This morning was set as a day for orientation in the UVA Center. Adela walked Emily and me to school like kindergarteners on the first day of school, and then we stepped inside the Center. The Center is a bit daunting at first, because absolutely NO English may be spoken, at any time of any day. But, in my opinion, it’s remarkable how quickly we have become used to it. Of course, for the important/more in-depth conversations we still at this point step outside the doors and talk in English on the sidewalk, but more and more people have begun to sit in the lobby, eating snacks or waiting for class while chatting in Spanish.
Today was my first day with almuerzo (lunch), which in Spain is a very important time of day. Almost every shop closes around 2 or 2:30 so that people can return home and eat almuerzo with their families. Extended families often join – children who have moved out of the house etc. – and it is the largest meal of the day. Emily and I had a really nice conversation with Adela, and she instructed us on what we should do in order to spend a day basking in the Valencian sun. Valencia lies right on the Mediterranean east coast of Spain; Emily and I met up with two other students, Brooke and Christine, and headed down to the playa using the Tranvía, an above-ground metro that got us there in less than 10 minutes! I must say that I was caught off-guard when I realized that it was a topless beach, but more than half were clothed…I guess that’s just another aspect of the culture shock! The water was the perfect temperature: cool enough to be refreshing but warm enough that I wanted to get all the way in. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep on the beach because when we next checked the time, it was 7:30, and we decided to head back.
The night life in Valencia has been a little bit more quiet than normal custom, as the students at the University of Valencia are currently finishing their exams. Not wanting to tire ourselves out, Emily and I had a quiet dinner with Adela and retired early.
Foods that I ate:
Breakfast: Today I became a human being and had cereal (corn flakes) in a bowl with milk on top. There was also some sort of pastry thing that reminded me of pound cake to be eaten.
Lunch: I ate pasta with sauce on it. Big step for me. There has been a loaf of bread with every meal, and I finished off the meal with strawberries.
Dinner: Adela made potatoes and snap peas, and for Emily and me she also made mozzarella sticks and chicken nuggets :D She eats very little at dinner and usually finishes off with a yogurt; Emily and I are usually ravenous at 9:30 and eat more strawberries.
Day 4: Thursday, May 26
Today was the first day of classes! Wakeup time was 7:40, which for Adela was VERY early. Most people in Valencia apparently don’t even start work until 9 o’clock. I absolutely love the class that I have at 8:30, though! My teacher is so sweet and has a vibrant personality. She reminds me of my Spanish teacher in my first semester at UVA, Gladys, who always had a smile and was so eager to teach! I learned a lot already from the first class, especially as far as how to spell and pronounce different medical specialities!
Give it a try: Otorrinolaringologo
After class Emily and I toured one of the major streets for a little while until we were exhausted…this was the day where the eating time really messed me up! We had almuerzo, and I unfortunately had to return to the Center for my 5:00 class, Cultural Conversations. While the class has the major advantage of a small group of people for conversation (6 people max), the professor talked for the majority of the time, and I began to lament that I could not take a siesta. I’m trying to switch into another class that’s about health care systems in the world. The advantage: the switch would possibly allow me to gain credit for my Human Bio major. The disadvantage: the new class is taught in English, and my Spanish conversational skills could definitely use some work! I’m sure that either way it will work out!
Foods I tried today:
Breakfast: More cereal with milk in a bowl! This time I tried a granola-like cereal with chocolate chunks….it was sooo good. Sadly, it’s probably not at all nutritious. I ALSO tried nutella! I could barely taste the hazelnut, which made it delicious, but I also don’t know how I feel about spreading chocolate on bread.
Lunch: Today was not my favorite almuerzo….we had some sort of meatball dish (of course with bread) – I was in it for the strawberries :D
Dinner: I tried tomatoes with chunks of mozzarella cheese on them. No matter what my sister says, I still don’t like tomatoes, but I ate it! Adela also made us fried egg omelets, which were very good. More strawberries for dessert. Emily had flan for her dessert (I tried a bit…not bad!), and Adela lamented the fact that she accidentally used chocolate sauce instead of caramel…no wonder I liked it :D
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