Valencia
I really wanted to go on another trip to Spain. I decided that I want to go to Valencia!
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The preparations for my trip
On the 17th of July I will fly to Valencia for a four-week stay in Valencia. I will also take a Spanish course and I hope I can get my B1 diploma so I will be prepared for my study Tourism Management as well.
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My flight will leave on the 17th at 12:05 PM and I will arrive at 14:30 in Valencia. It is a direct flight to Valencia Airport which will take 2,5 hours. This trip I decided not to take a transfer to my apartment so I have to figure out how to get there when I arrive in Valencia. I also need to pick up the keys of my apartment first before I head to my apartment.
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Same as last time I need to do a level test the first day of school so they know in which class I need to be. I don't know how much students there will be and if it is a big school or not, but I will see that when I arrive.
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I am already thinking about things I want to do in Valencia; I really want to visit the stadium of Valencia F.C., see Plaça de la Virgen, climb the Iglesia de Santa Catalina Bell Tower and walk through Mercado Central. Something that is on top of my list is the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias! Seeing the pictures right now makes me even more excited, it looks amazing. Maybe I want to visit the Plaza de Toros de Valencia but I am not sure yet.
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As you can see I am really excited to go and would love to share my trip with you! I will keep you updated on my trip and how everything is going right here. During my trip I will videotape my experience as well, just like I did in Salamanca and Barcelona.
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What you can expect more in this blog is:
- Travelday
- My time in Valencia
- Recommendations
- What did I learn?
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July 17, 2019, four days before departure
Today I am at my parents house, the place where I will also leave this upcoming sunday. For some time now I have been living in Breda, because next year I will start my study Tourism. Today I will go to Breda for the last time to pick up some things that I need to take with me this trip.
I've already put some things aside that I am going to take with me so I don't forget to bring them. I will also do my last laundry today so it is all clean when I leave. I am excited to leave and can't wait to be in Spain again!
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July 21, 2019, travelday
This morning, around 8 AM, I left the house to go to the airport. Just like the last two years my parents brought me to the airport by car. Once we arrived I said goodbye and went on to drop off my lugagge. The day before I already checked in so I didn't have to do that anymore.
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At the moment that I am writing this I am in the airplane, high in the sky. The flight is going faster than I thought it would go; within five minutes we will start with the landing.
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Right after we landed I went to the metrostation. I had already taken a look at the underground and stations so I knew which metro I had to take. Once I arrived I had to walk 10 minutes to pick up my keys. While I was searching for the place to pick up my keys I met Lorenzo, a guy from Italy who's also going to Don Quijote for a Spanish language course. We both couldn't find it but after some help we got the keys and could both go to our apartment.
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July 22, 2019, first day of school
Every student who starts here has to take a test to determine the level of your Spanish. I really want to get to level B1 by the end of this course, but right now I start at level A2. At school there are a lot of people from different countries. I have already met someone from Germany, France, Serbia and of course Holland. The Dutchies always seem to be the majority of the students. Also at the apartment I am staying in, there are three other people from The Netherlands.
After school I decided to walk around the city to explore at bit more, so in the upcoming weeks I know some places to go to.
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During my stay I will post a lot of pictures on my Instagram, so if you want to check them out, go to my Instagram page!
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July 26, 2019, Friday
Today is the last day before the weekend. I am gonna go to school and after that I am probably gonna go to the ferris wheel and Plaza de la Virgen. This week I've already been to Mercat Central, Plaza de Toros and the fanstores of Valencia C.F. and Levante UD. Later on I will also go to the stadiums but I couldn't wait until then to buy something.
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My Spanish is developing quite good but I have a hard time with remembering the grammar. I study daily so I hope I improve a lot during these weeks. Also practising in the supermarket and with other students helps a lot.
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This week I've also met a lot of new people! Some from England and some from Germany! We went out to grab lunch and went to Plaza de la Reina.
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The second week
The second week of my four-week-stay has just started. This week there are some new people in my class even though the people in the apartment are still the same ones. This week I started off good, I finally feel like I am settling a bit in my home and I am feeling a bit more comfortable.
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I have also already seen so many things here in Valencia! I visited and climbed the Micalet, went to el estadio de Levante UD and have seen a lot of Markets. The most impressive thing I have seen nevertheless is, I think, l'Oceanográfic and l'Hemisferic at the Museum of Arts and Science. With the two buildings being impressively big, you walk up to a beautiful view of buildings surrounded by clear blue water. I did not go inside of the museum and cinema because I still had to walk back 40 minutes and I also still had to do my homework.
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My Spanish is progressing really good! I have learned so much in these one and a half week only! I still have two and a half more weeks to go. I am excited to see which level I can reach.
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My third week
And again, I need to start with my astonishment about how much I have learned in just three weeks time. I do have to say that I am struggling with the verbs in Spanish, especially the past tenses are really hard for me to understand. This week I only have class for four days because the teachers aren't at school on Friday. I am going to use that extra day to study, learn and practise. And yes, I know those things almost mean the same. I just want to use that day to repeat everything.
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Something really exciting happened this past weekend. I did not only visit Estadio Mestalla, the stadium of Valencia C.F., I also bought tickets for the match Valencia C.F. - Inter Milan which will take place this saturday, the 10th of August. The ticket is for a seat with a nice view as well. Afterwards I will post some pictures to show you!
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This week I took it a little easier on the trips I was taking, I noticed that I got really tired because I was doing so much and I wanted to focus on school a bit more. So I did and I will continue doing that because my Spanish improves so much more, and after all that is the reason I am here.
Even though my Spanish is my main focus now, I did go out to buy souvenirs for everyone at home! I also came across something really interesting on the Internet. I read an advertisement about the FC Barcelona Innovation Hub. It caught my attention and I continued reading. I found out that they also have a course for Sports Psychology for Athletes' Development and as I am interested in sports, nutrition and the mental aspect as well I asked for more information. After cheking out the programm and some hesitation I decided to sign up! The first course will start this Saturday, but I can do all the courses at home so that's a benefit! The course consists of four parts and after I finish a part I will get a certificate. I am looking forward to it and I hope everything will go well!
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This upcoming weekend will be the last weekend of most of my classmates. I am going to miss them a lot! I hope there will be some new people next week!
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The third weekend
The first weekend I didn't do much because I arrived on Sunday later on the day. The second weekend I went to Estadio Mestalla for a tour and bought tickets for the match that will take place this weekend, I am really excited! But first, of course, I got to do my homework. I also used this day to recover from the heat and busy week I had. Around 7 PM I left my apartment to go to dinner before the match. Every day I walk past this restaurant that is next door, so I decided that I could eat there. I couldn't visit Spain without eating paella, so paella de verdures (meaning vegetable paella) was my choice. After dining, I went straight to the stadium. The stadium was already packed with people.
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The match started against Inter Milan. By the way, it is not just a friendly match, it is actually a match for the Trofeo Naranja, meaning 'The Orange Cup'. Every year Valencia C.F. invites a team out of Europe to play one match before the start of the season and the winner gets honoured and they get a trophy to take home.
The match was decent, both clubs had some chances to score and they did, but neither of them could win the match. So, penalties needed to decide the winner. After six penalties is was still a draw, until a player of Valencia missed his penalty and Inter Milan won the match with 6-7. It was too bad, but nothing to worry about for Valencia C.F.
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My last week
This is my last week here in Valencia, time to see all the things I wanted to see but I still did not have the time to go to. And of course, to enjoy the weather here, as a heat wave has appeared. The hottest day, the temperature was measured at 46 degrees Celcius. That day I didn't do anything next to laying in my bed with the fan straight to my face. This week I bought some souvenirs for family and friends and of course one for my souvenir-shelf that I have in my room!
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The last day
On this day I had to leave my apartment before 12 PM, but my flight didn't leave until 16:15 PM. So it was going to be a long day at the airport. Luckily I had some stuff to do on my laptop and could walk around a bit. Even though, it was a long wait. Evetually I got on the airplane, after a delay of 45 minutes. In the plane I slept a lot and was already planning my next week as I have planned a driving lesson on Monday. I've already had a lot of lessons and within two weeks I have my exam, so I hope I pass!
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Once I arrived in Amsterdam my parents were waiting for me, even tough they didn't see me and I had to walk up to them. After I bought some dinner we went home and we chatted about my month in Valencia.
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I hope that in the future I will have many more trips to Spain as it feels like my second home!
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And I hope to see you once I write about my next trip!
