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It’s the penultimate day of Fallas. When I got up this morning and walked to school, the streets were the emptiest and quietest I’ve ever seen them. It was spooky. Clearly, folks were recovering from the weekend. That didn’t last. After Spanish class, I went straight to the City Hall plaza and unfortunately, even a…

It’s the last weekend of Fallas and Valencia is building up to a big crescendo of this festival on the 19th. I learned yesterday that Fallas in Valencia is recognized by UNESCO as the longest, on-going festival in the world. No other event (Carnival, Mardi Gras, etc) lasts 19 days…and none has fireworks at anywhere…

I had an especially fun time today at the Maskleta. Rafa invited me to join him with his Falla from Cullera. Cullera is a small town not far from Valencia. Their Falla group met today at the Maskleta, complete with the mayor, the Fallera Mayor, and their own marching band. I think today was especially…

Thanks to everyone who has been asking about Julio. He’s home and doing well. I never really understood what the issue was. But I’m glad to know he’s okay. Today, I had two important appointments. 1. I met with City Hall and I officially have my Padrón. I’m an official resident of Valencia! There’s still…

This has been an interesting weekend filled with very mixed emotions. On Friday night, I met Rafa. We went to an Italian restaurant that he tells me is “George Clooney’s favorite restaurant in Valencia.” Clooney was here filming Tomorrowland. The City of Arts and Sciences is a perfect set for the city of the future.…

It started on a Monday. I met Omar to see the Maskleta. Afterwards, we went to lunch at a great Ramen restaurant in the Chinatown area. After I said goodby to him, I was rushing to catch my bus and I stepped in a hole and sprained my ankle. I knew it wasn’t “nothing.” I…

I can’t begin to describe this experience. I wish I could give you a taste of it all. But I’ll try. As background, here’s what Wikipedia says about Fallas. But one correction: it runs from March 1-19. It’s almost three weeks long! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valencia_Fallas There are the organized fireworks and Maskletas put on by the city,…

After class today, I met my friend Rafa to see the first Maskleta. This is a daily occurrence at 2:00 in front of City Hall starting today and continuing until March 19. Each day gets longer and bigger. Today’s event began with a moment of silence to remember the ten people killed in the apartment…

Unfortunately, my appointment with city hall did not go as I hoped. Despite my attorney telling me that I had everything I need, I still need to get my utilities put into my name. The lease agreement says the utilities will stay in the name of the owner, even though I’ll pay them. The attorney…

Some have seen the news from last week. There was a horrific apartment fire here in Valencia on Thursday that took the lives of ten people. Many of them were refugees from Ukraine. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and why it spread so quickly. Of particular speculation is the siding and the…