Spain. A-mazing. The guys in Spain said “amazing” was their favorite word in English. I guess it is a good one. I have some friends in Valencia, Spain, and David (a former UNA foreign exchange student) arranged for us to stay at his flat on the beach in Gandia. We had spent three months in London’s chill, and as soon as our final exams were over, we were determined to “peace out” to somewhere WARM. Spain called, and we were delighted to answer.
My friend from high school, Ashley Sinyard, had just flown into London the day before, and was going to Spain with me. I was so excited to see her and even more excited that she would be spending this time on the beach with me. We flew to Valencia with RyanAir, and it felt like a party plane. We sat next to several guys who were in a band. Their musical tattoos, long hair, and grunge style let us know they were in a band before asking. Turns out, they were the “Imperial Vipers,” a rock band out of London who were going to perform in Valencia. I shared some of my peanut butter and crackers with the lead singer and he enjoyed the American delicacy.
When we arrived at the airport, I called David who was coming to pick us up and asked him where he was. I was soooo happy to speak Spanish and very enthusiastic about a week of practice in Spain! Shortly, David and his friend Xavi each drove up in BMW’s to pick us up and take us to the flat in Gandia. The Spanish greeting is a smile and a kiss on each cheek, and I’m sure that my friends enjoyed this custom. A third friend arrived to help carry more of us and our bags, and I rode with him. His name was “Santi”—short for Santiago, which translates “James.” I rode with Santi, and later David told me that Santi was eager to meet us because he wanted to practice his English but that we spoke Spanish to him! I guess we both wanted to practice…
The next few days were quite a challenge as we were not only presented to Spanish culture, but the huge difference that is the Spanish “horario” (schedule) as well. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the concept of a siesta, and this tradition totally alters the daily schedule. The day begins around ten, lunch is around 3-4, followed by a siesta when stores and restaurants close and people come in from the beach, and dinner isn’t until 10 or 11. After dinner, people go out and come back home around 5 or 6 in the morning when they finally go to sleep. Us English girls were having quite a time adjusting to the change in the time zone and the regular schedule that we were used to. We enjoyed a lot of rest and relaxation on the Mediterranean coast, and it was delightful. The Spanish coast is beautiful because it has sandy beaches as well as mountains. The girls wanted to go dancing, so our first night also held my first experience of a night club. It was definitely eye opening to a different lifestyle that I am unfamiliar with, and although the people there seemed to be enjoying themselves, it was not my scene and I was eager to get back to the flat and go to sleep. (After all, it was 5:30 AM!) The next two nights we told the guys that we didn’t want to go out, so they arranged other forms of entertainment for us. On our second night, after dinner, we went to play mini golf. This was around 1 AM and I thought it was hilarious that young children were outside running around and playing so late. On our third evening, they took us to the “kartes” where we participated in a go-cart race. It was so neat because the track was out in the middle of a field with the big Spanish mountains lining the horizon. We went just as the sun was setting, and it was absolutely gorgeous. Somewhere between steering the cart around the sharp turns and avoiding a collision with the experienced drivers, I thought to myself, “My life is so good.”
Among the various experiences of Spanish culture while we were there, they guys cooked two meals for us. Our second day, they cooked “paella” at lunch. There were about fifteen of us at the flat to eat, and the entire meal was made in one large pan. Paella is a dish of rice, vegetables, chicken, and rabbit. Yes, rabbit. It was incredible. Our last night, the guys closed the door to the kitchen and would not let us see what they were cooking. When they finally served dinner, it was amazing. They made two decorated salads with pasta, pineapple, and ham, and they had bread and cheeses from four different countries (including goat cheese). It was delicious. They also had tapas—a traditional Spanish dish on bread—with ham and a homemade tomato sauce on them. They also had made a “tortilla” which is an omelet with potatoes inside. It was unlike anything I had ever had before, and when they brought out the main course, it was this meat dish topped with cheese. I was so impressed that guys could cook so well, and we all enjoyed getting to sample their favorites.
Perhaps my favorite part of the week other than making new friends, was practicing Spanish. The guys wanted to practice their English as well, so we all had fun teaching each other words and phrases. The practice made me excited about returning to Samford in the fall (I’m majoring in Spanish).
We left Gandia on Sunday morning and took the train into Valencia. The boys didn’t come with us because it was Mother’s Day in Spain and they were all going to spend time with their families. They had, however, arranged our accommodations in Valencia and provided us with directions, so when we got into the city, we easily found our hostel and checked in. We passed a huge bull fighting arena on our way. Welcome to Spain! We only had a day in the city before heading back to London the next morning, so we just walked around and did a little exploring. Because of the holiday, most stores and museums and such were closed, so we went out to eat (tapas) and sat in the square and had ice cream. It was great, and Valencia had beautiful buildings. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of them, because my camera quit working in Gandia.
On Monday morning, we took the metro to the airport, and boarded our plane back to London. We had one more day in London, so what did we do? SHOP! (We had to spend our extra pounds because we would lose money in the exchange). Tuesday morning, I checked out of my room, said goodbye to the Daniel House and the city that had become my home, and got on a plane to come back to the States.
