Social Identity

Growing up in Nepal, I always dreamt of visiting other countries. When I first went to Singapore, it was a new experience. The city was clean, bustling and very pretty! Then came US, which exposed me to the American way of life. I had heard from my cousins about the American dream and the american way of life, even after all that I still got excited when I stepped out of the airplane. I still haven't been attracted to the american dream yet, I guess it will happen eventually.

For the last few years, I have been living in the US. Life there is very different compared to Spain. People are usually in a hurry, always in rush to be somewhere. Time is money, that I learnt after living in the country that many dream of living in. Here, it seems like people are more relaxed. They value spending time with their friends and family more than being in a rush. I have yet to see someone sit in front of a computer or laptop and eat. During the evening, I see elders walking with their friends or their better half and just having a good laugh. This reminds me very much of Nepal. It also reminded me to enjoy my time more and just take some family/ friends time everyday. Something that I forget once the semester starts.

A glass of refreshing Horchata

I knew few things about Spain, mainly the architecture side since I was once an architecture student, little bit of lifestyle. I knew of the late dinner time and long lunches. But I was not familiar with the closing of local shops during this lunch break! We learnt that the hard way. There are some shops on our street that we have seen open only once or twice because of the weird opening hours! Ha, life here is interesting. Whoever said the best way to learn a language and culture of a country is by living there is very right! I have been able to understand a little bit more of Spanish than the first day here. The Spanish cuisine is quite interesting. Having tried different paellas, I must say I will miss it when I get back to US. Horchata, a drink made from tiger nuts, is little sweet but very very refreshing! And we made sure to try one from the famous Daniel's Orchata. 

One thing that was bit surprising here is smoking. Oh dear god, I wish they would smoke a little less or not so much in public! Back in America, you don't see people smoking in most public places. Our uni is a tobacco free uni, and how I wish they would that here or at least designate a smoking area. Drinking was another interesting thing. I didn't expect people to be enjoying a glass of beer at 9:30 in the morning or serving vino and cerveza at the uni! Its quite acceptable here and also refreshing during hot and humid days. People still shop at the local s grocery stores more than at the supermarkets unlike States. And the joys of public transportation! Oh how I will miss it when I get back home and the many roundabouts. 

Porta de la Mar

Street Art in Valencia

'Personal space' thats another thing that I have to keep aside while I am here. People stand very close to you when they are talking. Sometimes I pause while walking to see if the group of people are talking or fighting. After a few seconds, I realized they are just talking and having a good laugh! 

Now lets talk about the work life. Working with the Spanish professors us quite fun! They are ever so lively! And the interactions between the professors and local students is very impressive. They are always there and willing to help the students. Its always fun to greet them in Valencian or Spanish first thing in the morning! Besides working, we are still exploring this wonderful city full of life. We start off at one point and no matter now many times we have walked by, we end up discovering a part of the city that we somehow missed before. Walking through the narrow streets and then coming across a beautiful plaza is very rewarding. This week we managed to walk from one end to the other gate of the city, Torres de Quart. I wonder if I will be able to explore all the mysteries this city holds in one trip, for the ones that I cannot, I will be back soon!

Fun Lunch!

Torres de Quart