After receiving two cheek kisses from my host mom, she welcomed me to the new city with the phrase, Bienvenido a Valencia! ("Welcome to Valencia!"). Those words felt very special, especially considering all the preparation it took to get here. On top of that, it took me eighteen hours to travel from Las Vegas to Valencia. I felt exhausted, but as soon as I saw the colorful city, I burst with energy. I thought, “Wow, I can’t believe I actually made it to Valencia!”.
It didn’t take long for me to meet my roommate, Silverio. My host mom guided Silverio and me to her car, where we met our host dad. He greeted us with a warm smile, placed our luggage in the trunk and drove us to their apartment. They introduced us to their home and explained some basic house rules. My host dad is a music professor, and my host mom is a librarian. Both love art, which is why their living room is filled with artwork! My host family showed Silverio and me our rooms, and we began to settle down. Honestly, I was still in awe of my new surroundings. At last, my journey to integrate my life into the community of Valencia had begun!
As I walked through my new city, I paid close attention to my surroundings. I noticed that I could read some messages but not others.
