Valencia, My First Days

We arrived in Valencia on Saturday via un autobus. We arrived at the college dorms where we are staying. The spanish kids set up shop in the courtyard and wanted us all to come by one at a time and say our name. Some of the kids had some funny signs they made, like numbers to rate the girls as they walked by 1-10. One kid was dressed up like a matador and had a bouncer to let us through or not. We were all quite tired so it wasn't quite as amusing at the time. They all invited us to go out and have a beer with them at a local bar. Side commentary: We were in a very small bar but picture someone driving an el camino in Alabama with la cucaracha playing out the windows and you've pegged the bartender. The Spanish kids are very friendly but are studying for finals now so they're a bit tied down.

We had our first day of classes this morning. From the dorms its approximately a 30-40 minute walk to the "campus". The city looks like a typical European city. My best comparison would be Washington DC without concrete sidewalks. All of the professors on the program introduced themselves today and we had our first class. My first professor(a) is a native to Valencia and speaks the clearest Spanish I've heard. Hey mom, I paid attention for an hour and a half in her class and understood almost everything she said. It was a bit hectic trying to find classes not just at a different college but at an entirely different country.

I managed to find a stationary bicycle which will help me start to train for tri's when I get home. Tri's For Africa just might own a few races this summer. These Spaniards have to start feeding me more though. These kids love feeding us French Fries. I guess that's what people think of when they think America, George Bush and freaking French Fries.

- Sean