Two months! It baffles me that I’ve been in Spain that long. In some ways, it feels like a lifetime, but in others, it seems like just a couple of hours ago that I boarded a plane and started this incredible journey. As with any sudden change in life, there have been ups and downs, good days and bad. I’ve slowly begun immersing myself in Valencian society and familiarizing myself with the culture of the people and places by whom I am surrounded.
The people here in Spain are some of the most caring, gracious, and selfless people I have ever met. The society, as a whole, goes out of its way to make others feel welcomed and loved. People here help those in need, regardless of their needs. It’s so easy for me to find my place and feel like I belong here. It seems as though the entire city of Valencia has wrapped its arms around me in a giant hug. My mind is flooded with examples of local people helping me with the little things and teaching me new things, but I’ll just share a couple.
My first trip to the supermarket to buy groceries was just that— a trip. Everything was new to me: a new floor layout, new foods, new words. After almost an hour of searching the store, I went to the checkout line. I laid all of my groceries on the counter and the cashier started ringing up my items. Halfway through scanning my things he saw that my produce did not have price labels on them.
