After about 15 hours of traveling, I have arrived in Valencia! I flew from Detroit to Paris, and then had a connecting flight from Paris to Valencia. It has been a long day, and it is six hours later in Spain, so jet lag is starting to kick in!
Upon arriving in Spain, we took a bus from the airport to a local soccer (fútbol) stadium where our host families were waiting for us. My host mother was not able to make it to the stadium due to an injury she got last week, but she sent a friend to pick us up and we met her shortly after. She hurt her ankle dancing at a wedding, and also lost her voice from singing. This lady seems like a good time!! Her name is Conchita and she is extremely kind and welcoming. She has three daughters, but only one, Marga, (who is in her late twenties) lives at home. From what I've been told, they are both fabulous cooks. For lunch this afternoon, Conchita made Spanish macaroni with flan for dessert. For dinner (which is eaten at 10:00pm in Spain), Marga made delicious homemade pizzas. The pizza had four types of cheese, fresh tomatoes and mushrooms. I have never been a fan of tomatoes or mushrooms, but the way they were prepared on the pizza was SO GOOD. Who would have thought my palate would expand on the first day?!
Marga gave me and Jessica (my housemate from MSU) a tour of the apartment following dinner. Most people living in the city of Valencia live in apartments. Our apartment has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry room, living room, and family room. My bedroom has a walk-out balcony with a beautiful view. I'll be sure to post pictures of my room this week! Oh, and I can't forget about the family dog, Bruno. I do not think I've ever met a happier dog. He is so sweet!
I did not do any exploring today since it was such a long day of traveling and unpacking, but tomorrow morning I have orientation at the university, and then a big group of us are going to spend the day at the beach. ¡Hasta luego!
Upon arriving in Spain, we took a bus from the airport to a local soccer (fútbol) stadium where our host families were waiting for us. My host mother was not able to make it to the stadium due to an injury she got last week, but she sent a friend to pick us up and we met her shortly after. She hurt her ankle dancing at a wedding, and also lost her voice from singing. This lady seems like a good time!! Her name is Conchita and she is extremely kind and welcoming. She has three daughters, but only one, Marga, (who is in her late twenties) lives at home. From what I've been told, they are both fabulous cooks. For lunch this afternoon, Conchita made Spanish macaroni with flan for dessert. For dinner (which is eaten at 10:00pm in Spain), Marga made delicious homemade pizzas. The pizza had four types of cheese, fresh tomatoes and mushrooms. I have never been a fan of tomatoes or mushrooms, but the way they were prepared on the pizza was SO GOOD. Who would have thought my palate would expand on the first day?!
Marga gave me and Jessica (my housemate from MSU) a tour of the apartment following dinner. Most people living in the city of Valencia live in apartments. Our apartment has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry room, living room, and family room. My bedroom has a walk-out balcony with a beautiful view. I'll be sure to post pictures of my room this week! Oh, and I can't forget about the family dog, Bruno. I do not think I've ever met a happier dog. He is so sweet!
I did not do any exploring today since it was such a long day of traveling and unpacking, but tomorrow morning I have orientation at the university, and then a big group of us are going to spend the day at the beach. ¡Hasta luego!