Maggie Keating

Hola! Today we had our first guest lecture. The topics covered were about the European Union and current events. Our guest professor first discussed the four main influences of Europe, which are Greek philosophy, the Roman Empire, Christianity, and the French Revolution. He then discussed the European Union pasts and what the Euro is. We were able to talk about what the European Union actually is and the main issues that it faces today, including internal integration, identity, and leadership, along with external forces such as Brexit, Donald Trump's presidency, and Islamic terrorists with groups like ISIS. We got to take a look into each of these topics before asking questions. Questions were as specific as asking for details on previous matter, to as vague as asking for general comparisons.

After class we then went to nearby shops and cafes to kill time before meeting ISA for our scavenger hunt. Armed with my sunburn and my phone, I was ready for this exciting task. The scavenger hunt took place in the Old Quarter where we had to take pictures with different landmarks. We were able to see things like La Casa de Gatos (the home of the cats) and La fechada más pequeña de Europa (the smallest building front in Europe). My group got lost on numerous occasions, but still managed to be the first group back. However, we took a picture with the wrong doorway in one area and had to race back. By the time we made it back to the beginning again, another group had already claimed the prize of Valencian flags.

The group as a whole then had free time. Many people decided to stay in the area for shopping, eating or the nearby park; while others decided to head for home. I made my way back to my homestay for a quick lunch. After eating, I took our dog, Bonka, for a walk around the block before going to write my journal.

The group then meet again at the stadium to go meet Spanish students learning English for a language exchange. We went to an English academy where we talked with Spanish speakers who are learning English. I was paired with an older woman whose English was not very strong, but far beyond my Spanish. At first, we needed a director to come help us translate, but we both began to grow more comfortable in the other's language. We talked about schools, travel, and families. We then joined Jenn and Kevin and discussed music. We talked about artists like Katy Perry and Beyoncé, but mainly we discussed Madonna. She talked about how Madonna performed near Valencia in 2012 and how she went to see it. I then wrapped up the day by eating dinner with my family.