a trip, it's totally worth it for taking the bus twice a day to and from the university.

Monday, today, we met the ISA directors at 9:30 am at the stadium, where we were then shown the ISA office and the University. The University professors and directors showed us a welcome powerpoint and spoke for a while, then we took placement tests to give them an idea of everyone's level. Afterwards we returned to the ISA office, I walked around town, saw a park, came home for lunch around 2:30pm, then went back to the ISA office to e-mail and such before a 5 o'clock meeting on bus tickets. Afterwards, a couple new friends Ken and Andrew decided to come with me to walk around the park and the old town, so we found a plaza to sit in and chat for a while, then walked, then repeated, Andrew, it turns out, lives a block away from me, so we meandered back to our neighborhood together around 8:30. Dinner followed (again, delicious) and then to the Internet/phone place across the street to call my parents for the first time since arrival. Instead of making me feel more homesick, as I'd predicted, it was great to talk to them, and made them feel closer rather than farther away. Back home by 11-ish and then updates! More in the following week about classes, weekends, and Valencia! Enjoy!

PS: Class schedule = amazing... or boring?...
MTWTh: 9:30-11:15 and 11:45-1:15
Yup, that's it. Free Fridays!
Also sorry for no photos for now... next time!