Today is our fifth day, and the day we finally met our homestay families! As we finished our morning in Toledo, and traveled to Valencia, we anticipated the moment we would walk into our new homes, for the next two weeks. During our final hours in Toledo, our groups split up to walk the historic streets, visiting shops, restaurants, and enjoying the beautiful weather. At noon, we set out for our next destination: Valencia. Our drive from Toledo to Valencia was about four hours, with a break to stop and grab lunch and refuel. During our drive, the scenery was filled with orchards, grass valleys, mountains, and many trees. Most of the orchards we passed, I assume were grape and olive trees. We watched the perfect rows and columns of the orchards pass by, and took appreciation for the difference in scenery.
 |
| Getting comfortable in our homestay! I'm on the right and my roommate (Kendal) is on the left. |
 |
| One of the beautiful views on our journey to Valencia. |
When we finally arrived to Valencia, we took a 45 minute bus tour around the city, seeing Valencia's historical areas, tourist attractions, and a sneak peak at the Mediterranean Sea! We saw the opera house, aquarium, old town, and new city. We traveled quickly around the city, before we met our families at the Valencia fútbol stadium. When we arrived to the stadium, one by one our names were called to meet our families face-to-face. This was an exciting and nervous experience, as we have known little to nothing about the people who would be hosting us in their homes for the next two weeks. When we walked off the bus, we greeted our families with a kiss on each cheek, and introductions. We then took our luggage to the cars they drove in and found our way to our new homes.
In Valencia, many families and individuals live in apartments, because it is a large city. Many apartments are surrounded by coffee shops, bars, shops, and office buildings. The apartments in Valencia are smaller, but comfortable quarters! In my homestay, I am living with a family in an apartment on the third floor of a complex, overlooking the streets of Valencia. The apartment is very close to the Universities in Valencia. There are three universities, which means there is a young and vibrant atmosphere around my living area. When my roommate and I arrived in our homestay, we were given a tour of the apartment and our rooms, then made time to unpack our belongings. After, we hung around the house, waiting to have our first dinner together. Meal times in Spain are much different than back home; breakfast is a light coffee with some fruit or toast, and then we have lunch at 2:15pm and dinner around 9:15. Dinner is not a rushed process, as we take time to enjoy the company around us and the delicious food. Today marks day number one with our new families, and introductions to new cultural settings. I can confidently say we are excited for the next two weeks, and the experiences we will have with our homestay.
Comments
Post a Comment