These things only happen to me

Today I had plans to meet up with Stephanie (the other exchange students in Valencia) to go into the city to buy shoes for flamenco. School got out at 3 since it’s a Tuesday, and I decided to go home before the bus came. I figured I would have a relaxing lunch and enjoy having the house to myself. Let’s just say that’s not what happened.

Because I was planning on leaving in 45 minutes, I didn’t bother locking the gate to our courtyard. I went to put the key in our front door next, but it didn’t budge. Thinking that our maid, Mamen, must be inside and had bolted the door from the inside, I rang the doorbell. No answer. I rang it again. At this point I can hear the alarm inside the house going off.

Let me tell you what my host dad told me when he first explained the alarm to me:
“It’s really easy. When the alarm goes off, you just punch in the code. If you don’t punch in the code, the alarm company will call. They will say the code word ‘Sierra Nevada’ and you respond with ‘Pyreneos.’ If you don’t answer, they will call me. If I don’t answer, they will call Amparo, and if she doesn’t answer, they’ll call the police. So you don’t have to worry about the police ever coming if you set off the alarm because someone will figure it out before then.” Yeah right.

When Mamen didn’t answer, I walked all around the house, peering in the windows to see if she was perhaps inside with the radio on and couldn’t hear me. When I realized Mamen wasn’t there, I went back to the front door to try again. Of course, the door opened this time with no problem. I entered the code and the alarm finally stopped. Then I went upstairs to drop my backpack off and then into the kitchen to start making lunch. I had just finished toasting the bread for my sandwich when the police came bursting into the house.

I ran from the kitchen and, still clutching the bottle of olive oil I was about to drizzle on my bread, said the only logical thing to say to a pair of Spanish policemen who just come in expecting to find someone robbing the place. “Hola.”

After I explained who I was and what had happened, the police were actually really nice. They did, however, have to check my passport and call my host mom at work to verify that I actually live here. How embarrassing. I can only imagine what my host mom was thinking when she answered the phone.

The good news is that I didn’t miss my bus to Valencia, and Stephanie and I had a good time buying our flamenco shoes. The shop was so cool- we both decided we want to get good enough to justify buying a flamenco dress. When I got home, I had to explain to my host parents what had happened with the alarm, and we all had a good laugh about it.

I swear these things only happen to me.

Besitos,
Paige


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What a Weekend

This weekend, my host family decided to go to their beach apartment in Oliva, which is about 45 minutes from Valencia. Why you need a beach apartment when you already live 10 minutes from the beach is a mystery to me, but hey, I’m not complaining ☺ We left Saturday morning, and got there around 11, after a quick stop for bocadillos at a little café on the way. The apartment is literally on the beach, and there are views of the sea from every window. It is gorgeous. Who needs tv when you watch the Mediterranean perfectly framed in your living room window? We spent the day walking along the beach, and I have to admit, it was better than the beach in Valencia in the fact that it was completely private. We walked along the beach for a couple of hours (Paula and I hunted for the best seashells), and then we went back to the apartment for la comida.



The view from our apartment in Oliva


I have to admit, I had an alternative motive for being so excited to come to the apartment this week: my friend Mika, who I met on Facebook last spring and in person at the Madrid orientation, lives in Dénia, and we had made plans to meet up that afternoon. Dénia is about 10 kilometers from our apartment in Oliva, so my host parents said it was no problem to drop me off to hang out with Mika. Her host parents even said I could sleep over, and I had been looking forward to it all week. We drove into Dénia at six, and met Mika at the bus stop. I can’t tell you how good it was to see her. We gave each other a huge hug, which was much needed because no one hugs in Spain. You give everyone a kiss on each cheek to greet and say goodbye to someone, but sometimes you just need a hug, you know?







Mika and I walked around Dénia that night and shopped, drank café con leche, and had Chinese for dinner. Around midnight her host dad came to pick us up and take us to her house. We stayed up until at least 4 am talking and laughing and taking pictures. Mika and I are so similar in a lot of ways. I suppose I should be thankful she doesn’t live in Valencia because I probably wouldn’t hang out with anyone else, but I still really wish Mika and I were in the same city. I have plenty of wonderful friends in school, but it’s definitely not the same, at least at this point when the language still isn’t quite there yet. I feel bad saying it, but it was probably my favorite weekend here so far. However, we will be back to Oliva for Christmas break, and my host parents have also invited Mika to spend a weekend with me in Valencia sometime in November.



My host sister Paula and I


My host parents picked me up in the morning from Mika’s house, and then we went on a drive through the mountains near Dénia. It was incredible. There were all these little scenic outlooks to stop and look at the sea, and it was even more beautiful from the top of the mountains. We drove back down to sea level for la comida, and ate incredibly fresh seafood at a restaurant on the beach. By the time we got back to the apartment in Oliva, no one wanted to leave. We all were wishing we could just stay there forever and not go back to school or work. But all good things have to end sometime, so around 6 we packed up the car and drove back to Valencia. It feels like a much longer weekend than it was, although we really only spent one night there. Tomorrow (Monday) it’s back to life as usual. Well, as usual as life can be for an exchange student anyway.








Besitos,

Paige

Fin de Semana!

I just remembered I forgot to post about last weekend.

This week in school we have midterms, so all my friends at school were stuck at home studying last weekend. At first, I was a little bummed because I thought it would be a boring weekend. But then I got a message on Facebook from Molly Fisher saying that she would be in Valencia this weekend!!! Molly is from my Rotary district in the U.S., and we first met back in January at the first orientation. She’s living in Madrid this year, so I figured I wouldn’t see her very much. However, her host mom works at a university in Madrid and was taking a group of American university students to Valencia for the weekend, so Molly got to go with them.

We met up Saturday at her hotel (my host parents happened to be going into the city so I didn’t have to wait for the bus), and Molly and I decided to go shopping a little. I haven’t been shopping at all since I’ve been here. I know, hard to believe, but it’s true. I found an adorable blue peacoat and a brown leather jacket, and decided to splurge and get both. Molly got some black leather boots that are chulísimo at a shoe store that I will definitely have to revisit. We also walked around a bit and got gelato at a stand in the Plaza de la Reina. Yummm.

At 10:00 we went back to Molly’s hotel and arranged to eat dinner at 10:30 with Molly’s host cousin who lives in Valencia, his friend who also lives in Valencia, and one of the American students. It was getting cold and everyone was putting on their coats, so I wore my new peacoat. It was obviously a necessity. I mean, it’s getting cold here in Valencia- it was 15 degrees today! (okay, so that’s Celsius…don’t look up the equivalent in Fahrenheit or you’ll laugh at me).

Dinner was lot of fun. Molly’s host cousin Alvano brought us to a great little montaditos restaurant, which are little sandwiches on pieces of baguette. His friend Milena was so nice- I’m so excited that they both live in Valencia because we all decided we have to hang out soon. The highlight of the night, of course, was getting to see Molly, and it was sad to leave her. But since she has family here (host family, that is), I’m hoping we’ll get to see each other soon.

Oh weekends, how I love thee.

XOXO
Paige

Musings on a Tuesday

Random stories of the day:

Yesterday I overslept. When I looked at my alarm clock and realized this, my first thought was “maybe it’s a snow day and Mom turned off my alarm.” I then proceeded to look out my window to see how much snow had fallen. It was only when I saw the palm trees and pool that I remembered I am living on the Mediterranean coast and it is definitely not a snow day.


This afternoon in the library, the Lengua (Spanish writing and literature) teacher came to talk to me. She had been on maternity leave and just got back last week, so I hadn’t met her yet. She offered to put together some materials for me, because she once taught Spanish to foreigners and has a lot of extra books and things. Of course I said yes- now I will actually have something that is more my level. She was so nice, and told me that I speak Spanish very well. Score! She also told me about an exam I can take in the spring so I can get a certificate in Spanish language. She has all the stuff to prepare for it, so she’s going to help me with it. I’m strangely excited :) I’m a very goal-oriented person, so that probably explains it.

Today we had apples at lunch. I haven’t actually eaten an apple since I’ve been here, and I missed them. We have a lot of grapes, melon, peaches, oranges, and pears, but not apples. Here’s the thing: as I mentioned before, they peel EVERYTHING here. But today, when everyone picked up their butter knives and started peeling their apples, I just picked mine up and took a bite. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Paige did not peel her apple. I just couldn’t do it. The best part of an apple is the crunch, and I could not bring myself to skin this poor apple that didn’t do anything wrong. And it was delicious, peel and all.

Another funny story I just thought of- A couple weeks ago, I went out with Nuria and her parents dropped me off. Now, my neighborhood, Mas Camarena, is a giant ellipse with various "sectors" that basically all look the same. So when her parents asked "is this your sector?" I said yes because it looked familiar. They drove away, and I put the key into the sector gate. (I have three keys: one to get into my sector, one to get into the courtyard of our house, and one to get into the house). It didn't work. I tried again. And again, and again, for about 3 minutes, jiggling the key around in the lock. It was then I realized it: THIS IS NOT MY SECTOR. I looked around for the letter of the Sector but couldn't find it. The problem is that although the sectors are lettered, they do not go in order and are not clearly marked. Somewhere in the huge expanse of MasCamarena was Sector G, but I had no idea where I was. Finally, I walked out to the main road and was able to find the path I take to school and get to my house. I was never so happy to see the letter G in my life.

Well, that’s all I wanted to say. On to study some proteínas in biología!

XOXO
Paige

Things I Loved this Week

A quick list of things of I loved last week:

1. Saturday morning breakfast of tostadas (toast) with olive oil and soft cheese. I get excited to wake up on Saturdays for this reason.

2. Sunday afternoon paella with the grandparents.
It’s just what you do on Sundays in Spain: go to the grandparents’ house and eat paella. It’s always a HUGE meal. For example, we had: salad, olives, almonds, and chips to start the meal; the main dish of paella; an assortment of hams to eat with fresh bread; a first dessert of fruit salad; a second dessert of tiny marzipan candies and a tray of pastries; and finally the tiny cups of espresso that always follow the meal. Afterwards, we all head to our respective beds and couches and sleep off the meal with a nice siesta. Oh I love Spain.

3. The concert we went to on Sunday night at the Palau de les Arts (‘Palace of the Arts’ in Valencian). We saw the Valencian orchestra accompanying a baritone, bass, and a soprano in songs from various Spanish zarzuelas, which are kind of like operas. I absolutely loved it. They sang in Spanish, of course, but the wonderful thing about music is that you don’t need to understand it to enjoy it. When my host mom first announced she had free tickets from work, my host sister and host dad groaned. But at the end of the concert, even my host dad admitted that he had thoroughly enjoyed it.

4. No school on Tuesday! It was a national holiday here because Christopher Columbus (actually Cristoból Colón) was Spanish. Well, technically he was Italian, and just hired by the Spanish, but I made the mistake of mentioning that to someone (cue angry glares in Paige’s direction). I got several jokes about “You realize we discovered you, right?”

5. Pancakes. Since we didn’t have school on Tuesday, we made pancakes for merienda. My host parents had bought a packaged mix at the store and were waiting to try it out. They were very impressed with my pancake-flipping skills, and they didn’t turn out half bad (especially since we drizzled melted chocolate on them).

6. Flamenco lessons on Thursday. The other exchange student in Valencia, Stephanie, told me she was planning on finding some flamenco lessons, so of course I said I wanted to join her. In reality, flamenco is not very popular in Spain, but Stephanie’s host dad used to dance it, so he helped look for a dance studio. We went Thursday night (I took the bus and the metro by myself and did not get lost…be proud), and although it reaffirmed the fact that I have no coordination, it was really fun. I’m waiting to here from Stephanie, but I’m pretty sure we’re going to continue.

Hasta pronto,

Besitos a todos

XOXO

Paige

Mascleta

Friday the 9th was the Día de la Comunidad Valenciana, so there were events going on in the city all weekend. On Saturday afternoon, my host parents took me in the city to watch, or rather, hear a mascleta. I’ll do my best to describe what a mascleta is:

Mascleta is purely a Valencian tradition- you wouldn’t find it anywhere else in Spain. This is because, according to my host parents, Valencians love noise. And that’s really what a mascleta is- noise. My host dad and I managed to push our way up to the front of the huge crowd in the Plaza de la Ayuntamiento, but I really wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be seeing. It was basically rows and rows of strings with colorful objects hanging from them (see above- I found the picture online because all of mine didn't turn out). At two o’clock sharp, everyone started to whistle, because it was time for it to start. And then, out of nowhere, I heard the LOUDEST EXPLOSION OF MY LIFE. I resisted the urge to run in the opposite direction, and my host dad explained that it was one of two warning shots, marking the beginning of the “show.” Then came the second one.

I started to fear for my life (or at least, the life of my eardrums), considering that those were only warning shots. Then it began. It was 5 solid minutes of explosions, one after another, with smoke growing so thick you couldn’t see in front of you. The explosions grew louder and louder, and for the “finale” the explosions happened faster and faster, eventually developing a rhythm until the final BANG. My ears literally hurt. I was suddenly glad I have Spanish health insurance because I was quite sure my American eardrums had burst at all this Valencian noise. Eventually, I regained my hearing, and my host dad told me that this is nothing compared to Fallas (a week long Valencian festival in March that everyone talks about constantly). Apparently it’s even louder then, although they have “restrictions” on how loud it can get.

After the mascleta we drove home, and I had to laugh that the whole thing had barely lasted 5 minutes. I loved it though. Just one of those crazy traditions that make you smile and think about how lucky you are to be here in Spain experiencing life like a Spaniard.

Un mes

A month ago today I boarded an airplane with my Rotary blazer, 2 suitcases, and a promise to my parents not to ride any motorcycles with foreign boys (March Rotary orientation anyone?....).

It’s been an incredible month, so here are a few things to fill you in on:

Language:
Is coming….slowly. To be honest, I’m getting frustrated with it, and I occasionally find myself wondering if I’ve even improved at all in a month. But then I stop and realize that I definitely wouldn’t have been able to understand that entire Philosophy lesson a month ago, or have that complete conversation with Nuria. I can’t tell you how much of an effort it is, though, to be constantly translating. Right now I’m still doubting that there actually comes a point where I won’t have to translate in my head first. Whenever I talk to a previous exchange student, my first question is always “when did you notice the language really start to ‘click’?” with the hopes that they can reassure me that I won’t leave in 9 months without reaching that point. (If any previous exchangers are reading this and want to answer that question, it would be appreciated ☺ ).

Friends:
Are wonderful. Yesterday (Friday) was the monthly cena del curso where our whole grade goes out to dinner together. David, Patricia, and I took the bus to Valencia a little early, around 8, and they took me around the city again. The buildings were gorgeous at night. We ate ice cream and walked around until about 10:30, and then we met everyone for dinner at 11. At one point we started telling jokes, and of course, everyone wanted me to tell one in English. I chose a simple, albeit stupid one- courtesy of Erin Maher- which resulted in many blank stares and “but that wasn’t funny….” comments. (Two muffins were sitting in the oven. One muffin said “Man it’s hot in here!” and the other said “AH! A talking muffin!!”). I should have known better- I tried that one last week when Nuria and Sandra asked me for an English joke. I need to accumulate some better ones.

School:
Is crazy hard, but luckily all the teachers are happy to have me at least attempt some of the assignments. I can definitely handle that, especially since, if nothing else, it’s helping my Spanish improve.

Random:
I’m hopefully joining Rotaract, which is basically Rotary for 18-30ish year olds. The leader contacted my host family asking if I was interested, since the club in Valencia is mostly 18-20 year olds. I’m waiting for more information, but I’m pretty excited for it. Also, I may be starting flamenco lessons- more on that to come!

A bit of bragging:
Last Sunday we went to my aunt and uncle’s house to have lunch with them and baby Julia. I would just like to gloat a little bit to all my Midwestern friends and family and say that that day was October 3rd, and we went swimming in their outdoor pool. Let’s just say I’m loving the weather.

I think I’ve written more than enough for now, but I’ll fill you in on more later! Here’s to a great first month, and many more to come!
Besitos!

XOXO
Paige


Valencia at night

Isn't it gorgeous?

A Gelato shop in Valenica- the flavors in the picture include Tortilla de Patatas and Gazpacho. David actually tried them (and then decided chocolate was a safer idea).

Ayuntamienta de Valencia (City Hall of Valencia)

Plaza de Toros

Three Weeks

Friday was my 3 week mark- it’s weird to think that next week I’ll have been here a month.

Anyway, a recap of the week:

Tuesday I got my Biology exam back. I got a 7. The scores are always out of 10, and unlike the U.S., a 5 (50%) is passing. Most people got 8s or 9s, but hey, the exam was in Spanish, so I’ll take my 7 gladly.

Wednesday was the huelga general in Spain. Unfortunately, none of my teachers went on strike so we still had school. The only difference I saw was that some kids who live in the city couldn’t get to school because the buses and metro weren’t running. I heard Valencia was a mess that day, but since I live in a suburb I only saw it on the news. There was a huge rally in downtown Valencia, and bigger cities like Madrid and Barcelona had riots and everything.

Saturday night I went out with Nuria and Patricia to the city. We walked around the old part of Valencia and drank frappucinos at Cupcake Valencia (apparently the cupcake fad has hit Spain as well). I can’t tell you how great it is to already have a group of friends. I am one of only two exchange students in Valencia. In some towns, like Madrid and Pamplona, there are dozens. So I really don’t have any other exchange students to hang out with like most of the others do. But as I think of our crazy group of me, Irene, Sandra, David, Inma, Nuria, Patricia, Mendoza, and Yentel, I’m completely okay with it.

Today, Sunday, I’m finishing up homework and hopefully skyping with some friends back in the U.S.

Not a very exciting post, I know, but the truth is that things are getting more and more like daily life, which is a good sign. Besitos to everyone- que tengaís una buena semana!

XOXO

Paige