Valencia!

Hey everybody,
So I've finally made it into Valencia and moved into my apartment ("piso").  Im living with 3 spanish guys on Calle Yecla, which is 10 minutes from my university and 15 minutes from the beach.

I spent my first 5 days in Madrid with Ian, my friend from South Africa.  We got a crash course in Spanish life. But most importantly Spanish nightlife, which usually doesn't end until 8 AM the next morning.  So after 5 days in Madrid, it was time for me to start my life in Spain.

I traveled to Gandia (a small town in the Valencian province) using the Spanish train system.  The AVE is a high speed train that took me from Madrid to Valencia.  Then I jumped on the "cercanias", basically like the Metra, from Valencia to Gandia.

The past two weeks in Gandia was a great experience.  The goal of the stay was to complete an intensive spanish course.  We spent 5 hours in class each day for two weeks, then took a test.  I passed with an 85% and I can definitely say my spanish has improved.  But the stay also offered me the chance to meet all the other "erasmus"(the spanish word for study abroad students).  We had some great times and I've made a lot of friends.

I have done many things in Spain so far, the list would probably be too big for this blog.  But I am most proud of my swim in the Mediterranean on Friday... it was a bit cold.

There are more posts and pictures to follow.

Ciao,
Don Felipe