El río

Hola todos :)

Today was a beautiful day in Valencia. I had my first early Friday class of the semester, and it was surprisingly enjoyable. I couldn't help but smile as I soaked in Valencia's morning glory on my 30 minute walk to class. Yes... we have to walk 30 minutes to class EVERY DAY. Fridays are my earliest days, with classes beginning at 9 a.m., which puts me getting out of bed at 7:30 at the latest so I can get ready, eat breakfast, and high-tail it to class.

My class schedule is as following:

Monday: Literature at 10:45

Tuesday: Culture at 10:45, History at 12:15

Wednesday: Cine (film) at 10:45

Thursday: Culture at 10:45, History at 12:15

Friday: Literature at 9:00, film at 10:45

Each class is an hour an a half long. So far, all of my classes seem like they're going to be enjoyable. My favorite class is culture. Our teacher is so FUN! During our last class, we spent almost the entire hour and a half learning "geography" by listening to the different types of music from all over the world and seeing the different dances from all over Spain. I was in heaven. Thanks to her, I have so much cool music to look up now.

look at one of the dances she showed us: el baile de las sevillanas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isTQwaqZDJw

After my classes today, I decided to walk back to the dorm by myself so that I could enjoy el río, a park that used to be a river that ran through the city. People often go here to jog or to walk their doggies. I just wanted to be around plant life, haha. It was so refreshing- every thing was so green. I felt like my soul was taking a much needed drink as I soaked in the sunshine and took pictures of the lovely (but strange) trees. I am so glad there is a place to be around green grass, trees, and singing birds here. Don't get me wrong- I love the beautiful buildings and the city life, but there is just something about the sun shining through green leaves that brings me life. I love to be in the midst of God's green creation and I'm so grateful that I can do that here. "He makes me lie down in green pastures..." How wonderful.

Here are some fotos from my little adventure:

After wandering about the park and a nearby plaza (where I saw the water fountain pictured above,) I decided to check out a few of the touristy shops just because I wanted to. I bought one postcard and then went to the dorm for some lunch. Today we had a weird mix of rice, tomato sauce, with eggs and a hotdog on top. It actually turned out to be good, but it definitely looked sketchy.

After lunch, I decided to lay down for a bit. Little did I know I would be taking a 3 hour nap. hahaha. It's the weekend.... why not?

I hope you are all doing well. Your prayers are much appreciated. Love you all!

Katie Mo