After Valencia

Valencia, Spain
Photo courtesy of Susan Curl

It is when I look over the city from my balcony in Madrid that I wonder how I ended up in this place.

It is also when I walk home from one of my favorite classes, teaching a brilliant 7-year old named Diego, that I wonder how I ended up where I am now. His aptitude for vocabulary continues to astound me, as does his newly acquired British accent that he is now trying to reconcile with my American English.

I am lucky enough to teach in what I consider to be one of the greatest cities I have known. I consider myself doubly lucky that the majority of my students are incredibly bright, extremely motivated and, above all, interesting. And then I realize that I have managed to find a family for myself here … the Mexican flatmate that studies law down the street, the English flatmate who is constantly trying to translate what she says into American, the Italian who can usually be found cooking pasta or making pizza by hand and, like a mother, forcing food upon the rest of us. And then there’s my American flatmate who also studied with me in Valencia — an amazing friend and fellow teacher.

Many people have asked me when my love affair with Spain began. It is then that I realize how I got to Madrid. I fell in love with Valencia when I participated in U.Va’s summer program after my first year. I returned to study abroad for a semester and to visit multiple times, but it was after graduation that I realized I needed to find a way to get back to my beloved Spain.

Don’t get me wrong, I love living in Madrid. But there is something about Valencia. It may be the beach, the streets lined with orange trees or the lack of tourists, but Valencia is like no other city. In less than a week, I will be on my way to Valencia for Las Fallas to show my favorite city to my friends from Madrid. [Editor’s Note: Las Fallas, which means “the fires,” is a five-day Valencian festival that culminates on March 19, Saint Joseph’s Day, and is famed for its massive, citywide pyrotechnics.] I will also be staying with my host mother from the semester I spent abroad. I am beyond excited to see them all again after being away for over a year, and I know I will be greeted with lots of kisses, and paella … as well as advice on my love life, whether or not I am appropriately dressed for the weather, and more warnings about being mugged. They are Spanish mothers, after all.

When I think about how I ended up teaching English in Madrid, the incredible students that I teach and the wonderful people that I live with, I realize that had I not studied in Valencia, I would never have found any of this. I cannot imagine my life or who I would be had I not studied abroad, but more importantly, I cannot picture it without the people I have met along the way.

U.Va’s Valencia program not only gave me the support and encouragement I needed to explore Valencia and Spain but also challenged me every step of the way. Not every moment of my experiences in Spain has been wonderful, but when I reflect on my time in this country, I have no regrets. Yes, the language barrier has taken a long time to break down. Yes, my sense of direction (or lack thereof) has proved extremely problematic. And yes, fighting with a Spanish mother over whether or not you will eat snails or rabbit is not so much fun. But at the end of the day, I am so thankful that I stepped on that plane when I was 19.

Valencia has become a part of me, and it is with overwhelming pride that I will show my friends what has become my adopted home. I am completely honored to be a part of the program, and will be overjoyed to unite with my study abroad friends for the program’s 25th anniversary in October.

The 2008–2009 academic year marks the 25th anniversary of the University of Virginia Hispanic Studies Program in Valencia. All program alumni and their loved ones are invited to Silver Celebration festivities in Valencia Oct. 9–11. For more information, to register and to book travel, click here.