I Have No Idea What The Title Should Be

¡Hola, todos!
I hope all is well. I am half-way through the Valencia program. It is strange how the first of the three weeks seems like ages ago, but I suppose this is because I feel like so much has happened since I boarded the plane at the Des Moines Airport. If you have time, send me an e-mail to let me know how you are or what you have been up to!

1. Opera
2. Dog Problems
3. Dancing in the Streets
3. International Church of Valencia

1. Opera
Last Monday, a group of us went to buy tickets for the Opera Carmen, but unfortunately, all of them were sold out. However, the ticket-seller told us we could try to come at noon on the day of the performance and see if any were available. I had never been to an opera, but I really wanted to see Carmen because it is set in Spain (even though the opera is in French), it is famous enough that I would recognize some of the songs. Additionally, operas are much cheaper in Europe than in the U.S. (especially for students.) Friday, the opening night, we rushed from the university to the opera house with crossed fingers to find that there were seats available!

It was such a great experience. The opera house was beautiful, and it was to look over the ledge and people-watch those on the lower levels. The orchestra and singeres were so talented, and I was suprised at how much of the music I recognized. There was even some flamenco dancing! Each seat had a little screen with the translations in the language of choice, and the pamphlet contained a written explanation of each of the acts. There were five acts and two intemissions, but it did not seem that lengthy- maybe because I really enjoyed it. Afterwards, the other girls and I had planned to take lots of photos around the opera house with the dramatic lights, but we found that the weather had turned cold, and it was pouring. Three of us walked towards the direction of El Centro of the city and eventually found a free cab to take us home while the songs from Carmen still played through our minds.

2. Dog Trouble
Kendra and I had not been big fans of our host family´s dogs, Chauski and Azma, but this weekend reached a new point. They bark a lot, and Azma is constantly in heat, and there had been a few incidents where they had peed in the apartment, but this Saturday there was pee in three different places. I cleaned up one of the areas in the hallway, and then when Kendra and I came back from a short walk, we saw and smelled more- including the dining room table where Kendra´s computer had been. Luckily, her computer was fine. We cleaned it up and let Carmen know when she got home. But then it happened again. The apartment smells like dog pee and smoke except for our room where we always keep the door closed and the window open. Carmen said the dogs are grounded or ´´cartigados´´ in her room, and I hope it stays that way. I am pretty sure she could tell we were unhappy.

3. Dancing in the Streets
This Wednesday is Valencia´s big festival of San Juan (Saint John the Baptist) for the longest day of the year. In anticipation of this, there have been lots of fireworks and neighborhood celebrations this weekend. Kendra, Katy, Sarah, Molly, and another Rachel, and I went out for a little bit on Saturday night and discovered a street dance with a DJ. There were tons of kids dancing around with the parents hanging around the perimeters, and we decided to join in. It was so much fun, and a lot of the kids were really good dancers! They put us to shame. Later on in the night, there were a few older kids and teens, and at 12:30, they announced the queen for the neighborhood. From what we were able to understand, each neighborhood or region in the city elects an 18 or 19 year-old to be queen or representative. The queens wear the traditional Valenciana dress and hair-style for San Juan, and then there is some kind of pageant to select the overall queen of the city.

We decided to go to a cafe for a little while and then headed back home to sleep while the seven-year-olds with sequenced shorts kept dancing.

3. International Church of Valencia
Last night, Kendra, two other girls, and I went to a little contemporary church near the university. It was in Spanish and quite a bit longer than what we were expecting, but it was nice and we met a woman from Iowa who had studied and taught in Valencia in the past and had come back for a vacation with her husband. The Pastor from the church was from Texas and could speak Spanish very well; haha- although, it was a little funny hearing it with his strong Texas accent.