Homework!!!

  I'm about to drown in translations, idioms, and prepositions. So even though Valencia was wonderful and very photogenic today, I'm afraid it will be a day or two before a post on Valencia arrives. But here's a quick story.
   For worship a couple days ago, the preacher tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if I would pray. I must have looked slightly worried, because he hastily added that I could pray in English. "Well, if I'm going to pray, I want to do it in Spanish," I decided. A big deal? Not really. But to someone who used to cry over last-minute surprises, has stage fright and a very basic grasp on Spanish... Yeah, I was pretty proud of myself! My, how things have changed...

Now go eat some applesauce and, please, don't take it for granted :)

A Full Weekend!

   What adventures we are having!

Burros
   Some of us joined the Spanish college students on a hike for Sabbath afternoon. We climbed the hills behind the school again, tackling the steep slopes over and over again. When we got to the first hill, I looked back and saw a man with two donkeys trotting beside him! Donkeys, actual donkeys! One of them was really curious and kept on running ahead and investigating the side. How cute.
   We came to the crest of a hill with an unusually good view and settled down on the rocks for a worship talk. It was beautiful. We had a wide panoramic view of the valley and ocean. The hills remind me of how I imagined the Bible to look like; lots of scrub grass, scraggly trees, rocks and hills. Even though it was overcast, it was very peaceful. And I got to practice a lot of Spanish!

Vamanos a la Playa!
   On Sunday, Elizabeth, Stephanie, and I ran six miles (SIX miles!!!) to the beach. Unfortunately, before we got very far, we had to go through a tunnel. And thanks to a huge thunderstorm Saturday night, it was full of puddles and mud. We hoped it was just mud stuck to our shoes... We got so dirty. But that's okay. Everything's an adventure, right?

Que Rico!

Mantecados
Note: This is not my picture, but rather compliments of Google Images. My mantecados didn't make it to a good camera =)

   So sorry for the lack of fresh posts! Life is sweeping me along pretty quickly at the moment. But here's a delicious morsel for you all!
   Yesterday, two of my friends and I ran about 6 miles to the beach. And, well yes, we walked part of it. On the way back, we weren't sure if we would arrive in time for lunch, so we stopped at a bakery... How's that for a clever excuse? The lady behind the counter was super sweet! She asked us where we were from, took the time to explain to us what the different foods were and even gave us some to try. I ended up buying three crumbly cookies called mantecado, a traditional food from Spain. Que delicioso! And for three mantecados, it was only €0.77! That's a lot less than I would pay at a US bakery. Everyone says it's more expensive here, and in many ways it is. But if you know what to avoid and where to shop, it's really not that bad!
   I'm finally learning my way around! If anyone ever comes to Valencia, I am now experienced enough to navigate our way on a city bus, show you some traditional deliciousness, and take you to the Mediterranean beach! (Kamia! Doesn't that sound like an awesome spring break? :)

I Swam in the Ocean!!

El Mediterraneo!

   It was so much fun! And salty... But first:

El castillo
   Instead of classes today, we went to Sagunto and explored the old Roman castle and the amphitheaters. ¡Que interesante! The castle is from the 5th century BC and has both Roman and Moorish sections. It stretches for two kilometers above the city. We climbed up high above the Moorish arch and then descended into the depths of the dungeon. That was actually very creepy. The dungeon was long hallways in the cliff and a few cells with rock ledges for beds. The only redeeming factor were the tiny windows that allowed in a tantalizing taste of light and wind. When we first went down the steps, one of the guys casually remarked that maybe he was hearing a rat squeaking.  I almost freaked out before he realized that it was just me flicking my water bottle nervously. We had fun taking timer pictures and discussing how skinny you would have to be to get out the windows. Conclusion: maybe if you were really desperate, had been on a prison diet for 20 years, and didn't mind the cliff on the other side.

Market
   Every Wednesday, there's a street market in Sagunto. They sell clothes, shoes, fruits, vegetables, even jewelry and makeup. My friend and I wandered around and tried to remember the words in Spanish. It was very full of people, and I kept my arm over my bag, but it was a lot of fun! We have to turn in a homework sheet about the castle and market, but this is definitely the way to do homework.

The Mediterraneo!
   There's a man from La Sierra whose job is to travel to all the different ACA schools and take pictures. I repeat; that's his job. Excuse me, sir, can you stop tantalizing me with my dream job? Anyway, several of us went out with him into the orange trees to take pictures. We strolled towards him and his camera, laughing and talking about what we ate that morning. Second time, a couple of guys on bikes joined us. Yup; this is an accurate representation of how we spend our time.
   After we finished with that, we ran back, changed, and then walked 20 minutes to the bus station. When the bus finally came, half of us decided to wait for a couple people that went to find change. But even as we stood up and stepped towards the bus, the driver closed the doors shut and sped off. We stood there for a second, looking like idiots, wondering what had just happened. Bus drivers aren't very nice here. Later that evening, we were just closing our doors when a Spanish guy ran up and banged on the bus. The driver didn't pay any attention to the poor guy's bangs or the other riders who called for him to stop. He just merged into traffic and ignored the guy racing after him.
   But we finally caught another bus and got to the beach. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous. There weren't many people, so I didn't have to worry about navigating past them in the water. But there were waves. Everyone else stayed on the beach, but one of my awesome friends and I went out into the waves. It's so much fun! When I don't see a wave coming, I get salt in my eyes, but I really like the ocean. And the Mediterranean is warm, about as warm as our pool. I was also surprised with how shallow it is. We walked out a long ways, and could still stand on the bottom when the waves were really low. It's also quite clear, which is comforting.
   After we swam, the nine of us wandered up the street, hunting for something to eat. Since Spain doesn't start dinner until 9 o'clock, we couldn't find any open places at 7:00.  Finally, we went into a gelato store staffed by a quiet guy and a very friendly girl. And there, I discovered the most delicious flavor ever! It is a mix of chocolate and hazelnut; it tastes like Nutella. ¡Delicioso!

Pictures! Check out more fotos in my Facebook album. 

This is one of my favorite pictures ever.
Somebody turned a bunch of ugly cords snaking up a wall into a beautiful, artistic tree.

In the dungeons!

Street Market; they had clothes, fruits, vegetables,  and jewelry.

Reading, Romanians and Running

  This morning, one of the pastors told me,  Every day is interesting here in Spain. You just have to look for the interesting and exciting. So even though it seemed uneventful, here are some interesting things about my day.


Reading
   I went to two new classes today, Conversación and Composición. So far, all my classes are intimidating! It's exhausting trying to listen to understand everything. There's a lot of reading. A LOT. And it's all in Spanish. 100 pages here, 250-300 there, and yet another 100. And I haven't even been to all my classes yet! Some of the reading will be from a book of my choosing, but that's still a lot of time spent with my Spanish-English dictionary. Not to mention all the writing we will be doing.
   Before we started, another girl in Advanced 2 told me she heard that Advanced 2 students don't have time for anything else. They are always reading and writing. I believe it. But I'm not here to just goof off; I'm still in school, and I really want to learn Spanish finally. I just hope that understanding will get less exhausting!
   I had to drop flamenco, so that makes my load a little lighter. Only 15 people are allowed in that class, and 35 signed up. But next quarter...!

Romanians
   The last couple days, some of my friends and I have been eating with the non-Americans. We don't want to go listen to even more English at the American table, so we go and sit with a group of theology students, staff, and deans. Several of the theology students are from Romania, but they speak Spanish and English. We all have fun attempting conversation in Spanish. Sometimes I'm not too bad. But other times... Sorin joked that he would have to go and talk to my professors about my placement test. Put her back in Intermediate! Of course, when you combine my awful hearing, a noisy cafeteria, and mumbling lunch mates, you can't expect very much.
   I've been learning lots of Spanish words from them. We have had long discussions about how to say persimmons and peaches in Spanish. (Melocoton and durazno are both words for peaches; the internet says that persimmon is cuipa, but they haven't heard of it). I also learned the Spanish words for spoiled, umbrella, and stutter. They've already come in handy!

Running
   This evening, after a day of classes and homework, I was feeling antsy. I knew my friend was thinking about going running, so I went and knocked on her door. As it turns out, her evening had taken a turn for the worse, and she was listening to gross music to distract herself. Running was just the thing for both of us. We ran on the road through the orange trees, admiring the castle lights on the hill. It was fun, until we got to the really steep hill to the gym. I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die... Ahh! flat ground and nothing but downhill left! Amazing how conquering a simple hill can make you feel so proud.

Well, I'm off to bed. Tomorrow, we're off on a school trip to Sagunto! Roman castle, ampitheatre, flea market... I'm excited!

Si, Entiendes! y el Hipermercado

Forget the Comfort Zone
   So many decisions! So little time! So many Spanish explanations!
   Registration actually wasn't that bad. It was actually quite exciting to understand the explanations and be able to help other people figure out what was going on. Besides the four required classes, I'm also signed up for a Bible class, Translation, Internship (not sure what yet), and Flamenco. I was really nervous to do Flamenco. I almost didn't put it down. But this year is all about trying new things, even if I'm nervous. Just this morning, I read one girl's definition of adventure: It has to include an element of discomfort, either physically or mentally. So I checked the little box and handed it to Cristían. So, we'll see how that goes!

Advanced 2
   I got into Advanced 2! There are two groups of Intermediate Spanish (too many people for one), Advanced 1, and Advanced 2. There are only four girls in Advanced 2, although we possibly might get two more. Today, I had Translation class and Grammar class. Wow. When the teachers are explaining classes to our whole group, I can understand easily. But when the teacher is talking to only his Advanced students... I had to use so much energy just to understand. After 30 minutes, my mind was already tired. But I understand more than I thought I did. It's a little intimidating to be in a class composed of 50% fluent Hispanics. At least Justin's in there, and she and I are basically equal on understanding and talking.

El Hipermercado
   Elizabeth, Stephanie, Ashley (my roommate), and I decided that we really needed to go to the supermarket after lunch. We were going to take the bus, but Laura, a primary teacher, came by in her car before we had walked 2 minutes. I had talked with her some on Saturday night, and she was incredibly awesome and took us directly to Carafour! We got there in at least half the time.
   We wandered the aisles for a while, gasping at prices for click erasers (€4!) and sighing over Oreos. I was very proud of myself for spending less than I do on an average Walmart trip. Even in an expensive European market!
   Afterwards, we crossed the street to get some delicious gelato. Apparently, the store is run by Adventists, and the ACA students can even intern there. Which seems to be an euphemism for free labor. Well, I'm sure it could be beneficial to some people... Anyway, the gelato was very, very good! We had an awesome time sitting outside, talking and taking pictures.
   Our bus ride back was interesting. We got on the bus, but it was heading in the opposite direction. When we got to the end of the line, the bus driver told us we had to get out, only to turn around and pick us up again. Oh well. We got to see the beach and some really cool stores next to the playa. It was an adventure.

Stephanie, Elizabeth, Yo, & Ashley. We're ready to go!

Look at all the chocolate! Even Kit-Kats, Twixes, Snickers, and M&M's... All overpriced.

My Italian roommate and the Italiana sized bowls

En el autobús

"Look! It's the beach! The Mediterranean!"

After a walk in the sun, we're still as cute as ever! Right?

Surprising classes, amazing friends, sunshine, shopping, rolling our eyes at whistling truck drivers, and just having a wonderful time. 

A Social Sabbath

Sorry I haven't posted anything for a couple days! I started feeling a little sick on Friday, and pretty awful by Sunday. But I'm feeling much better now, so hopefully, I can post a little more often!

Starting Off
   Sabbath started off at Friday vespers. It was a nice, short service, of which I understood not a word. But afterwards, at the after glow, I was super proud of myself. I understood (almost) everything! When I concentrated really hard, I could understand more than even just the gist of her talk. Of course, the instant I let my mind wander, I was done. But how encouraging!

Mountainous Hike
   After church and lunch, Steven, Josh, Erick, and I went on a hike in the hills behind the school. I was really excited to take some awesome pictures. But of course, I forgot my memory card. But no matter, I soon found myself enjoying the gorgeous views and countryside for themselves. When we got up high on the spine of the hills, we could see the whole valley all around, the mountains, and the Mediterranean stretching from north to south. I didn't realize that there are even more small towns around. Some are only a handful of buildings with a church steeple presiding above. I found some rocks in the sun, laid down, and just listened to the wind and the crickets. How peaceful...

Interesting, Surprisingly Successful, Ice Breakers
   In the evening, all the high school, ACA, and theology students gathered at the gazebo. One of the deans/youth pastors/senior theology students/teachers (I really am not sure what he is.... all of the above?) had us mix through the crowd with unlit matches and talk with other people. We were supposed to introduce ourselves, tell a little bit about our lives, and then say una frase, a statement that was either true or false. The rules were a little confusing, but essentially, the other person guessed if it was true or false. And someone got their match broken, and whoever ended up with the last unbroken match won a Spanish worship CD. The game itself didn't work at all, but it did get a lot of us talking.
   I spent a lot of time talking to some other ACA people I hadn't met yet. One girl was from Mexico, and apparently there is a whole town in Mexico that her extended family basically owns and runs. Imagine being able to just travel to a random pueblo, and be taken in as family! Another girl is part Cuban, and her great uncle swam partway from Cuba before a Russian tanker found him and took him to Florida, hidden in a coil of rope. Alfred is from Germany, and already speaks French, English, and maybe one day Russian.
   Afterwards, I went and found one our deans, a lovely lady named Virginia. She's from Tahiti and spends her time making our lives easier in the dorm and studying Spanish. She and I talked for a long time. It made me so excited to be able to have actual conversations in Spanish!
   After several hours outdoors, the ACA students drifted into La Frontera (the game room under the guys dorm). There were loud games of ping-pong, cards, and foosball. I learned a new, complicated game called Presidents and Losers. I was very proud of myself when I finally figured out how it works.

All in all, a very good Sabbath!

Lost in Valencia

   Thursday was awesome! A big group of us walked to town and then took the train to Valencia. There's another girl, Justin, who speaks about the same amount of Spanish as I. We had a lot of fun talking and practicing. A couple of the guys turned around and asked us Why in the world we were here? We already spoke Spanish!

   I always explained that although I can talk semi-well, I can't understand. But as we went through town, I was surprised how much I could understand people. Yes, they lisp, but they tend to talk more slowly and clearer than Peruvians or Mexicans. It was really fun being the translator for my group.

   Three of us, Danny (Hungarian-Romanian from Southern) and Elizabeth (also from Southern) and I walked all over town trying to find a place to exchange money. We went to multiple banks, but they all said they could only change money for clients. Finally we found tourist information, and got guided to a couple exchanges. Again, we trekked through the central city before we found one that was open. Unfortunately, our victorious moment was lost when Elizabeth received €330 for $500. But we quickly regained our good spirits with some delicious frozen yogurt.

   Afterwards, we wandered around Valencia and quite accidentally came upon the old city. It was beautiful! We went to the Central Market. It is sort of like Pike Place Market, but in one big building that looks a little like an old train station. There are stalls selling fruits, vegetables, pastries, drinks, food... It was beautiful. We soon found ourselves in small, winding streets with small churches and a huge archway. Absolutely beautiful.

   Fotos!! Apologies to anyone on Facebook also; I put lots of the same ones on both this blog and Facebook.

Arrival, Finally!

We're here! Thank God. It was.... quite a trip to Sagunto. We bought bus tickets to Valencia from Madrid, and so we left the hostel early in the morning and dragged our luggage all over the metro until we finally got to the bus station. But since neither of us got physical tickets, we had to try and figure out everything before the bus came. I finally asked someone who knew where the bus line office was. I was so relieved! Everything was going to be okay.
   But... Within moments, the ALSA lady had informed me that our tickets were not to Valencia, the city, but to Valencia de don Juan, a bus station west of Madrid. In the opposite direction. That was so depressing! I just wanted to sit down on the bus and let it take me to where I needed to be.
   The lady wrote down a metro station we should go to and what line to take. I plodded up the stairs.
   I told Steven, who pointed out that this would be funny later. "Maybe..." Someday, far, far in the future. But even though it was extremely frustrating, I still felt proud that we were figuring out the metros and buses on zero experience.
   We dragged our stuff back onto the metro. Thankfully, we just had to ride one metro almost to the end of the line; no more transferring or dragging our luggage up staircases. When we arrived at the metro station, we followed the signs to the bus station at ground level. We quickly found a couple tickets to Valencia, waited a few hours, and then got on the bus. We were a little nervous because we were technically only allowed 30 kg each. I had about 33 kg and Steven had 45 kg. And that wasn't even including our carry-on bags! But thankfully, we just pushed our bags in the bus's underbelly and handed our ticket to the driver.
  It was so nice to see the boys dean! Finally we were just a short car ride away from school. I had already started to think of it as home; home, where everything would be taken care of and I wouldn't have to drag 40 kg around.
   Meet roommate, Ashley. Unpack. Shower. Sleep...
   No pictures. I didn't feel like documenting a very stressful, discouraging day!

A Day and a Half in Madrid

Wow... I have no doubt about it; I'm in Europe. Everywhere, there are gorgeous buildings, fashionable people, parks, cobblestone streets... It's beautiful, but I think I'm in sensory overload. I can't wait to get to the school, unpack, and hopefully be in a calmer environment.
   But here are some pictures from our time in Madrid! Feel free to comment on anything too!

Classy advertising; fancy sidewalk seating with a big arrow

Madrid!

We're here! We're here! Our journey didn't feel that long at all, either because I was too excited to care or because I slept the whole time.

We had a little trouble figuring out how we were going to get to our hostel, but once we figured out where it was, we took the metro. It was a little hard with our big suitcases, and the farther we got from the airport, the more embarrassing it was.

But we finally got here, and everybody is really nice.

I was going to room with 4 other girls, but they made a mistake, and the room is full. So I get my own room. It's actually unfortunate, because I was talking with a couple of the other girls, and they were very nice. But that's all right.

My room is really small, but it's very cute. And from my window, I see a very Spanish looking wall and sky.

Now off to shower and do something cool this afternoon.

Hasta luego!

Nope, Never Going to Sagunto

One day when I was 13, I was in the bathroom watching Mom curl her hair. She and I were talking about her year in Austria when she said to me, "Well, Jessie, you should think about going to the school in Spain for your sophomore or junior year of college."

   At the time, I absolutely refused. She reassured me that I didn't have to go, but also smiled knowingly and added, "We'll see."
   I knew there was no way that would happen.
   Well... 5 years later, I'm just about ready to leave. I'm in Loma Linda right now, and tomorrow is my last day in America. I can't believe that after more than two years of planning, I'm finally about to leave. My passport and visa FINALLY arrived yesterday. I opened it right there in the post office, then jumped around saying, "Glory, Hallelujah, it came!!!!" Now if my bus ticket would stop giving me an error message.