I live in a neighborhood called Benimaclet, and it's just about the perfect location. The name means "Son of Maclet," because in valenciano, "beni" means "son." The neighborhood is located northeast of the city center, and before the city of Valencia expanded, it used to be its own town. Lots of students live in Benimaclet because it's close to the university, and it's extremely well-connected by metro and bus. From my front door I only have to walk 3 minutes to get to the metro, and the bus that takes you directly into the city center stops right below my window. Lots of immigrants also live in Benimaclet, which makes for a pretty diverse neighborhood. Within a block of my apartment I have access to Consum and Mercadona grocery stores (think Marsh, for my Indiana readers, or Giant Eagle, for my Ohio readers), two locutorios (or Internet cafes, which really came in handy before we had internet in our apartment), at least four fruterías (where they sell fresh, and cheap, fruits and vegetables), several bakeries (my goal is to try every type of pastry, hehe), and at least ten cafés and bars. Every Friday there is a neighborhood market with stands selling clothes, kitchen supplies, books, coats, underwear, shoes, bags... everything. Probably our favorite discovery is a take-out paella place just around the corner :) For 3.50 euros, I get enough paella to last for 3 meals!
I share an apartment with three other American girls from the Fulbright program. We started emailing each other this summer because, of the ten girls teaching in the province of Valencia, our schools are the ones close enough to allow us to commute daily from the city of Valencia. We have a small kitchen, a living room, one bathroom, and four individual rooms. The man from whom we rent the apartment is named Paco, a very sweet 50-ish insurance worker who is very patient and understanding with our various questions, requests, and complaints. Some things have been a little difficult to adjust to:
- Washing machines in Europe are about half the size of American washing machines. Also, dryers are very uncommon, so we hang our laundry on clotheslines over an indoor courtyard. If it rains... tough luck.
- Even though our apartment is newly redone with new furniture and appliances, the building itself is still old. Which means that cockroaches are not uncommon. As long as we keep the floors and counters clean, Paco says it shouldn't be a problem, but still.... ew.
- The walls in this apartment are extremely thin. I feel bad whenever I have to practice, because I know that people can hear me, even with my practice mute. At least I don't sound terrible, I don't think. One afternoon I laid down to take a nap, and immediately I heard loud, karaoke music coming from the apartment above me. Then I heard a man singing along so badly that I thought it was a joke... but apparently it wasn't, because he continued to sing for at least 20 minutes. My roommate banged on the ceiling, and I heard other neighbors banging on walls, too, until finally he stopped.
But overall, I love the neighborhood, and I can't wait to explore more!
No comments:
Post a Comment