Peter

13th of July, 2006
So this is is my first email from Spain. I started out in Madrid which was a bit of a culture shock at first because is was so incredible busy. I had to just find somewhere to sit back and take it all in for a while before i tried doing anything myself because it was a bit of a mental overload until i got used to it. Madrid is a very energetic city full of busy traffic, good Tapas (bar snacks) and beautiful women. From the airport i got a room in a hostel 8 floors above one of the main streets. I also happened to spend the night there during the night of the Gay Pride parade. I jsut took pictures out of my window and didnt venture in the streets too much. after two days in Madrid I caught a train to Valencia.
Valencia is a bit more relaxed than Madrid but is also quite busy. Expecially the traffic. People here drive their vehicles like they stole them. But I think they pay more attention and have better awareness when it comes to pedestrians and other traffic. they drive fast and crazy, but also very defensively. I enjoy noticing the vehicals which arent available in the U.S. some examples of the motorcycles they have here which i havent seen in the U.S. would be a the Honda CBF600 and the Suzuki Slingshot500. Theyre both basically small nimble bikes with decent sized engines for their weight. Average size for a bike or scooter here would be about 200cc´s which seems to be plenty for the traffic here, But in the U.S. anything less than 600cc is looked down apon. We took a fieldtrip to Peñiscola where there is an old castle built by Crusaders and a beautifull Beach. it was pretty fun but the bus was full of young loud Italian Kids. As far as my housing situation is concerned, Nick and I live with 3 other boys from Hungary, Switzweland, and Brazil, and 3 girls from Switzerland, Germany, and Poland. The house is small and stuffy since AC is rare here. I bought a fan and keep it clipped on the back of my bed. The house is owned by Theresa, an old senile woman who talkes alot and is sometimes hard to understand because when she rambles its so non-sequitorial that its impossible to make use of context. But shes overall a good cook and a nice accomodating woman.
The archetecture is very beautiful here and the sidewalkes are tiled in marble.. theres allways plenty of interesting things to see and people to watch. The women here are usually in very good shape because of the medditarean diet and the walking everywhere.
My daily schedule is as follows...wake up at 8, get ready, walk 25 minutes to a resturant next to the school, where I drink coffee and read the News. I go to class at 9:30 and it last until 1:30, but we get breaks. There are 2 sessions, the first over grammer which makes my head hurt but I need to learn, and the other is over something culture, but still in Spanish. aside from the SPSU students at the school the rest are Russian girls, The cultural differences which exist make for an interesting learning environment.
After school we go out for lunch, which is usually bread, pàella, beer, some type of meet, coffee, and a desert. The stores close from 1:30 til 5 here so after lunch I usually go home and then study and nap for a while. Supper is served at the host house at 10pm and after that we usually go out to either the beach,which is a 20 minute metro ride, or a bar, or just for a walk. I usually go to bed around 2 or 3am and then it all starts again the next day. more to come later,

So I went to the Aquarium in the Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias. It was pretty fun. I like the Sea Lions because theyre such whimsical lazy beast. They have a pretty good life it seems. Ive taken to going on long walks and watching people and looking at things, its a pretty good pasttime and it beats sitting in the house and sweating. Ive also started wandering around parking decks in my spare time looking for fast exotic cars. I havent found a BMW m5 yet but have been hassled by the security because someone my age walking around taking pictures of peoples cars looks like im casing the place. But usually if I explain that im an international motorhead and that some of the cars cant be found in the U.S. theyre pretty understanding. Either that or they tell me to leave, but thats the worse that cound happen.
I also went to a bullfight, which was awesome. I know that many feel that its a horrible sport and is cruel to the bulls, but if I were a bull Id rather die a valliant death with 300 spectators and a chance of mauling my aggressor than walk down a chute and get sledgehammered in the head.
Ive been to the Beach a few times and the scenery is usually very pleasing. The sun is hot and the sand gets everywhere. Its light and blows around and sticks to you when you sweat. But the Medditareanian is great for washing off, allthough then you get the prickly sand sensation when you dry off.

PETE

Extra Credit Assignment    

1.   rice   O. sativa began being farmed in the Mediterranean regions of Europe around 800 B.C.E. It was brought to the Iberian peninsula by the Moors when they conquered it in 711 C.E. After the 15 th century rice spread throughout Europe and from there found its way to the New World . Rice is now a very important part of the Mediterranean diet. It is used for cooking Paella is usually cooked with saffron to give it its flavor and golden color.

2. silk •    “La Lonja de la Seda” or the silk exchange in Valencia is one of the cities largest tourist attractions and a World Heritage Site. Silk was first developed in China in as early as 6000B.C.E. and the Knowledge of sericulture was kept secret from other nations. Silk eventually made its way into Spain when the moors introduced it and brought imported it from the northern coast of Africa . By the 12 th Century A.D. Spain had developed a reputation for itself for weaving silks of exquisite design and perfect texture.

3. ceramics Ceramic Tiles have been made by mankind for close to 4000 years. It was invented in the Middle East and introduced to Spain by the Moors. It didn't reach popularity in the rest of Europe until the 12 th century C.E. Spain has played a dominant role in the evolution of ceramic production techniques serving as a link between the Arab and European worlds. The Ceramic industry continues to be a large part of Spanish Culture and Economics.

4. yachts •    Valencia is one of Spain 's main boating cities. This Year the Americas Cup yacht race will be there. I almost went to try out the Yacht simulator but the girls I was going to go with backed out…

5. citrus products •    Citrus Fruits were brought to Spain from Northern Africa by the Moors during the Middle Ages. Because of the arid acclimate in Spain Citrus plants flourish and can be found through ought the city of Valencia . I Threw Limes at a window of the flat I was living in because I was locked out.

6. San Jose San Jose means Saint Joseph . Las Fallas de San Jose is Valencia 's most international festival. It occurs on March 19 th every year and the people make gigantic effigies of various characters, play with fireworks, and mess with bulls, then at the end of the week they set the effigies on fire.

7. fireworks Valencia is world renowned for their fireworks. They Shoot off fireworks nearly every weekend. A perfect firework display in Spain is perceived to be a grand work of art and the displays truly are Beautiful.

8. water Spain is running out of water. There are signs all over the place saying that people should conserve water. Indeed the world is actually running out of water but since Spain has been in drought for the past decade the conditions are more noticeable there. But for all of the campains of water preservation I saw, there weren't many low-flush capacity toilets…maybe it has something to do with the food.

9. el idioma valenciano   Valenciano is the indigenous language of Valencia . It is a Romance Language and sounds like Spanish mixed with French and Roman. It is also known as Catalan. Below is an example of Valenciano