Valencia is a very nice and interesting city. We spent one week in a Valencian family and visited the most famous monuments of Valencia. There are many buildings with a very interesting history and they also have many different styles. The first day we visited the old town and went to the Plaza de la Virgen. On the second day we visited the Central Market where we bought many things. It was built in modern style. We also visited the ‘City of Sciences’, we liked the exposition very much. One attraction was the Oceanográfico with the dolphinarium. We saw many underwater animals such as sharks, beluga whales, starfish, seahorses and seals. We loved the dolphin show a lot. Seeing the beach and the sea – a big surprise. Each afternoon we had classes, which is fun. We talked and learned a lot. We believe that speaking Spanish after one week is a lot easier. The trip was interesting, impressive and fascinating. In short, you should not miss the opportunity to visit Valencia.  

Markus, Thomas, Jakob y Lisa

VALENCIA TASTES LIKE… This week at TARONJA School we have dedicated ourselves to enjoy some Valencian food and drinks. Each student in the class has chosen a delicious type of food that he wanted to try and we went searching for it in bars and restaurants throughout the city, to experience the feeling of being a gourmet for a day! After various tastings, students wanted to share these experience with us and have told us what they think of the Valencian cuisine. This activity has left us a very good taste! ROSA. PAELLA. I’ve eaten Paella. I like the taste of saffron and seafood. I also have eaten Paella with chicken and rabbit but I did not like. I want to cook the Valencian Paella at home in Germany. GIORGIA AND VIVIEN. CHURROS. I’ve already tried Churros but without chocolate. I like it a lot. We have seen it only here in Valencia. We really liked the taste but I think they are very heavy. There are many shops in the street and it is ready to eat right away. All streets in Valencia smell like Churros. MALCOM. HORCHATA AND FARTONS. I’ve gone twice to a Horchatería drinking Horchata and eating Fartons with Horchata. I went to the Santa Catalina Horchatería because I was told, that it is the best Horchatería in Valencia. I really liked this drink and afterwards I have not been tired. I have paid 3.50€. The professor said that it is made out of groundnuts. MAREIKE. SANGRíA. In Valencia I’ve tried Sangría, which is a typical drink in Spain. I drank Sangría in a bar during a Paella Party. I like Sangría because it reminds me of summer.                 LEE. HWASEOP. TORTILLA. This dish is very tasty and easy to prepare. To make this meal you need four potatoes, ham, five or six eggs, a pepper, olive oil, one or two onions and salt. Depending the person, but normaly it is easy to prepare.

A WEEK IN VALENCIA FROM NUCIA CASULA! We have had a great week! We have practiced and improved our Spanish from «buenos días» to «buenas noches», also while we were eating! On Monday we went to the ‘City of Arts and Sciences’ walking through the Turia Park with orange trees and fountains. There we also visited the Prince Felipe Museum where we found out the percentage of our body fat, mirrors which make you appear fat or thin and thousands of other curiosities. The first day ended with a «Paella Party» where we ate our fills! The next day, after the usual Spanish class, «we took a dip» in the wonderful world of the Oceanogràfic and we talked to dolphins, sharks and other marine species! The most beautiful experience of the visit was the underwater tunnel through the tropical fish aquarium. After this adventure we went to the Fallas Museum. We loved the dolls very much. How cool! Delvecchio Martina, Martina Morando, Debora Martella, Elisa Nani, Sara Milaneschi 🙂

TRIP TO SPAIN We came to Valencia by plane on Monday night. Then we went to the hotel located in the city center. We liked it a lot because it is very well-equipped and clean. This trip has been very interesting and informative but what matters is that we have learned many things, especially through talking to people in the streets, but also by making games in order to get to know the monuments. We have discovered many places of the city and various customs and legends of Valencia. In school we have learned many new words, in particular some Valencian words. And we  also did a cooking lesson where Chef Nando showed us how to cook paella which is a typical Spanish dish. Rosamaria La Vecchia TARONJA SCHOOL AND ITS TEACHERS In Taronja School we have learned many things while talking to professor Luis, who has taught us new words. Thanks to him the lessons were very interesting and very informative but also very entertaining. From Tuesday to Thursday, we have studied a little grammar and have done a lot of talking, while Friday morning we have made a ‘gymkhana’ where we talked to people in the streets. Christina Di Napoli THE BULLFIGHTING MUSEUM When we went to the bullfighting museum we saw a very good video about all the steps taken before the fights. Before coming to the arena the bulls are in a place where they can eat and relax for four years. After this period they are moved to the arena and they are put behind the arena. On the day of the fights, the bulls enter the arena and fight against a team of bullfighters and the bullfighter has to kill the bull. After this video we have seen the suits of very famous bullfighters in Valencia and some pictures of how the bulls live and in this room is also a stuffed bull. Giusy Acampa VISIT OF THE CENTRAL MARKET We have visited the Central Market on Wednesday, 14 December. Marta, our guide,  has given us a duty to do. We had to ask some questions to people at the market. I was paired with my friend Giusy. The walk through the market has been a lot of fun. The market is very large and has many different food stores and then, me and my friend, we have made a series of photographs of food, as for example oranges, cabbage and fish. Also people have been very helpful and friendly. This visit I liked a lot and has been very useful for conversation practice. Giulia Emigrato COOKING CLASS WITH THE GREAT CHEF NANDO In school we have had a cooking lesson with Chef Nando this Wednesday, where we prepared the typical dish of Valencia: the seafood paella. He has explained all the steps of the dish, from the beginning to the end, in a very sympathetic and funny way…also breaking the mortar! The ingredients were: round rice, red peppers, onions, peas, shrimp, squid, tomato, mussels, olive oil and a little salt. Afterwards we ate the Paella and we liked it a lot! Fabiana Pandolfelli   VISIT OF THE FALLAS MUSEUM Last Wednesday we went to visit the Fallas Museum at the Plaza de Monteolivete, near the ‘City of Arts and Sciences’. It is a typical museum of the city of Valencia dedicated to the Fallas. The Fallas is a period of celebration, held in spring from March 1st to 19th, the day of San José. During this period the streets are crowded and noisy because of firecrackers and fireworks. And the most important part are the Fallas, doll sculptures that are put in the street, made out of materials that can be burned because on the last day, traditionaly the dolls are going to be burned. To built them, the artisans need a lot of time, about one year. In this museum we have seen a video and after that, the exposure showing the work of the artisans and pictures which show different falleras from this time. About the dolls, we can say that they are made with a lot of fantasy. Some represent famous novels and each year the most beautiful works «win» a place in the museum. These «works of art» have a great value ranging from € 4,500 to € 12,000. We really liked this museum because it has a lot of charme and we also liked the warning of the people’s attachment to this tradition (especially in the video), despite the complaints about the waste of money spent to celebrate the Fallas. Sara and Serena Ginestous Ucelli VISIT AT THE MUVIM (Valencian Museum of Illustration and Modernity) When we went to the MUVIM we made a trip back in time. From the beginning of the world until today we have discovered many secrets of artistic and literary history through the displayed images. Our guide was very special because he had a black robe that covered his whole body, so at first we were a little scared, but then everything was interesting and suggestive. We have gone through  time walking down dark corridors and following our guides from one century to another. In short, the visit was very nice and we all liked it. Francesca Contini THE GYMKHANA Today we have had a very interesting experience: We have had a gymkhana organized by Taronja School for us Italian students. This activity started at about 9am and our teacher, Luis, has given us a sheet with some questions about different places and topics. This game was about the interaction with people and places of Valencia. It has been a lot of fun. We had to do the following: asking people in the streets about the tallest building in the city, the Horchata, their favorite place, the characteristics of the Valencian people and the names of three famous people originally from Valencia; taking pictures of objects starting with Z and T, street furniture with a particular utility, decorative street furniture and a display window, and also describe the photos; searching for two bookstores near the school, enter those and ask the librarian about Spanish books, books for foreigners and the most sold ones throuhout the year; going to the train station ‘Estacion del Norte’ and ask people about the fruit that is painted on the facade, which animal was on the roof when the building was constructed, and also taking a picture with one person in front of the station; also, finding out how to become a new user of Valenbisi; going to an information office for subway and busses, and asking how to get to the Mestalla Stadium and the ‘City of Arts and Sciences’ departing from the Spanish School; and finally, finding a souvenir shop and asking the shopkeeper which the most sold object is and furthermore why this object is representative of Valencia. Sara and Serena Ginestous Ucelli

The trip to Valencia began at the airport in Vienna. The flight went very well and without problems. When we arrived in Valencia our temporal Valencian mothers welcomed us. On that day we visited the old town. There are many different styles such as the Roman, Gothic and also Moderno. We especially like the Miguelete tower. On Monday we went to the beach, but it was a pity that we could not swim. After that we drank a horchata and for dinner we ate paella. The next day we went to the market and bought some Valencian specialities such as Turron. On Tuesday we walked around the city and the parks in the ‘City of Arts and Sciences’. There we went to the Science Museum and saw the exhibition which was very interesting and fascinating. It was worth it. On Friday we visited the Oceanográfico, which is also located in the ‘City of Arts and Sciences’. There we enjoyed the variety of sea animals such as sharks, jellyfish, seals and other fish. The climax was the dolphin show in which dolphins were doing awesome tricks.

Tamara, Christian y Dominik

  Hi I’m Lisa! I am American but I live in Switzerland, Geneva. This is my first visit in Valencia and I like it a lot. The city is very beautiful and has many different things to see and enjoy, for example the ‘silk market’ and ‘the city of arts and sciences’. The contrast between the old and the new parts of the city is very interesting for me and I have taken many photos to share with my family and friends. I was at Taronja School only for one week, but I like the Spanish classes and activities. The Spanish school is really different from others. I think the staff of Taronja School puts a lot of effort to arrange whole experiences for students. The teachers are young and hip, and classes are also modern and fun.

It is the first time I’m in Valencia and I have to say that this city has delighted me. From a cultural point of view it has a lot to offer, because I found many museums and historical sites to visit. On the other hand, Valencia is a city that surely also offers the possibility to have fun and relax. The beach for example is very nice and for me it was a place where I could relax and get away from the movement of the city center. And that only 10 minutes away by metro! (in fact, if you are in the city center, you could never tell that Valencia is a city of the sea!). As for my experience, with Taronja School I am very very pleased and satisfied: I learned a lot, I could improve my grammar and also my expressive abilities. Through the many discussions we’ve always had in Spanish class I have learned a lot of new words and expressions. Talking with my classmates and discuss current issues with them has for me been, the best thing to practice Spanish (because I got in touch with people coming from all over the world and with who I shared the Spanish language as a fact we had in comun) and also to enrich my vocabulary. However, for me, Valencia has not been represented only by the Spanish school and the culture, but also by the family I lived with during these weeks. I got along very well with my new Spanish family and their three wonderful children, indeed there house, but for me it has almost been a home. Unfortunately my experience here is going to end tomorrow, but I already want to come back to Valencia to enjoy more this wonderful city has to offer me and of course I would also love to return toTaronja School because I can always improve my Spanish level.Thank you all, thank you all very much!

  Hello! My name is Robert. I’m from Germany and I live in Berlin which is a very interesting city. I’m 33 years old. I am a teacher at a school of arts in Berlin. In Valencia I am a student at Taronja School and my teachers are Sara, Maria Jose and Carlos (very good!). My hobbies are drawing and painting. In Valencia I like the art museums: IVAM, MUVIM, Benlliure Museum (a very nice house!). I also like the beach. I’m learning Spanish at Taronja School because I’m interested in getting to know Spain and understand its culture and also my girlfriend. My girlfriend is a Spanish teacher in Berlin.

  My name is Barry and I am from Holland. I’m 25 years old. I have been studying Spanish since 3 weeks. I like Taronja very much: the teachers, the students and also the activities.

I am learning Spanish because I want to travel through South America next year. I want to go to Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia. I have learnt a lot here in 3 weeks and in the future I want to keep on studying Spanish.

  Hi all! My name is Nico and I’m French. Although I come from the city of Dijon, which is very far away from the ocean, I am very, very passionate about the marine world. That is why I studied the subject at university. After some working experiences, I came to Valencia to improve my Spanish at Taronja School for 4 weeks and susequently I’m going to begin an internship at the Oceanográfico, the largest aquarium in Europe, lasting three months by the European program Leonardo Da Vinci. But what I like most is that I do get a lot of time to enjoy the Valencian life and get to know its culture and of course its nightlife due to this quite long stay…

Hello! I’m Jenny, teacher and head teacher at TARONJA. I’m from Valencia (although according to my name it does not seem like it). I love black chocolate Crêpe and shrimps …, lol, so if you ever want to invite me over, you know what I like. In my spare time I like to paint and take care of the plants on my terrace. I live with a cat named Neko and the cat is the cutest and the best in the whole world (cuter than the one from Carlos). I enjoy coming to work every day and especially sharing awesome moments with my colleagues at Taronja. The truth is I’m specialized in new technologies for language teaching and I have been hired to revolutionize the Spanish school. WELCOME!

  My name is Sandra, I’m from Germany and I am 24 years old. I loved my time at Taronja School and also at Taronja Home. People were very friendly and I think I learned a lot of Spanish. The city of Valencia is wonderful and there are many activities to do. Five stars ^ ^ Too bad I have to go but I hope to return one day 🙂 See you soon! xxx