Yes, it's true and I can hardly believe that I've been living in Spain for one month now. In the last weeks since I've written I have had the opportunity to visit Valencia, a beautiful city by the Mediterranean Sea, because I was kindly invited by one of my colleagues and his wife. It seems that it's always summer in Valencia compared to the freezing winter temperatures of Siles. That is one reason why it is loved so much by the people living here. I had mixed feelings about it because I wasn't prepared for the chaotic city energy of loud honking from impatient drivers, the odor of dog urine, and the huge crowds of people....ummm not much different than NYC. However, the paella was out this world delicious! Also it was really nice to spend some time by the sea and walk around a giant fresh food market. I was impressed by the market because it was packed with local people who were buying fresh seafood, vegetables, and meats directly from the merchants. The prices were fair and the stocks were limited. You got the sense that the people take their food seriously here and have a strong connection to the fruits of the land and labor.
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| My dad would be in heaven here with all this affordable fresh seafood! |
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"We only sell what we have" explains why you must get here early and
why you only see products that can actually grow in Spain. |
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| The pride of Spain: cured ham in all forms like sausage or simply sliced right off the bone. |
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| And the pride of Valencia...can you imagine what this is for? | | |
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| If you guessed this, Paella, then you're right! ¡Muy deliciosa! |
Then at night in Valencia we toured around this area known as the City of Arts and Sciences and you can see why from these images. There are reflection ponds around all the buildings which create spectacular 3-D images. I don't like taking photos very much but I enjoyed playing with the camera here.
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| The IMAX theater and planetarium (front) and the opera house (rear) |
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| The IMAX is designed to look like an eyeball when you catch it's reflection in the surrounding pool. Very cool! |
And this weekend I took a little day trip to a nearby city called Úbeda. This is the place to go shopping for clothes and passing time with friends. I went with some teachers from my school. It seems impossible but it is very typical to sit for three or four hours in the afternoon together and eat five courses of food usually to share and finish with coffee. We did it and I enjoyed every minute even when I couldn't follow the all the conversation topics which were of course in Spanish.
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| From the left: Elena (English teacher), Carmen (French teacher), me, Marta (cooking professor), and another Marta (guidance counselor) who is not shown because she is taking the photo. |
For them, it's their first time in Siles and they are far from home too. Well, not as far as I am but far enough that they actually rent an apartment here by the school and only go back to their homes on long breaks from school. Seems strange but the way the system works here in Spain is that you are appointed a teaching position where one is available. That means you may be sent far from home and you take the job because it's better than not having one. There are of course chances to change in the beginning but then you are lucky to keep the position for life. Oh the differences between Spain and the States. I'll save the rest for another time. Hope all is well with everyone!
Besos!
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