Fin de semana

My first fin de semana (weekend) was absolutely wonderful! On Saturday our group visited Valencia where we toured some neat things and looked around on our own for a while. Below are some photos!

This is a gigantic market!

Here is the outside of an incredible cathedral we toured.

Many young people in Spain are protesting because of the high unemployment rate. I saw the protesters set up in these tents (almost like a community) in Valencia. Notice the police officers nearby. There were TONS of people there.

After an entire day of walking around and having information about the city thrown at us, we were all ready to go back to our homes in Alicante. I have become so attached to Alicante that I actually missed it while in Valenci!

On Sunday I slept in (finally!) then went to the beach with some amigas. We took the tram to la playa de San Juan, a huge beach! After five hours of sun time, we were all wiped out. It was SO hot! We took the bus back, went to our homes, and relaxed for the evening. It felt good to get some sleep.

Monday morning came quickly. I really enjoyed my class! While waiting for Olivia to get out of class, I ended up chatting with another international student from Iran. Our conversation about her culture was fascinating, especially because she is not a Muslim. Olivia and I ran some errands around campus, then took the bus home. I started tutoring little Paula (Paqui's 5-year-old granddaughter) in English after lunch. We sang songs and played games for an hour.

Alejandro with Paula. Man, they sure like my clothes! :P



On Tuesday afternoon, Olivia and I went shopping for Paqui's birthday present! I got her a necklace, matching bracelet, and porcelain box. We found a few inexpensive shops, so we ended up buying some accessories for ourselves as well! After an hour, my feet were starting to hurt (I was wearing my new tacones, or high heels), so we finally headed back. After lunch and siesta, we headed out to dance class. I LOVE dancing the salsa! We sweat up a storm for an hour, then booked it back to our house for a special birthday supper for Paqui. Three Japonese foreign exchange students made sushi for us all to eat! It was a great time! Then Olivia, Rachel, and I headed out to go dancing for the evening!

By the time Wednesday came, I was pretty pooped. I had my normal routine in the morning, followed by some time at a beach with Rachel and Paqui. We walked along the beach for an hour, then laid out for a while. You know you are in Spain when your 56 year-old mother is wearing a leapord print bikini! :P Later that night I went out for tapas with a group of friends. Mmmm! It was oh so good! After watching the lunar eclipse from the beach, we had some icecream and headed home. What a great day!

This morning I woke up feeling the effects of doing too much and sleeping too little. I ended up staying home during class because my stomach was bothering me. Lesson learned: sleep is important! I went to a few markets with Paqui, and now am getting ready to head to campus for my intercambio where I will practice my Spanish with a local student. Then it is off to dance class! :D I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday!