Eat, dance and love life

I decided to take advantage of the opportunity of the programme HI Connect and decided to volunteer in Galileo Galilei hostel in Valencia, the third biggest city in Spain. The hostel is also a dormitory in other seasons and it’s located in area of Polytechnic University, between the city centre and the long, sandy beach. I also wanted to improve my Spanish and this was a perfect opportunity. I spent every free time I had to explore the city, meet new friends and of course, to sunbathe on the beautiful beach Malvarosa, which conviniently rhymes with word “maravillosa”, which means wonderful. My work in hostel was mainly reception work and animation of many children groups from the whole Europe who came here to learn Spanish, enjoy the sun and the sea. The climate in Valencia is unique. It’s not too hot and you can feel the cold breeze and the sea, which is just cold enough to refresh you after a long day. 

 

In exchange for my volunteer work, I stayed in the hostel for free, had unlimited access to food, which was, as you can probably imagine, very fresh and tasty. Valencia is a culinary dream. You can try paella, a yellow sea food risotto, which is also a national protected dish. Spaniards eat it from the 19th century.  After paella, you have to try horchata or orxata in Valentian dialect. It is made from almonds, cantaloup, sesame seeds, barley and rice. It’s served cold with a lot of slime as the ultimate drink during siesta, which is a must in Valencia. Between 12 and 4 o’clock the world stops. Everyone hides in the shade and to places with air conditioner. I took advantage of this time to explore the city. I visited the city of arts and science three times. There you will find the eight biggest museums in Spain, even the biggest aquarium in Europe. The biggest bioparc in Calencia, the zoo, takes place in 10 hectares. I had a chance to see a cheetah, lemurs and gorillas for the first time.

 

 

After all the kilometres on the hot sun, I went to refresh myself to the biggest market in Europe, Mercado Central. It’s built in Art Noveau style and it opened in 1928. Ever since then it offers unlimited ingredients and dishes, like jambon serrano, orchata, churros and paella. I spent my days in Valencia with my co-workers and new friends, with whom I’m still in contact. Spaniards are warm, good-natured, happy and beautiful people. They live their life with hedonist temper and take advantage of every day to hang out, dance and eat good food. The night life in Valencia is one of the best on Iberian Peninsula. We spent our nights dancing salsa, regetton and with a cold coctail in our hands on many dance floors in bars and clubs by the city harbour. The whole July just flew by and it was hard to say goodbye to the team and to the whole experience. I was happy to live every moment spent in the hostel, in the city centre and its green surroundings. 

 

I strongly recommend every volunteer to make a decision to go to an exchange, offered by HI Connect. You will gain knowledge, meet people and maybe it will open a window or two in the future (and a tan that will last you till the end of the year). My expectations were definitely met. I was inspired by saying Siesta y Fiesta and I will always remember my Spanish fairy-tale. Viva la Valencia!