Intercambios and Historical Valencia

Flag of Valencia

9/10 I didn’t have class this week, so I was “just passing the time”. Honestly, I can’t complain! I spent the day planning our trip to Morocco and what to do about day trips. Independent traveling takes a lot more time and effort than people think, so that took up most of my day. For dinner Bárbara and I ordered in pizza, and that was my great Monday! The next day 9/11, I decided to take the tram to spend the day at the lovely beach of Valencia. Because it’s not August and people are back to work, it was far less crowded than usual. I stretched out on my towel with my coca-cola-light and a book, and had a grand old time. That evening, I had plans for an intercambio with a Spanish girl. In case you don’t remember, an intercambio is when you meet with someone who wants to learn your native language and you take turns conversing in the two languages. It’s one of the best ways to become comfortable speaking, and plus you get to meet locals! We met at the little restaurant near my piso “Sal y Pimienta” and then I got to meet the lovely Sandra Gonzalez for the first time. Intercambios are a little like a blind date at first honestly. I’d never met her before, but our mutual friend Lorena set us up on this “date” because we’re the same age and she knew we’d get along, haha. So, after the initial awkwardness was over, all was good. We had some cerveza and just got to know each other. I really enjoyed getting to talk to her and I think it boosted my confidence a lot. On 9/12 after a trip to Mercadona, it was time for my first ever “class” taught by my lovely bilingual friend Whitney. I asked her if she was interested in tutoring me for 8 euros an hour in the coming weeks, and luckily she was interested! We met up on the main street Blasco Ibañez and then walked to the nearby park together. We hung out on a bench in the shade and spent an hour doing our Spanish class. She prepared a little lesson for me, and I was taking notes- so cute. It was really great actually, and I think I learned more in this one class than I did in a week with the Don Quijote program. Not that there’s anything wrong with that program, but having one-on-one individualized attention from a tutor is extremely helpful!

Plaza de La Virgen

 So, that night, the study-abroad company that Bárbara works for (ISA) was hosting an event for their students at a bar/restaurant on the street I used to live on, Polo y Peyrolón. The event was basically a big intercambio so that the American students could meet Spaniards and vice-versa. Free drinks and tapas were provided, and it was a good opportunity for me to meet people to practice with! So, I met up with Bárbara at the office and walked there with her. It was kind of funny, a few of the students thought I was working with ISA, and at one point one of the kids told me he was shocked that I was American. The whole time I was talking in Spanish in front of him, he thought I was actually Spanish. That’s probably the best compliment I could ever receive! Seriously. So anyways, the night went by fast. I talked to a bunch of locals and the students too, and had a fun time chatting the night away. By the end of the event, my voice was lost and I had contact information for 3 different promising intercambio contacts- Go me! Thursday 9/13 I spent another day alone at the beach, it’s a rough life. That evening, I met up with Marissa and Rachel downtown at the Plaza de La Virgen. We had some drinks in the square by the fountain, and then we went into the Carmen district to find dinner. We ended up splitting some delicious Spanish food, and got in some good girl talk.

Sights on the walking tour of Valencia

9/14 Today, Bárbara was giving a walking tour of the downtown part of the city to the ISA students, and she invited me along. We took the bus to the center, and I followed our tour guide around like a good little student would. I actually learned a lot of new information about the historical details, which for me was really cool. Of course I’d seen all the sights before, but it was nice to learn more about the stories behind them. Plus it was a gorgeous day and I just love walking around the beautiful old city center. I also got to bond with some of the students. It’s still so weird to me that I was in their shoes, but that it was 5 years ago. It just doesn’t feel like it was that long ago, but it was. Crazy. We began the tour that morning by having some horchata (the typical Valencian drink made from nuts) at the oldest horchatería in the city, and then we explored the Cathedral area.  Something new I saw was the old Roman ruins underneath the ground of the plaza. I never realized that was there before, so that was neat to learn. Next we went to the Torres de Serrano, and then on to the Llonja and the Mercado Central. The tour finished up in the big Plaza de La Ayuntamiento, and once the students left at about 4pm, Bárbara and I had some tapas together in the center. That evening, Bárbara was invited to dinner at her boss Manuel’s house for his birthday, and she invited me along too. The funny thing about this is, Manuel was the program director for me when I studied abroad in ’07. One of those weird life coincidences- who would’ve thought one day I’d end up going to his birthday dinner at his house? Anyways, they grilled out burgers and I got to meet his very sweet American wife and two adorable bilingual children. We hung out on their nice patio for a few hours and just socialized. I also talked a lot with Bárbara’s co-worker Raquel. She is such a sweet girl. Overall, it was a good night with good food! I heart España!