Valencia Program

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SPSU Students in Spain

Bernard July 6th - 2006 Hola!

As part of the certification in Professional Spanish that I hope to soon obtain, I have to do a service learning project. This service learning project is basically an internship, but not only is it for gaining experience in your chosen field of study, but rather, it immerses you in both a foreign language as well as your field of study. In my case, I'm currently interning in "la empresa de Luis Melia Informatica", which is a computer repair/installation company catered to local small businesses here in Valencia, Spain. The pictures provided show the workroom where we repair all the customer's PCs. Of course, working on several PCs at one time generates a big mess (as it can be seen!) Once the PCs are repaired, they are either picked up by the customer or delivered (and sometimes installed and/or configured) by the technical team--Luis, Jose, Pablo, and of course, me. All the magic of repairing computers begins at about 9:00 a.m. and ends around 8:00 p.m., or a bit later on those problematic days. So all and all, Luis Melia Informatica is your typical computer-repair shop just like any U.S.-based store of that type--with the exception of closing between 1:30 and 4:30 for "la siesta." ;-)

Nick July 16th - 2006 17th of July, 2006 My name is Nick Williams and I am a CET student at Southern Poly. I arrived here in Valencia about two weeks ago. I am taking classes here, however I did not register for them. When I arrived I made a last minute decision to take classes in an effort to improve my Spanish as much as possible during my visit. The primary reason I am here is to work in an internship or service learning project. I am one of two students from Southern Poly working in service learning projects in Valencia this summer. I think that this summer will turn out to be a great learning experience for everyone participating in the program. The company that I am working for is called Reinns, it is a civil engineering firm which specializes in natural gas lines that run below streets. I am currently looking at the book that they use to create project budgets to see if there is anything that can be improved upon. I am also reading through the latest standards for installing underground natural gas lines and making any necessary changes to their existing construction drawings. I must admit that I spent a few days just reading through the information that they gave me to try and come to a better understanding of what exactly I was to be looking for and what types of changes I am to be making. I think that I have it figured out more or less. I really like the people I work with, they are very pleasant and helpful to me. The primary reason for my visit this summer is to improve my Spanish. I have been placed in an ideal environment to accomplish this task. In addition to what I learn through reading and talking to my co-workers about work related matters, I also have the perfect opportunity to practice everyday conversation and learn by listening. Not only is this a great opportunity to improve my Spanish, but also a great opportunity to experience a professional environment in a foreign country. I am still geating used to the environment and I know that by the time I have a general feel for how things operate it will be time for me to return to the United States. I have decided to just sit back and try to learn as much as I can during my short visit. Valencia is a relaxed city in my personal opinion. The people are friendly and laid back. Many of the houses and building in the city are clearly older than those in the United States and that is part of the city´s charm. While there are plenty of new buildings, older architecture can still be found in many parts of the city. The cars in Valencia, as well as the rest of Spain, are much smaller than those in the U.S.. Motorcycles and mopeds are also more common here. The motorcycles are also much quieter than those in the United States. Another thing that has caught my attention is the city´s sanitation proceedures. There are far more public garbage cans, as well as separate containers for glass, plastic and paper products thougout the city. Garbage is collected much more frequently and the streets as well as the sidewalks are swept periodically. The steets are typically swept by special street sweeper vehicles and the sidewalks are swept by broom and leaf blowers. In Madrid the streets, in addition to being swept, are sprayed with water by special trucks after major events. I am very impressed by the addition the Spaniards pay to sanitation. Something else that caught my attention was the airport in Madrid. It is the cleanest airport that I have ever seen. Just in case I have not made my point by now, I am very impressed by the level of cleanliness that I have found here in Spain. Since I have been here in Valencia the Pope has visited the city. Not wanting to be trapped in the masses of people I tried to avoid the imediate vecinity of the Pope, but my efforts were useless. The crowds of pilgrims were everywhere. Streets were closed and police were everywhere. I was awakened on the day of his arrival by helicopters flying overhead. The city was decorated with yellow banners to honor the Pope´s arrival. One week after his departure there are still pilgrims and banners to be seen. Last weekend I walked accross Valencia to a large park on the other side. The park, which I am told was once a river, is long and narrow. I tried to follow it to see where it would lead me, but I gave up when my feet started to hurtand the end was no where in sight. On the way back I took a nap on a park bench and walked under a small castel-like structure. I wanted to go inside, but it was closed. I have also seen more fountains than I can remember and several plazas with palm trees and, of course, fountains. One thing I hope to do durning my stay is watch a bull fight. I have seen posters advertising one the week, I just need to purchase a ticket. La Plaza de Toros, the arena where the bull fights take place is one if my favorite buildings in Valencia, it looks just as I have always imagined. The building I am staying in is called La Finca Roja. Everyone in Valencia seems to be familiar with this building. It is a very large and old building with a private garden on the inside. It is easily recognized by the top of the structure which resembles a barn. I must say that it is very old, its electricity and plumbing were clearly not installed when it was built. Pipes run up the exterior walls and wiring for the lighting and electrical outlets runs along the interior walls. Inspite of its obvious age, the building does have its charm in the fact that it is part of the Valencia´s history. According to my host mother La Finca Roja is visited frequently by arquitecture students from local universities. One thing thing that struck me as odd, even though I new about it well before I came, is the fact that businesses close in the afternoon for the traditional nap known as La Siesta. The primary reason for Which this struck me as odd, or rather as an inconvenience, is that I have had trouble finding a place to purchase such items as notebook paper and botteled water. I have learned to make my purchases during normal business hours during the week, however on Sundays many businesses remain closed almost all day. My first Sunday in Valencia was a rude awakening for this reason. All in all I am enjoying my visit. I am trying to learn as much as I can about both the language and the culture. I am also getting plenty of exercise walking to and from school and work, and I think that I have been eating a healthier diet since I arrived. Overall I think that this will be a very possitive learning experience for us. I hope that everyone is having a good time and trying to take advantage of this opportunity, we may never have a chance to do something like this again in our lives.

Tyler 7/18/2006 Pimpin' since been.....

I guess this guy didn't have a lot to buy....wait that's the only type of shopping carts they have in the smaller markets. The buggy slides around the ground on four little wheels. It seems kind of hard if you want to buy a lot of stuff. Pretty much all of the electronics and gadgetry here are just as expensive. It's a whole different story with cars. You can either buy a small car with a small engine or a small car with a small engine and a turbo. There's also nothing like taking some hotties out on the town for a few nights of fun. Maybe Bernard and I just got lucky!

Tyler 7/5/2006 The following picture is of the Botanical Gardens in Madrid. I walked as far as I could, so as not to get lost, around the city. I love to people watch. I first sat down at a KFC where they had outdoor seating. Wow have I missed the simple fast food places already! They seem to like Burger King here the best. Who knows why? Anyways, the KFC was right next to a few cafés where a lot of people walked through. This was also right next to a huge water fountain and the Atocha train station was right across the street. Needless to say, a lot of people were walking by. I have to say, the people here are just as hot as the weather! The temperature here is only slightly hotter than that of Georgia's. There are so many cool shops here that I am getting a culture shock of "I want to go see everything but don't have enough time" crunch. Tomorrow (Saturday) will be my last full day here and then I will be on my way to Valencia this Sunday. Le escribiré pronto.

Bobby 8/14/2006 14th of August

Random Facts about Spain and Valencia

1.

Paella

Valencia is home to one the most famous dish, the paella. Rice is at the heart of the local Valencian cuisine, and there are a host of magnificent, succulent and honey sweet to the brothy and dry, oven cooked.

2 Silk

In 1609, sidelined from all trade with America , the city suffered an economic collapse in agriculture following the expulsion of the Moors that had converted to Christianity. Following this, in 1707, the position Valencia adopted in the War of the Spanish Succession, and its defeat in the battle of Almansa , meant the kingdom losing its old charters and privileges. It was the silk, in the 18 th century, that brought about its economic and cultural rebirth.

3

Ceramics

The Ibero -American Exposition of 1929 was a world's fair held in Seville , Spain . Many of the pavilions from the exposition remain, notably the famous Plaza de Espana , which chronicles each of the regions of Spain in ceramics, as well as some of the national pavilions which have now been converted to Consulate-Generals.

Ceramics were first made in this part of Andalucia during Neolithic times. The Romans, Moors, and Renaissance era Spaniards introduced many innovations, in fact, their influence can still be seen in the unique pottery of Ubeda . By http://iweb.tntech.edu/cventura/ceramic.htm

In Spain ceramic tiles are used for every thing. From tiling the floors for a house the walls of a house to the side walks out side. The are not usually plain the usually have some kind of painting, design on them.

4

America's Cup

The America's Cup is the most famous and most prestigious regatta in the sport of sailing, and the oldest active trophy in international sport, predating the FA Cup by two decades and the Modern Olympics by 45 years. The sport attracts top sailors and yacht designers because of its long history and prestige as the 'Holy Grail' of yachting. Although the most salient aspect of the regatta is its yacht races, it is also a test of boat design, sail design, fundraising, and managing people. The cup is named after the first yacht to win the trophy, the schooner America . The trophy remained in the hands of the New York Yacht Club of the United States from 1852 or 1857 (when the syndicate that won the Cup donated the trophy to the the club) until 1983 when the Cup was won by the challenger, Australia II of Australia, ending the longest winning streak in the history of sport.

The America 's Cup regatta is a challenge-driven yacht series that currently involves a best of 9 series of match racing (a duel between two boats). Since the 1992 match, the regatta has been sailed with the International America's Cup Class (ACC) sloop, a monohull boat that has an average length of about 75-feet (23 m). Any challenger who meets the requirements specified in the Deed of Gift, which governs the regatta, has the right to challenge the yacht club that holds the Cup. Since 1983, Louis Vuitton sponsored the Louis Vuitton Cup as a prize for the winner of the challenger selection series (which was inaugurated for the 1970 match). The America's Cup is a race between the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup and the current holder. If the challenging team wins the cup, the cup's ownership is transferred from the defender's yacht club to the winning team's yacht club.

Provided by Wikipedia

Spain ( Valencia ) will be hosting the 32 nd World Cup in 2007.

5

Citrus Fruits

Citrus fruits are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade. There are two main markets for citrus fruit citrus.

Citrus production in most of Europe continues to decline, although the clementines produced by Spain are increasing in popularity among consumers.

Valencian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine from the Land of Valencia , in Spain . It is worldwide famous for its rice's, such as paella, and its citrus fruits.

6

San Jose

The Falles (in Valencian ) or Fallas (in Spanish) are a Valencian tradition which celebratesSaint Joseph's Day Saint Joseph's Day (19 March) in Valencia , Spain . Each neighbourhood of the city has an organized group of people, the Casal faller , that works all year long holding fundraising parties and dinners, usually featuring the famous speciality paella, and of course much music and laughter.

Each casal faller produces a construction known as a falla which is eventually burnt.

Las Fallas is Valencia 's most international festival. In the week of 19 March, the city fills with gigantic cardboard monuments, called ninots , for a competition that is marked by art, ingenuity and good taste. The origin of the celebration goes back to the carpenter's parot : these were wooden lamps used to light their workshops in winter, which they would burn out in the street on the night before the feast of San José . At first they would make them look like human forms by decorating them with old clothes and fabric. In the mid-19th century, however, they began to increase in size and height and to improve their forms, becoming huge decorative statues.

Although the most important acts are held during the week of the 19th, Valencia is busy preparing the festive atmosphere from 1 March with the mascletás , noisy firework displays that take place every day at 2pm in Town Hall Square . When the night of the 15th March finally arrives, it is time for the traditional plantà of the fallas . People work all night to erect more than 700 statues in the city's streets and squares. Some even start setting up days before - these huge statues can reach up to 20 metres in height. On the morning of 16th, Valencia dawns with its streets inhabited by caricatures and satirical representations that criticise politicians, celebrities and the most relevant events in the news, with a great sense of humour .

You can enjoy these impressive scenes for the following days until the cremà , on the night of 19/20, when they are set alight amidst a fascinating spectacle of light, music and fireworks. All are burnt except one ninot which, elected by a popular vote, is saved from the flames to form part of the collection at the Fallero Museum . Another of the most exciting moments of the Fallas is the floral offering to the Virgin Mary. When the Fallas organisations parade on 17 and 18 March in honour of the Virgin, they create a mountain of flowers 14 metres high. Open-air celebrations, parades, bullfights, competitions and other activities complete the festive programme .

Brought to you by: http://www.spain.info/TourSpain/Eventos/Fiestas/K/TW/0/Fallas%20de%20San%20Jose.htm?Language=en

7

Fireworks

The only thing I can come up with about the fireworks is that they just love them. They have them at every thing day or night. We have been here three weeks know and one to go and they have had to massive fireworks show at the beach for no reason that I know of and come to find out they had multiple show each night all over the city at different times. Every time the have a parade of a fiesta they have a fireworks shoe to go with it along with a beer or four.

Photos by Bobby Burk

8

Water

Water here is important because something like 80% or the country of Spain is surrounded by water. It is a major way for Spain to export its goods and to import things too by ship. It is also very good for recreational use as well.

Nabia was the Iberian Goddess of Rivers and Water in Lusitanian mythology. The root origin of the name is Portuguese. The present-day river Navia in Galicia , Spain was named in honor of the deity. Likewise, the river Neiva , near Braga , Portugal is also named after her.

9

Valencian

Valencian ( valencià ) is the historical, traditional, and official name used in the Land of Valencia (Spain)) to refer to the language also known as Catalan ( català ) in the Spanish Autonomous Communities of Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands; in the country of Andorra; in the southern French region of the Roussillon; and in the Italian city of Alghero on the island of Sardinia. Valencian is also the name used by linguists to identify one of the most important dialectal varieties within the Catalan language spoken in central and southern Valencia .

According to the “Law of Use and Education of Valencian ” approved in 1982, Valencian is the Land of Valencia's own language, and its citizens have the right to know it and to use it, both orally and in written form, in private or public instances. According to the last survey made by the Generalitat Valenciana in June 2005, approximately 94% of the Valencian population could understand it, 78% could speak and read it, and around 50% could write it.

Provided by Wikipedia

26th of July, 2006 1.Blasco Ibanez- Valencian novelist, travel writer and politician born in 1867. Ibáñez achieved what most other Spanish writers only dreamed of - International popularity. Vicente was a member of the Republican party and editor of El Pueblo, an antimonarchist newspaper. In 1896, he was arrested because of his political views and actions and served nearly two year's hard labor. Vicente was eventually exiled from Spain in 1923. Due to the popularity of his later works, Ibáñez was a very wealthy man when he passed away in 1928

His novels can be easily classified into basic genres: regional, psychological, historical and Cosmopolitan. Ibáñez achieved his greatest success from the cosmopolitan European novels, of which Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1916) is the best. This is a tragic and suspenseful novel of World War I and its' effects on society. Other novels in this genre include: Mare Nostrum (1918), and Los enemigos de la mujer (1919), both of which are also war novels.

His best novels are of the regional genre, which take place in his native Valencia. These are his earliest works and they offer an intensely vivid depiction of the social problems affecting this region and realistically portray the lives of Valencia's citizens, including bullfighters, fishermen, and politicians. Vicente's masterpiece, Cañas y Barro (Reeds and Mud, 1902), falls within this genre and successfully transports the reader into the small fishing village of Albufera. This novel effectively depicts the bitter conflict between different generations of fishermen, interlaced with a tragic love story of forbidden love and its' shocking consequences.

2.A painting by Joaquin Sorolla

Barcas en la Arena

3.A barraca is a the name Valencia's traditional house know by the name Barraca for many centuries. They were made from raw materials such as wood, reeds, clay, and mud

4.What is a Chufa? Sweet and refreshing, Horchata de Chufa is one of Spain's most famous drinks. Made of ground chufa nuts (actually the roots of the chufa plant) grown in the Valle de Nito in Spain

La horchata de chufa is a Mediterranean product (completely different than Mexican horchata). Egyptians used chufa nuts in ancient times, and some documents indicate that chufa was also consumed by people in Asia. But, as with many other products, it was the Moors who first began cultivating chufa grass in Spain and originated the refreshing drink Horchata de Chufa from its tuberous roots. It is a favorite beverage in all of Spain, but particularly in Valencia, Murcia and Andaluc?a.

Chufa nuts, somewhat similar to peanuts, are ground up, soaked and pressed to make Horchata. Tiger nuts are brown. But they are very hard to eat raw this way. Ours are peeled, that is why they are white. The dark spots are little bits of the skin that could not be peeled. The process is this: they soak the tiger nuts until they are nice and plump. They are then put through a machine that rubs the skin off (similar to the way rice is refined). Then they are left to dry and to take on their natural shape without the skin. Ours are REAL chufas. And they are from Valencia. .Most chufas come from Africa and are of inferior quality. This package of Chufa nuts is enough to make about 12 ounces of Horchata.

HORCHATA RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS- 250 grams chufa nuts (about 7 ounces) 1 quart(liter) of water a cinnamon stick (optional) 1 tsp grated lemon peel (optional) about 1 cup of sugar (try the recipe with less the first time - you can always add more!)

INSTRUCTIONS: - For one liter of Horchata, soak 250 grams (three packages) of chufa nuts in water for 24 hours. - In a blender, grind the nuts, water, cinnamon, sugar and lemon until you have an even, smooth mixture. - Let it sit in water for a half an hour. - Press and strain the paste to obtain horchata. - Refrigerate for at least an hour - then finish it in the freezer for 20 minutes until slightly slushy

5. What is the oldest horchateria in Valencia? Horchateria de Santa Catalina and Horchateria el Siglo, both in the Plaza Santa Catalina.

6.Is there a song titiled "Valencia"? What are the lyrics? "Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus nmujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar

La blanca barraca la flor de naranjo La huerta pulida de almendros en flor La turia de plata y el cielo turguesa Y el sol Valenciana van diciendo amor

Amores en Valencia son floridos

Como ramos de azahar Quereres en Valencia sus mujeres Con en alma suelen dar Pasionens en la huerta Valenciana Si le dan el corazon Sus hembras ponen alma y ponen vida En un beso de pasion

Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus nmujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar"

7.Who is the most famouos architect in Valencia? Where is his studio? Santiago Calatrava

Calatrava works, in an atmosphere of deep serenity, in a Zurich villa that is both his main office and main home. (He has other homes, in his native Valencia and in Paris and New York.) The air and light have Swiss clarity. Across the way is the elegant Centre Le Corbusier, the last work of Switzerland's most famous architect, and a museum honoring him. Lake Zurich is at the end of the street, and Calatrava's lunchtime stroll to an excellent restaurant is bound by breathtaking views of water and mountains. Inside the villa you can hear nothing but his pen scratch as he turns out another of his fluent sketches.

'City of Arts and Sciences' in Valencia, Spain. One of his works in Valencia.

8. What is Fideuá?

Fideuá is a typical dish of Valenica, Spain . It is a variation of the popular paella dish, originated in the 1960s in the city of Gandia when noodles were put instead of rice, because someone forgot to bring the rice. There are many variations of it with different ingredients, but it is usually made with seafood and fish, and optionally served with allioli sauce.

9. What is an acequia?

An irrigation canal.

10. What is the Dama de Elche?= Lady of Elche

The famous but controversial Lady of Elx (Dama d'Elx in Catalan, Dama de Elche in Spanish) (the National Archaeological Museum of Spain in Madrid, calls her "enigmática"), is a polychrome stone bust that was revealed as found by chance in 1897 at L'Alcúdia, an archaeological site that was on a private estate about 2 km, south of Elx (Spanish Elche) (Alicante, Land of Valencia, Spain). The Lady of Elx is generally believed to be Iberian art of the 4th century B.C., or of the Hellenistic or the Roman periods. The bust is usually thought to represent a woman wearing a very complex headdress and big coils on each side of the face. A minority interpretation sees it representing a man. The aperture in the rear of the sculpture indicates it may have been used as a funerary urn.

19th of July, 2006 Hello again. Spain is doing ok and I am too. I have been here for a little over two weeks and out of the US for a little over three weeks. Studying abroad is a great thing to do because you have short classes, get a lot of credit for it and always have something to do. Like last weekend I spent all day Saturday at the beach and stayed till midnight when I watched probably the best fire works show I have ever seen. Yea the beaches are great and the sand and water is ok too. Everyday here is somewhat the same. The activities we do in the afternoon are different. My room mate Sean and I were talking the other day about some things that never change no matter where you are in the world, like toll roads. Yes I said toll roads, they have them here. We came up on one when we where going to a beach up the west coast of Spain (picture below). We have been walking around trying to see every thing but I have a feeling that we are not going to see everything even though we are here for a month. Bobby

7th of July, 2006 Hey everyone, This is Bobby Burk. We have only been here for four days so we haven’t done much or so you would think. Everyday has been packed full of stuff. On the first day we went to school and took a test. Image that I came all the way to Spain to take another test, but really it was to place me in the correct level for my month of studies I will be doing here. The school that we are attending is new, actually we are some of the first students to attend here. Life is in Spain is definitely different than in the US because everything shuts down from 2 till 4 and it drives me crazy because I can’t get any thing done. We have been visiting a lot of places and on the first day we went to one of the oldest church in Valencia Cathedral-Campanario del Miguelete and I have attached some pictures of the cathedral and a group picture of the students in the college. Bull fighting is really big here and I have attached a picture of the massive bull ring here to which I hope to attended a real bull fight while I am here. The Pope is coming to Valencia this weekend and I am going to try and go see him.

Sean 10th of July, 2006 This weekend in HOT HOT Valencia, El Papa (the pope) was in town. There was yellow everywhere, since that is the popes color. I am not sure what the numbers were on how many people came, but i am sure it numbered in the thousands. On Saturday, July 8th, a few of us went on a excursion to Peninscola. It used to be a island fortress, and we got a tour of the fortress. It was pretty interesting because people have just built inside the castle walls. Most of the city was closed to most traffic because of the pope. When in Valencia you get used walking everywhere. Walking 30 mins is the norm here, you just get used to it. We had to walk a hour to one of our activities. Im sure we are all getting into better shape here. The pope was at the Arts and Sciences city, which is one of my pictures. The picture is of the city at night. It is very big. It has a Concert Hall, which is not in the picture, and is not open yet. The big eyeball looking thing is a Planetarium, Imax Theatre and a Laserium. Not sure what a laserium is. The other parts are a interactive science museum and a sort of small aquarium. I havent been yet but all of us are planning to go sometime soon. My other picture is of the Train Station, Estacion del Norte. Most everyone arrived at the train station and walked to their houses.

Another picture I HAD to post was on that i took the day that i arrived. It seems that the big church here has its own Saint. The Saint of Valencia. The weird thing is that they have his upper arm in a kind of display case. Its all mumified and very weird.

So this weekend we went to the a bullfight at the Plaza del Toros. It was a interesting experience. First off we bought tickets for 11 euros that were "sun" seats meaning that they were in the sun. So for the first hour at the bullring we baked. The bullfight itself was not as interesting as i thought. First off I had NO idea that they actually killed the bull. I thought they just did the matador thing and that was it. What they actually do is bring out the bull with a metal spike already in its back and the bull gets really pissed and comes out into the arena very pissed. Then he goes after some of the matador- wannabes (guys who are dressed like the matador but aren't, and there are about 5-6 of these guys) and when the bull starts charging after them and gets close they duck behind a wall. Pretty cheap. So after a few minutes of this, they start attaching these fish hook like things to the back of the bull to make it start oozing blood. They attach about 6 of these things and then the matador comes out. So, the bull has 6 things attached to his back which i am sure is pretty painful and is loosing about a gallon of blood. So the bull now is in pretty bad shape and then the amazing, ballsy and macho matador walks out. Yeah, not too convincing to me. So the matador does his thing, which might be impressive if the bull was still at 100% and not loosing a litre of blood a minute. So then after about 10 minutes of the matador playing with a dying bull, he gets his sword out and charges at the bull and impales it into the top of his back. Then the bull staggers into a corner and the wannabe - matadors surround him and "attack" him from both sides so her goes back and forth, back and forth until he hits the ground and then rolls over dead. Half the time in these last moments blood starts gushing from the bulls mouth. Then, to make sure the bull is dead, some guy comes out with about a 10 inch knife and sticks it into the back of the bulls skull and twists it around while the bull starts twitching around.

This really is not what i thought i was getting myself into. Needless to say i was quite disturbed by this event. One of my friends started talking to some of the locals in the arena and started telling them that he was rooting for the bull. They did not take too kindly to this as they late moved down to some other seats. Do I regret going to the bullfight? No, i don't think so. This is one of the main cultural icons of Spain, although I am not sure why.

Will I go to another bullfight if I come back to Spain? No. Once in a life is enough.

The pictures I have of the bullfight are representative. Some of them are pretty gory.

The matador - wannabees always have a pink capotes The matador has a red capote.

Also, here are some terms.

Bullfighting terms Muleta - A small red cloth stretched over a stick (Palo) Capote - The red cape Paseillo - The parade of fighters at the beginning Corrida - A Bullfighting show Espada - The matador's sword also called the ESTOQUE Matador - The top bullfighter Novilladas - Beginners fights Rejoneadores - Horse-mounted fighters Toril - Enclosure for the bulls Picador - Fighter to weaken the bull Banderillas - Barbed darts on coloured shafts placed into the bull's shoulders Puntilla - A dagger that is stabbed into the base of the bull's skull Puerta - grande The main door to the arena Gradas - Highest seats at the back of the ring (cheapest seats) Barreras - Front seats Sol/Sombra Sun/Shade - the choice as to where you sit Plaza de Toros - Bullring

Peter 13th of July, 2006 So this is is my first email from Spain. I started out in Madrid which was a bit of a culture shock at first because is was so incredible busy. I had to just find somewhere to sit back and take it all in for a while before i tried doing anything myself because it was a bit of a mental overload until i got used to it. Madrid is a very energetic city full of busy traffic, good Tapas (bar snacks) and beautiful women. From the airport i got a room in a hostel 8 floors above one of the main streets. I also happened to spend the night there during the night of the Gay Pride parade. I jsut took pictures out of my window and didnt venture in the streets too much. after two days in Madrid I caught a train to Valencia. Valencia is a bit more relaxed than Madrid but is also quite busy. Expecially the traffic. People here drive their vehicles like they stole them. But I think they pay more attention and have better awareness when it comes to pedestrians and other traffic. they drive fast and crazy, but also very defensively. I enjoy noticing the vehicals which arent available in the U.S. some examples of the motorcycles they have here which i havent seen in the U.S. would be a the Honda CBF600 and the Suzuki Slingshot500. Theyre both basically small nimble bikes with decent sized engines for their weight. Average size for a bike or scooter here would be about 200cc´s which seems to be plenty for the traffic here, But in the U.S. anything less than 600cc is looked down apon. We took a fieldtrip to Peñiscola where there is an old castle built by Crusaders and a beautifull Beach. it was pretty fun but the bus was full of young loud Italian Kids. As far as my housing situation is concerned, Nick and I live with 3 other boys from Hungary, Switzweland, and Brazil, and 3 girls from Switzerland, Germany, and Poland. The house is small and stuffy since AC is rare here. I bought a fan and keep it clipped on the back of my bed. The house is owned by Theresa, an old senile woman who talkes alot and is sometimes hard to understand because when she rambles its so non-sequitorial that its impossible to make use of context. But shes overall a good cook and a nice accomodating woman. The archetecture is very beautiful here and the sidewalkes are tiled in marble.. theres allways plenty of interesting things to see and people to watch. The women here are usually in very good shape because of the medditarean diet and the walking everywhere. My daily schedule is as follows...wake up at 8, get ready, walk 25 minutes to a resturant next to the school, where I drink coffee and read the News. I go to class at 9:30 and it last until 1:30, but we get breaks. There are 2 sessions, the first over grammer which makes my head hurt but I need to learn, and the other is over something culture, but still in Spanish. aside from the SPSU students at the school the rest are Russian girls, The cultural differences which exist make for an interesting learning environment. After school we go out for lunch, which is usually bread, pàella, beer, some type of meet, coffee, and a desert. The stores close from 1:30 til 5 here so after lunch I usually go home and then study and nap for a while. Supper is served at the host house at 10pm and after that we usually go out to either the beach,which is a 20 minute metro ride, or a bar, or just for a walk. I usually go to bed around 2 or 3am and then it all starts again the next day. more to come later,

So I went to the Aquarium in the Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias. It was pretty fun. I like the Sea Lions because theyre such whimsical lazy beast. They have a pretty good life it seems. Ive taken to going on long walks and watching people and looking at things, its a pretty good pasttime and it beats sitting in the house and sweating. Ive also started wandering around parking decks in my spare time looking for fast exotic cars. I havent found a BMW m5 yet but have been hassled by the security because someone my age walking around taking pictures of peoples cars looks like im casing the place. But usually if I explain that im an international motorhead and that some of the cars cant be found in the U.S. theyre pretty understanding. Either that or they tell me to leave, but thats the worse that cound happen. I also went to a bullfight, which was awesome. I know that many feel that its a horrible sport and is cruel to the bulls, but if I were a bull Id rather die a valliant death with 300 spectators and a chance of mauling my aggressor than walk down a chute and get sledgehammered in the head. Ive been to the Beach a few times and the scenery is usually very pleasing. The sun is hot and the sand gets everywhere. Its light and blows around and sticks to you when you sweat. But the Medditareanian is great for washing off, allthough then you get the prickly sand sensation when you dry off.

PETE

Extra Credit Assignment

1. rice O. sativa began being farmed in the Mediterranean regions of Europe around 800 B.C.E. It was brought to the Iberian peninsula by the Moors when they conquered it in 711 C.E. After the 15 th century rice spread throughout Europe and from there found its way to the New World . Rice is now a very important part of the Mediterranean diet. It is used for cooking Paella is usually cooked with saffron to give it its flavor and golden color.

2. silk • “La Lonja de la Seda” or the silk exchange in Valencia is one of the cities largest tourist attractions and a World Heritage Site. Silk was first developed in China in as early as 6000B.C.E. and the Knowledge of sericulture was kept secret from other nations. Silk eventually made its way into Spain when the moors introduced it and brought imported it from the northern coast of Africa . By the 12 th Century A.D. Spain had developed a reputation for itself for weaving silks of exquisite design and perfect texture.

3. ceramics Ceramic Tiles have been made by mankind for close to 4000 years. It was invented in the Middle East and introduced to Spain by the Moors. It didn't reach popularity in the rest of Europe until the 12 th century C.E. Spain has played a dominant role in the evolution of ceramic production techniques serving as a link between the Arab and European worlds. The Ceramic industry continues to be a large part of Spanish Culture and Economics.

4. yachts • Valencia is one of Spain 's main boating cities. This Year the Americas Cup yacht race will be there. I almost went to try out the Yacht simulator but the girls I was going to go with backed out…

5. citrus products • Citrus Fruits were brought to Spain from Northern Africa by the Moors during the Middle Ages. Because of the arid acclimate in Spain Citrus plants flourish and can be found through ought the city of Valencia . I Threw Limes at a window of the flat I was living in because I was locked out.

6. San Jose San Jose means Saint Joseph . Las Fallas de San Jose is Valencia 's most international festival. It occurs on March 19 th every year and the people make gigantic effigies of various characters, play with fireworks, and mess with bulls, then at the end of the week they set the effigies on fire.

7. fireworks Valencia is world renowned for their fireworks. They Shoot off fireworks nearly every weekend. A perfect firework display in Spain is perceived to be a grand work of art and the displays truly are Beautiful.

8. water Spain is running out of water. There are signs all over the place saying that people should conserve water. Indeed the world is actually running out of water but since Spain has been in drought for the past decade the conditions are more noticeable there. But for all of the campains of water preservation I saw, there weren't many low-flush capacity toilets…maybe it has something to do with the food.

9. el idioma valenciano Valenciano is the indigenous language of Valencia . It is a Romance Language and sounds like Spanish mixed with French and Roman. It is also known as Catalan. Below is an example of Valenciano

Andrew ¡Saludos desde Valencia!

The weather is hot and the women are even hotter. Air conditioning is virtually non-existent here. The best solution is a cold drink and a swim in the Mediterranean Ocean. Clothing is optional at the beach and many women choose to go topless. To cool down at night, you just open up the windows and let the breeze blow in from the beach to keep you cool. One of the best ways to experience the flavor of Spain is in a tapas bar. Tapas are small snacks that are often served in outdoor cafes. They don’t cost much, so you can try many different dishes. So far, my favorites are Patatas Bravas (like steak fries served with buffalo sauce), Calamari (Fried Squid), Chorizo (Sausage), Merluza (delicious white fish in a red sauce), and Carne de Pincho (beef with sautéed onions in red sauce). The beer here is excellent and really hits the spot on a hot day. Espresso is also cheap here and everyone drinks a lot of it. Coca-Cola tastes better here, because it is made with real sugar. We found a chain restaurant that serves American-style food. For some reason they insisted on putting an over-medium fried egg on top of my hamburger. Go figure. There are many activities through the school here. We toured the historic district of Valencia and saw several buildings that dated from the 15th century including a the cathedral where the Pope recently visited, and a circular Arabic market called the ¨Plaza Redonda¨. Tonight we are taking salsa lessons. Tomorrow we are visiting a museum and Saturday we are taking a trip to Altea. I have never walked so much in my entire life. I’m suffering from a quarter-sized blister on the bottom of my foot, but there is no time to slow down. There are cars, motorcycles, and motor scooters everywhere. (People sometimes drive their scooters down the sidewalk), but since I don’t have one I have to walk everywhere. No wonder the people are so fit here. Aside from the tourist stuff that we have been doing, there are bars, cafes, and shops to visit. There are few movie theaters. Home life is different too. Here, it is customary to entertain out of the house, at a bar or cafe. Families are very close and it is not uncommon for a man into his 40´s to live with his parents. Likewise, when parents get too old to live on their own, they typically move in with their children. A typical flat in Valencia can cost between €300.000 and €1.000.000 or more. The public gardens in Valencia are absolutely amazing. Words cannot do them justice. We have spent hours strolling through them and have still barely scratched the surface. The buildings are beautiful, the architecture is amazing, and there are many, many sculptures. What an exciting first week it has been. The Pope came to visit this weekend along with a million pilgrims. It was impossible to get anywhere. The police had the streets barricaded. The usually good public transport system ground to a halt. We returned from the beach on a bus Saturday, which dropped us in the middle of the city. We had to walk the remaining miles home. We encountered a sea of yellow and white (the color that the pilgrims were wearing). They were camped out like hippies watching a 30´flat-screen television broadcasting the Pope. Sunday we went to a bar and watched the World Cup on a big screen television. We were cheering for Italy in a predominantly French bar. That made it even more exciting when the Italian team won. Afterwards, people went nuts. People were dancing in the streets, honking the horns on their cars and driving the streets with Italian flags hanging out of their windows. It was very exciting. Perhaps soccer will one day find the popularity in America that it has found in the rest of the world. We are having a good time exploring an interesting culture that is very different from our own. I think that when I return to the United States, this trip will have broadened my horizons and given me a new perspecive on our own culture. I look forward to seeing all of you back in ¨The States.¨

¡Hasta Luego!

La Playa de Las Arenas

Going to the beach is a big part of life here in Valencia. The beach is only a short ten minute bus ride away from the home or the school. The beach in Valencia reminds me of Long Beach, California. There is a long boardwalk that stretches from the port (Where the America’s Cup is being held) past several restaurants and a hotel, beach volleyball courts and a gypsy market, past statues and into the distance to where I have never visited. Normally we go to La Playa de las Arenas (one of two popular local beaches). There are always lots of people there because many Europeans choose to spend their summer vacations here. The beach itself is covered with trash because many people litter there. However it is close and we always have fun there. We also visited one other beach called Altea on a Saturday excursion through the school. It was incredibly beautiful. The beach was small and clean. The water was a crystal blue. Next to the beach arose an enormous rock the size of a mountain. It was only for a few hours, but we had a good time swimming and socializing with the other students from Russia.

L'Oceanografic

Recently Jessica and I visited L´Oceanografic, which is a part of L´ Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias (A huge complex that includes a science museum, an opera house, an outdoor garden, and more. Also, it is worth noting that the architecture was all designed by famous Valencian architect, ) L´Oceanographic is a marine complex that houses marine life from all over the world. Exhibits included the Mediterranean Ocean, tropical, temperate, arctic, Antarctic, deep ocean, and a Dolphinarium. We paid €18 to get in. It was well worth the price of admission. We spent about six hours there. My favorite exhibits included the sea lions, going through tunnels underneath sharks and sting rays, and of course the dolphin show was incredible.

The Bullfight

This past Monday, Jessica and I attended our first bullfight at the Plaza del Toros, which was built by the Romans here in Valencia . It was an intense cultural experience and I believe that it is safe to say that it was not exactly what we had expected. I chose to reserve my own personal judgment, and instead appreciate the cultural experience. I now understand why the Spanish feel that bullfighting, when done correctly, is both an art and a dance. The toreadors (Toreador is preferred term to matador because matador literally means ¨killer¨ and can be taken as slightly offensive) are both graceful and brave. The toreadors we watched were actually toreadors-in-training and were therefore referred to as ¨novillos¨. All were younger than I am. The youngest was only 20 years old (he was also the best). Each appeared to weigh less than 200 pounds, yet each faced animals that weighed more than 1000 pounds. Despite the sentiments that I felt for the bulls, I was still able to enjoy the excitement of the event and appreciate the skill of the toreadors.

Toledo

On our way back home, Jessica and I decided to visit Toledo . We didn't have much time there, but I am so glad that we went! It was an incredible journey. We traveled three and a half hours from Valencia to Madrid by high-speed train, and then backtracked a half hour to Toledo . Toledo is a city with as great a history as any city in Europe . It was spared the destruction of World War II. As a result, many of the old buildings are still standing and in great condition. Toledo is definitely a tourist city. There are shops everywhere and they are all geared toward tourists. The primary exports of Toledo are the artisan goods for which it is famous; damasquinado, marzipan, swords, and knives. The shopkeepers all speak English. We only had one evening and a half day to spend in Toledo . We made the most of what little time we had. We started out by walking the city and taking pictures. We saw so many ancient buildings. The most important were the Alcazar, the cathedral, the bullring, and El Puente de San Martín. The pictures of those are posted below.

We spent most of the second day doing the tourist thing, shopping for souvenirs. I looked everywhere for a real sword, but all that I could find were display swords. So instead I decided to purchase one very large top-quality knife. The blade is chrome-moly and the handle is beautiful olive wood. We did a lot of shopping and purchased many other smaller items including decorative plates and damasquinado. We had finished shopping and began looking for a taxi to take us home because our train was supposed to leave in less than an hour. We got directions to the taxi pickup, but no taxi ever came by. I asked a man to call the taxi service for me, but he claimed not to have a phone and gave me the number instead. I found the nearest telephone, but the hook was broken and I had to hold it up with my finger while I dialed the number with the other hand. I dialed and it had begun to ring when my finger slipped and it hung up. I tried to dial at least three more times but the line was busy. By this time we had little more than thirty minutes to catch our train. We panicked and started running for our hotel, hands full of souvenir bags. Halfway there we stopped at a hotel and asked the lady to call the taxi service. She tried twice, but the line was still busy. We continued running to the hotel, which was at least a mile away uphill. I arrived first, out of breath. I explained in a panic to the concierge that we needed a desperately taxi in a hurry, because if we missed our train, we would be stuck in Toledo and we would also miss our flight. The line was still busy, but fortunately for us another couple had called a taxi. I wanted to take their taxi, but instead we had him radio for yet another taxi which arrived not five minutes later. We threw our bags in the trunk and hopped in the taxi with fifteen minutes to get there. As we rode, the man explained to us that most of the taxi drivers were on vacation because it was July and that is how it works in Spain . We arrived at the train station with less than five minutes until the train was scheduled to depart and we still had to pass through security and board the train. I threw the driver the money and told him to keep the change. We jumped out of the cab, grabbed our bags, and ran for the security check. People had already started boarding the train. We hurried through security and quickly boarded the train. It left the station about two minutes later. Relieved, we relaxed and waited for the next leg of our adventure to begin.

Andy Mengwasser Scavenger Hunt 1

1. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez

Vicente Blasco Ibáñez was born in Valencia in 1867. He was an internationally recognized writer of regional novels. His famous works include Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1916), Mare Nostrum (1918), and Los enemigos de la mujer (1919). He was a member of the Republican party and served as the editor of El Pueblo , an antimonarchist newspaper. In 1896, he was arrested because of his political views and actions and served two years in prison. Vicente passed away in 1928. Below is a picture of two of his books.

2. Joaquín Sorolla

Joaquín Sorolla began painting at 15 years of age in his home of Valencia, Spain. Three years later he went to Madrid where he was employed copying master works at the Prado Museum. At the age of 22 he went to study in Rome. There he became skilled in the art of shading and highlighting. In 1911 the HSA commissioned him to paint scenes for the New York Library. The collection is now a museum known as the Museo Sorolla and is contained in Sorolla´s house in Madrid. Below is one of his paintings depicting people enjoying guitar at an outdoor cafe.

3. Barraca

Barracas are a type of house that is normally constructed of mud plaster, straw, and/or brick. We encountered many barracas in the Valencian countryside during our train ride to Valencia and on our excursion to Altea.

4. Chufa (Cyperus esculentus) is a type of edible tuber that has a taste similar to a nut. They have been used to make a drink called horchata for hundreds of years. Horchata is very popular here in Valencia. It has a flavor similar to soy milk. It can be served cold or granizada (frozen). I like horchata, but the chufa that I ate did not taste very good.

5. Oldest Horchateria

There are two horchaterias in Valencia that claim to be the oldest; Horchateria de Santa Catalina and Horchateria el Siglo. They are located across from one another in the Plaza Santa Catalina. While touring the historic district, Jessica and I encountered the two horchaterias. We decided to try an horchata granizada at the Horchateria de Santa Catalina. It was good. We also tried Fartons (he he... yeah) which look like breadsticks, but taste like croissants with powdered sugar on them. They left something to be desired. Dig the pictures.

6. ¨Valencia¨ - Lyrics by Helmut Lotti

"Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus mujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar

La blanca barraca la flor de naranjo La huerta pulida de almendros en flor La Turia de plata y el cielo turquesa Y el sol Valenciana van diciendo amor

Amores en Valencia son floridos Como ramos de azahar Quereres en Valencia sus mujeres Con en alma suelen dar Pasiones en la huerta Valenciana Si le dan el corazón Sus hembras ponen alma y ponen vida En un beso de pasión

Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus mujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar"

7. Most famous Valencian Acrhitect: Santiago Calatrava

Most well-known work: Ciudad de las Artes y Ciencias

Valencian Address:

IN HOC SIGNO VINCES C / Marques de Sotelo 1-11° 46002 VALENCIA SPAIN

8. La fideuá is a typical Valencian dish, similar to paella except that instead of rice, hollow noodles are used and the meat is exclusively seafood.

9. Acequia – An acequia is a type of irrigation system originally developed by Arabs. When the Arabs conquered Spain in 711, they brought with them their technology including farming and irrigation techniques. An acequia is essentially a community-shared waterway for crops. The water is usually gravity-fed from mountain snow or river-runoff, through pipes or aqueducts, into fields. Acequias were later adapted for use in the American Southwest. Thanks to its simple and ingenious design, many acequias that were built hundreds of years ago are still in use today,

10. Dama de Elche

The Dama de Elche is a famous statue of a woman wearing an elaborate headdress. It is generally accepted as being one of the finest examples of pre-Roman Iberian artwork. It is thought to date from the 4 th century B.C. The artifact was discovered in 1897 and purchased by Pierre Paris who immediately had it shipped to France where it was exhibited in the Louvre Museum. In 1941 it was returned to Spain. It is currently on exhibition in the Prado Museum in Madrid, a fact which is the source of great controversy. The people of Elche are fighting to have La Dama de Elche returned to them. They believe that the real statue should be exhibited in Elche and not Madrid. Currently there is a copy of the real statue on exhibition in Elche, which is located in La Comunidad Valenciana.

Scavenger Hunt 2

1. Rice

Valencia is the number one producer of rice in Spain. There paella rice grows in standing water in large fields. In the village of Calasparra which is located in Murcia, they grow two historic varieties: Sollana (which is called Callasparra rice), and Bomba, a variety that was nearly forgotten until it was recently recognized as being the best rice for paella.

2. Silk

The Lonja was the Moorish silk exchange that was built between 1482 and 1492 under the watchful eye of Pere Compte. It is generally considered to be one of the most beautiful buildings of the European gothic style. From the outside, the Lonja looks like a medieval castle. The architecture is truly phenomenal. In person, you realize how truly massive the beautiful, spiraling pillars actually are. The carvings on the doorways are also quite interesting and have fantastic detail. Visiting the Lonja was like taking a trip back through time; truly awesome.

3. Ceramics

The National Ceramics Museum is located very close to Españole. Valencia has been a center of ceramic production and trade from the thirteenth century. Housed in the Palace of the Marqués de Dos Aguas, this museum offer an overview of outstanding works in ceramics from Manises, Paterna and Alcora. Although we did not go inside the museum, we did pass by it on multiple occasions when touring the historic district. The outside of the building is covered in some of the most intricate carvings that I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. The realism of the carvings is phenomenal.

4. Yachts

We visited the America's Cup Port which is located down by the La Playa de Las Arenas. Louis Vuitton now sponsors the event. We took an interactive video tour that explained the origin of the event, looked through the gift shop, and then made our way through the museum of scale model ships. There are scale models of every ship that has ever won the America's Cup, beginning with the race's namesake, The America. I don't know much about yacht racing. Apparently the swiss team, Alinghi won the previous event. Since they have no large body of water (like an ocean) the event is being held in Valencia. Alinghi will race the winner amongst the remaining teams sometime later this year.

5. Citrus Products

Valencia is famous for oranges. Even as a boy, I remember seeing commercials on television advertising Valencia oranges. I am yet to try a Valencia orange, but I have been drinking fresh, locally made orange juice that is 100% juice, not from concentrate. It is very good. I suppose that since Florida is very close to Georgia, getting fresh O.J. is just not a real big deal for me.

6. San Jose

San Jose means Saint Joseph in Spanish and the Festival of Saint Joseph means one thing: Las Fallas. Las Fallas is Valencian for "the fires". The heart of the festival is the construction and destruction of ninots--huge cardboard, wood and plaster statues that appear to be very cartoonish. The ninots are placed around the city and remain in place until March 19th, when they are burned during "La Crema." Starting in the early evening, they stuff them full of fireworks. The crowds begin cheering, the streetlights are turned off, and all of the ninots are set ablaze at the stroke of midnight. Each year, only one ninot is saved from destruction by popular vote. It is then taken and placed in the “Museo Fallas” where it is exhibited with the previous winners, which date from the early 1900's. We visited the Museo Fallas on one of our day trips. It was very interesting, but regrettably they did not allow photos to be taken inside the building.

7. Fireworks

The fireworks in Valencia are the most amazing that I have ever seen. Valencianos really love their fireworks. It seems that they will use any excuse to set them off, and what a show it is. The other night we watched in amazement while standing on the beach as the fireworks master set of an unbelievable orchestra of fire. There were at least half-dozen types of fireworks that I had never even seen before. The most amazing were the ones which exploded, dropping clusters of fireworks which landed on the ocean and then exploded again, sending showers of sparks cascading all over again. There were others, which slowly hovered and then rose only to slow down and then rise again. Their graceful rise and fall reminded me of sparkling jellyfish shooting across the sky.

8. Water

There is water everywhere in Valencia. Of course there is the beach. There are also fountains everywhere. But the best, the bluest, the most crystal-clear water had to be in Altea. Altea is a small pueblo about 20 km away from Valencia. It is a picturesque place with narrow streets, steep hills, and beautiful blue tiles on rooftops. There is also an amazing mountain that rises dramatically from the ocean, almost as though a giant dropped a large rock right there in the sand. Despite all its other features, the water is the best attraction in Altea. It is as blue as I have imagined the waters in the Bahamas to be. It is cool and refreshing, fun to swim in, and much cleaner than the beach in Valencia.

9. El Idioma Valenciano

Valencia is a city of two languages. The local dialect is Valenciano. Castilian, which is commonly known as Spanish was forced upon the rest of Spain by the government located in the area of Castile, in the center of Spain. Valencia, like many other provinces of Spain and the Spanish people themselves, was stubborn and headstrong. They decided that, although they would learn and speak Castilian Spanish, they would continue to use their local dialect as well. Getting around Valencia can be difficult at times for a person who speaks only Castilian Spanish. That is because many of the signs, especially those for public transport are written solely in Valenciano. Also, in some districts of town, the majority of the signs for businesses and restaurants are also written in Valenciano. In class we did some activities that taught us to recognize the telltale signs of some of the major dialects spoken throughout Spain. At times the similarities are enough that I can recognize the meaning of a Valencian phrase. Usually however, it might as well be in Japanese.

Jessica Hola!

    I am in week two at Valencia .  There has been so much to do and not

enough time to do it. If sleep were not a necessity, I would not bother with it here. I have enjoyed walking through El Rio, which is a huge garden/park that encircles the entire metro Valencia . Eating tapas, small plates of food, is a great way of sampling all the local food while hanging out with friends. My favorite foods so far are paella, empanadas (pastries filled with meats or vegetables), horchata (drink made from a nut called chufas.) I usually don´t like wine, but the sangria is great; just don´t have too much.

    At night, there is so much to do, such as hang out at cafes, clubs,

and bars. The night life is such an important part of Valencia . It isn´t just for adults; many families eat late and walk through the city. It was exciting watching the football at a bar. The atmosphere was pleasant and happy with people of all ages including children watching the game. After the game, I joined in the celebration of people waving Italian flags, honking their car horns, and yelling "Italia."

  El Papa (the pope) visited Valencia this weekend.  And yes, they do

call his vehicle el papa mobil. It was amazing to watch one million pilgrims pore into Valencia to catch a glimpse of the holiest man in the Catholic Church alive.

My third weekend here has been the best so far. On Saturday, I went to the beach and spent all day marinating. At night, Andy and I relaxed on the beach and watch the most spectacular fire works show I have ever seen. They were set off on the beach just a hundred yards from where we were. One type looked like jellyfish swimming through the ocean. My favorite type went up in the air, landed in the ocean, and exploded off the water. These fire works were so loud that the noise hurt my ears, but it was cool feeling the vibrations of the explosions. These fire works would definitely be outlawed in Georgia !

On Sunday, we went to the L'Oceanografic. Each building had fish, sharks, and other marine life from a different ocean. It was fun watching the sea lions play; I even got a cute picture of one sleeping. The dolphin show was amazing. There where about 12 well trained dolphins. For one trick, they jump at least 20 feet to touch the hand of their trainer. Overall, the atmosphere was good; the crowd was excited, the dolphins were very excited because it was feeding time, and the trainers set up an entertaining performance. There was a bird area with several types of birds. The interesting part was that you could see their nests and the little baby birds. This oceanographic is bigger than the Atlanta aquarium and has several more attractions. I would compare it to being a mini Sea World.

On Monday, we went to the bullfight of novilleros versus torros. Novilladas are toreadors in training. It wasn´t as gory as I thought it was going to be. When the crowd enjoyed what the fighters were doing, they clapped, and when they disapproved, they whistled. Two nice ladies were sitting next to us and were more than happy to explain parts of the fight that we did not understand. They even shared their mini empanadas with us. We found out that when the crowd waves their seat cushions it is because they want the novillero to cut off the ear of the bull and give it to someone in the crowd. Most of the crowd did not like the picadors, men on armored horses with a spear called a vara, and to show their dislike, the crowd whistled. I myself did not like the picadors; maybe it's because they involved the horses in the fight. The bandilleros were the novillada's assistances with magenta capes. They tier the bull before the novillada comes out with his red cape, and they help when the novillada drops his cape. I took several pictures and videos of the fights because there were six fights, two for each bull fighter. I didn't take pictures of the final attack though. It was hard for me to take. One second the bull was tired and bloody but standing and alive, and the next second he falls over and is dead and stiff. It wasn't how I thought they would die. Overall, this was an important cultural event for me to see, but I did not care to go back to a bullfight.

1. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez is an author who was born is Valencia in 1867. Blasco Ibáñez was a member of the Republican party and the editor of El Pueblo , which spoke against monarchy. He was arrested for speaking against the government and was exiled from Spain . He wrote books such as Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis (The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, 1916), Mare Nostrum (1918), and Los enemigos de la mujer (1919). Many of the books took place in Valencia and had his political and social views. Any book store in Valencia has his works. The picture below a couple of his books that we found at the book store.

2. Joaquín Sorolla is a painter that studied painting in Valencia , where he was born. He then studied in Madrid and copied paintings from a museum. In Rome , he developed the ability to paint with light effects. When Sorolla returned to Madrid , his paintings were in great demand. The Hispanic Society of America commissioned him to paint decorative scenes for its library in New York City . The collection is now in a museum, the Museo Sorolla, in the artist's house in Madrid (Saint-André.) The picture below is called "The Horse Bath."

3. A barraca is a traditional house in the Valencia country side. It is basically a hut, square or circle, made of mud plaster, brick, and straw. We saw many of these structures on our regional six hour train ride from Madrid to Vaencia.

4. Chufas are not nuts, but edible tubers with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour. They are hard and are generally soaked in water before they can be eaten according to the lady at the horchata stand. I went to a small horchateria and the vendor gave me a chufa to try. By itself, the chufa did not taste good and was extremely dry, but as a drink, it is quite refreshing.

5. The oldest horchateria is Horchateria de Santa Catalina is the oldest horchateria. The workers said that the tiles are orginal. We went there and got fartons, type of bread with powered sugar, and an ice horchata. This is truly that way to have it. As a drink, it is good, but as an icy, it is so much better. Andy took a couple of pictures of me outside the horchateria and sipping the drink.

6. The song below is about Valencia . A translation wouldn´t do this song justice, but it basically is about the important things in Valencia : the oranges, barracas, flowers (there´s several sunflower crops out in the country side). The song is also about the people of Valencia . Below is a picture of sunflower in Valencia because I thought of the sunflower patches we passed riding on the train.

Valencia¨ - Helmut Lotti

" Valencia es la tierra de las flores

De la luz y del amor

Valencia tus mujeres todas tienende la rosas el color

Valencia la sentir como perfume

En tus huertos el azaharquisiera en la tierra

Valencianamis amores encontrar

La blanca barraca la flor de naranjo

La huerta pulida de almendros en flor

La turia de plata y el cielo turguesa

Y el sol Valenciana van diciendo amor

Amores en Valencia son floridos

Como ramos de azahar

Quereres en Valencia sus mujeres

Con en alma suelen dar

Pasionens en la huerta Valenciana

Si le dan el corazon

Sus hembras ponen alma y ponen vida

En un beso de pasion

Valencia es la tierra de las flores

De la luz y del amor

Valencia tus mujeres todas tienende la rosas el color

Valencia la sentir como perfume

En tus huertos el azaharquisiera en la tierra

Valenciana mis amores encontrar"

7. Most famous Valencian Acrhitect is Santiago Calatrava. This is kind of obvious; he's the one who designed La Ciudad de Los Artes y Ciencias or The City of Arts and Sciences. No expense was spared on this place. What is cool is that I can see the buildings from several locations in the city. The observatory is shaped like an eye and opens when people are gazing at the stars. To me, the opera house looks like a space ship. The oceanographic reminds me of the Sydney opera house. Everything is this area is a piece of art. They take an ordinary vent and put a mosaic design and shape it to look like a huge star. Below are several pictures of the architecture.

8. La fideuá is similar to paella except that instead of rice, it has hollow noodles and the meat is all seafood. Unfortunately, I did not have a good experience because the place where I tried it burnt the noodles and there were tiny pieces of shell that I bit on several times. Hopefully other people had better luck than me with it.

9. Acequias are irrigation channels to provide water for farming. The Moors constructed several of the acequias that are still standing today. Water is extremely important to the people of Valencia especially after the water was routed out of the city because of flooding problems. There is a water court by the church to settle disputes over rights to water; this is the oldest legal system still intact in Spain . Below is a picture of an acequias, and a picture of the area where the water court is held.

10. Dama de Elche, the famous but controversial Lady of Elx is a polychrome stone bust that was revealed as found by chance in 1897 at L'Alcúdia, an archaeological site that was on a private estate about 2 km, south of Elx in Alicante. The Lady of Elx is generally believed to be Iberian art of the 4th century B.C., or of the Hellenistic or the Roman periods. The bust is usually thought to represent a woman wearing a very complex headdress and big coils on each side of the face. A minority interpretation sees it representing a man. The aperture in the rear of the sculpture indicates it may have been used as a funerary urn ( Sanchez Cascales .)

Web Cites Used

Sanchez Cascales , Ezequiel. The Lady of Elche . http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/esanchez/dama.htm

Saint-André, Peter. Joaquín Sorolla, Painter . http://www.saint-andre.com/thoughts/sorolla.html

Rice

Rice was introduced to Spain by the Moors. Since then, Valencia has been one of the primary production areas for rice of Spain . The rice is short, round, and sticky when cooked because it has a lot of starch. It becomes yellow rice when saffron seasoning is added; this is used for paella. The world's largest paella was cooked here in Valencia ; I know because the post card I bought says so. The pictures below depict traditional paella valenciana and arroz y blanco.

Silk

La Lonjna, or The Silk Exchange, is a monument of the city. It was built between 1482 and 1492 by Pere Compte. La Lonja is a beautiful set of buildings with a court yard that has orange trees. Everything is so ornate, especially the ceiling. Parts of it look like a castle because of the tops on the roofs. There is the Tower, the Consulado del Mar room, Patio de los Naranjos ( Orange tree courtyard), and the Column Room. The pictures below are of the Lonja including one of Andy being enlightened. This is one place that you have to see in person to truly see its beauty.

Ceramics

When the Moors conquered Spain during the early middle ages, they introduced technology such as advanced pottery techniques. Glazes and lusters were a major improvement to make beautiful lasting finishes. These ceramics were valued all over Europe . There is a museum that has old ceramics that survived the time; the style is very Moorish with the geometric patterns. Below are a couple of ceramics from the middle ages.

Yachts

The other day, we went to the America´s Cup port and checked out the free setup paid by Louis Vuitton. The building had several screens playing the history of America´s Cup. We also got to see some of the racing yachts and models of various winners throughout the years. Unfortunately, not everything was open because the actual race is not until next year; there was much construction going on when we visited. One picture is of the building for America´s Cup and the other is a picture of the racing yatch.

Citrus Products

Valencia´s fruit is the orange. Everywhere we walk, there are orange trees growing in the parks and in avenues in the street. These trees are just for decoration and a symbol of Valencia , but I wish I could reach out and grab one of the ripe oranges. I´ve enjoyed getting oranges from the market. They are so much better here because they are ripened on the tree much longer.

San Jose

Las Fallas de San Jose is Valencia 's most international festival. In the week of 19 March, the city fills with gigantic cardboard monuments, called ninots for a competition that is marked by art, ingenuity and good taste. The origin of the celebration goes back to the carpenter's parot: these were wooden lamps used to light their workshops in winter, which they would burn out in the street on the night before the feast of San José . At first they would make them look like human forms by decorating them with old clothes and fabric. In the mid-19th century, however, they began to increase in size and height and to improve their forms, becoming huge decorative statues. We went to the fallas museum, but we were not allowed to take pictures inside. I learned the history in a video that the museum showed our group. The fallas were very detailed dating all the way back to the early 1930s. The only picture we could take was a group shot outside the museum. I did however get a book and some post cards because the fallas looked so interesting.

Fireworks

The fireworks here are amazing. For the month of July, every Saturday at 10pm there is a fireworks show at Las Arenas beach. While relaxing on the beach, we had the best view I have ever had for a fireworks show. They are very popular in Spain ; whenever there is a celebration going on, you can be sure there will be fireworks. We took some cool photos of the fireworks.

Water- Beach at Altea

Altea is a beautiful pueblo on a hill. We walked from the top of the hill down to the beach where there were huge rock formations. The water was so clear and light blue. I enjoyed just looking around the Pueblo , but getting to swim in the water made the trip even better. Below are pictures of the beautiful beach.

El Idioma Valenciano

Spain has a national language, Castillian (Spanish), and several regional languages. In Valencia , the regional language is Valenciano. In the center of the city, I do not here much of it spoken, but when I go out to the beach, I here it a lot more. It is different enough that I can not understand the language. Several signs are written both in Spanish and Valenciano. The pictures below show examples of signs in both languages.

David 13th of July, 2006 One of the more interesting aspects of Spanish culture is the night life in Valencia. Starting at about 11 at night, you can find people, young and old, out until 1 in the morning. It has not been uncommon to see families having a night out as late as midnight some nights. Also, the younger folks stay out late into the morning, even on weekdays. Thankfully, having siesta from around 3 to 5 in the afternoon helps keep you awake, as well as coffee with three times the caffeine of our home brews.

August 14th, 2006 Though class can be hard, it is definitely a new perspective on the world that I have never seen before. In my classroom alone, as many as four different nations were represented, and I got to meet people from all over the world that I would have never met before. In class, besides the teachers being from Spain, I met many Russian students, a girl from Armenia, and a guy from Slovenia. Out of class, I roomed with some girls from Milan and hung out with some other Italian girls around the city.

Also, the way the city was set up was very different from what I was used to. The streets are much narrower, and most of the buildings date to a much older time period. No wonder, since the city was founded by the Romans in the first century BC.

Some of the newer buildings caught my attention as well. The art and sciences museum was a large complex with many exhibits and unique buildings. Though not necessarily as well put together as the museum I have seen before, nowhere else have I seen such unique architecture.

Jeremy

14th of August, 2006

well i have had time to fully digest spain. it was an eye opening experience. the only thing that i really didnt enjoy on some level was the travel situation. i went to a bull fight, which was interesting. i spent lots of time at the beach and at school. the program has room for improvement, but is better if you go into it with an open mind. i have included various pictures of my trip in spain. if you are considering this program, i give it two thumbs up.

1. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez: He was born in valencia in 1867. he was a novelist and a politician who was exiled from spain for his political views in 1923. he died five years later. his most acclaimed work was Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsis, which translates into "the four horsemen of the Apocalypse". he wrote several novels that took place in valencia.

2. Joaquín Sorolla: he was born in valencia in 1863. he was an impressionist painter who became known for his ability to depict the effects of light.

3. Barraca: is a type of house that is typical of valencia. it is made of different things, but it is basically a shack.

4. Chufa: is a similar in taste to nuts. it is made into a drink called horchata. i did not try the drink after multiple reports of the drink not being very tasty.

5. Oldest Horchateria: there are two that claim to be the oldest. both are in the plaza Santa Catalina.

6. Valencia the song:

"Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus nmujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar

La blanca barraca la flor de naranjo La huerta pulida de almendros en flor La turia de plata y el cielo turguesa Y el sol Valenciana van diciendo amor

Amores en Valencia son floridos

Como ramos de azahar Quereres en Valencia sus mujeres Con en alma suelen dar Pasionens en la huerta Valenciana Si le dan el corazon Sus hembras ponen alma y ponen vida En un beso de pasion

Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus nmujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar"

7. Santiago Calatrava: is considered by most to be the most famous architect from Valencia. he was born in valencia on July 28, 1951. in valencia, his most famous work is the arts and science museum.

8. La fideuá: is a seafood dish that is similar to paella with few exceptions. one of which is that it is sometimes made with pasta instead of rice.

9. acequia: is an irrigation canal

10. Dama de Elche: Found by chance on La Alcudia, a nearby archaeological site in 1897, the Lady of Elche is a well-known polychrome stone Iberian art believed to be produced in the fourth century B.C. although some scholars and others date it to the Hellenistic or Roman periods.

It represents the bust of a woman with a very complex headdress and big coils on each side of the face. Who she might have been also remains a mystery--perhaps a goddess or an Iberian princess. On the back it has a hole, possibly for the deposit of the ashes of the deceased. It could be therefore be an example of a cinerary urn typical of Iberian funerary rituals.

Nevertheless some scientists debate the correct date for the original work and even its veracity. http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/esanchez/dama.htm

14th of July, 2006 ¡WARNING! THE FOLLOWING IS NOT INTENDED FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR THE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN. IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED OR CONSIDER YOURSELF CONSERVATIVE, PLEASE STOP READING NOW. OTHERWISE, ENJOY.

contrary to what david says, the night life only gets started at one in the morning. the only night, so far, that i have gone to a club, the first club had no one in it because it was too early. it was only aobut 12:45 am. the lack of air conditioning is kinda a problem, but i am becoming accustomed to the heat.

walking everywhere is interesting, it kinda reminds me of new york. you get to interact with the people more like that and you also get to see the sights, sometimes at an agonizingly slow pace.

as of present, david and i have an 11:00pm curfew, so we havent been going out much. hopefully this will soon be resolved.

everything here is more expensive than it is in the states with a few exceptions, most notably, american cigarettes and domestic liquors. these two things are about 30% cheaper here than in the states.

there are lots of things to look at, such as buildings (wonderful architechture, if you like that sort of thing) and off the top of my head, traffic. the traffic is crazy, with all the mopeds and people running red lights and double and triple parking. apparently it is custom here to leave your car in neutral if you double or triple park. one night david and i watched a man push a car out of his way to leave a parking space. the man was driving a compact car, so the space that was left was compact size. then this guy in a big body benzo comes and tries to park there. he procedes to ram the car behind him twice before he decides that the space is too small.

oh yes, mullets. there seems to have been some sort of outbreak of mulletitis here. it plagues the young and old alike and doesn´t discriminate according to gender.

the television here is also different. it is in no way censored. the other night i was watching the news and they were doing a segment on the ¨heat wave¨ that is going on currently. one woman that they interviewed was topless and seemed to care less that she was on television, baring her breasts to all of spain. and then there are commercials that have nudity in them. also, langdon says that at midnight, xxx porn comes on the public access channels, if you like that sort of thing, langdon.

enclosed are pictures of my home for the first night in spain, the airport in madrid. for those of you that dont know, my luggage was lost and no one could give me a straight answer as to where it was, so i decided to stay in the airport all night with a woman that i met who had similar problems with her luggage. allegedly, our luggage was supposed to arrive at 8am on the first flight from casablanca, which it didnt. but enclosed are some pictures of the airport, me and the baglady and our cart, the girl that stole my bed while i was outside smoking and the cleaning dude that wouldnt just leave the towels outside the door. also im including some pictures of spain itself.

enough rambling. hasta luego.

Langdon

15th of August, 2006

1. Vicente Blasco Ibáñez- A writer, he was born in Valencia in 1867. Was responsible for publishing a radical republican journal, El pueblo, and was put in jail thirty times for political activism. Became world famous for his war novel, Los cuatro jinetes del Apocalipsisur (1916). He traveled throughout South America , before returning to his native land at the beginning of World War I. “He died a voluntary political exile.”

http://coloquio.com/famosos/blascoibanez.htm

2. Joaquín Sorolla- He was born in 1863. At the young age of fifteen, he began painting in Valencia , his hometown. At eighteen, he went to Madrid and found employment at the Prado Museum . He went to study in Rome four years later. It was there that he mastered his techniques of shading and highlighting. In 1911 The HSA got him painting for the New York Library in 1911. His works are now in his house in Madrid , the Museo Sorolla.

http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artMakerDetails?maker=786&page=1

3. Barraca- It is a type of house in Spain usually built from brick, straw and mud plaster.

http://www.iswcs.org/iswcs2006/acompanying.php?menu=visitor&section=tourist_programs

4. Chufa- It is a type of food with taste resembling a nut. It has been used in the popular drink horchata, which tastes much like soy milk, for hundreds of years.

http://www.xmission.com/~dderhak/recipe/horchc.htm

5. Oldest Horchateria- Two in Valencia lay claim to being the oldest. Horchateria de Santa Catalina and Horchateria el Siglo can be found in the Plaza Santa Catalina directly across from each other.

http://www.openroad.com.au/tor_travel_vivavalencia.asp

6. There is a song called “ Valencia ”. It is by Helmut Lotti and here are the lyrics.

”Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus nmujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar

La blanca barraca la flor de naranjo La huerta pulida de almendros en flor La turia de plata y el cielo turguesa Y el sol Valenciana van diciendo amor

Amores en Valencia son floridos Como ramos de azahar Quereres en Valencia sus mujeres Con en alma suelen dar Pasionens en la huerta Valenciana Si le dan el corazon Sus hembras ponen alma y ponen vida En un beso de pasion

Valencia es la tierra de las flores De la luz y del amor Valencia tus nmujeres todas tienen de la rosas el color Valencia la sentir como perfume En tus huertos el azahar quisiera en la tierra Valenciana mis amores encontrar”

http://www.jencomics.com/artist_h/helmut_lotti_lyrics/valencia_lyrics.html

7. The name of the most famous Valencian Acrhitect is Santiago Calatrava. Here is the address of his studio. IN HOC SIGNO VINCES C / Marques de Sotelo 1-11° 46002 VALENCIA SPAIN

http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Santiago_Calatrava.html

8. La fideuá- It is a dish unique to the region. It is like paella, only hollow noodles are used instead of rice, and the meat is usually seafood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fideu%C3%A0

9. Acequia – It is an irrigation ditch that was constructed during colonial times in Spain .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acequia

10. Dama de Elche- This is the Lady of Elx, a polychrome stone bust that was discovered in 1897 at L'Alcúdia, an archaeological site near Alicante . Most scholars agree that The Lady of Elx is Iberian art of the 4th century B.C.E. This constitutes the Hellenistic and the Roman periods. Most think the bust represents a woman wearing a headdress. A few people, not many, think it represents a man. There is evidence that it was once used as an urn.

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/esanchez/dama.htm

27th of July, 2006

Hello all, Here is my disclaimer for this post. The following is not intended for those with weak stomachs, or for those who tear up easily and it is not what anyone would call watered down. In fact, the overall mood is most definitely a depressing one. Here goes.

Bobby, Sean, Jeremy and I attended a bullfight at the local bullring here in Valencia on Friday night. Let me just say this. It was one of the more apalling spectacles I have beheld in my twenty one years on this earth. The way they treat the bulls is disgraceful, not to mention the fact that they kill the poor bull once the torturous runaround is complete. The bull comes into the ring having lost a signifcant amount of blood, with one or two blades already in him. Then he chases a bunch of clowns around the ring with no chance of causing harm on them. By the time the matador gets in the ring, the bull might as well be on his deathbed. The matador keeps the bull running just long enough to toy with him, giving him a false sense of hope that maybe he will live long enough to inflict pain on this hideon. What is even more shameful is the fact that everyone in the crowd, most of which consists of Spaniards, pulls for the matador to tease the bull and then kill him. To top off this horrific event, they bring out yet another villain to put the nail in the coffin, so to speak, and belatedly put the bull out of his misery by driving a small knife into his skull. What was so shocking were the responses I got from the Spaniards sitting around me as to how they justified this atrocity. One man had two things to say that were particularly memorable. One, that this is what the bull was born for, and two that this was a tradition that has been a part of Spain's culture for many years. I will conclude this post with what I should have said to him, had I been able to formulate these thoughts in Spanish. Regarding the tradition comment, it was also tradiition that they sacrificed virgins to appease the gods, but we don't do that anymore. And secondly, saying the bull was born for this is as ignorant as saying that African Americans were born to be slaves. As much as I hated having to witness such an injuctice, I must say that it was a once in a lifetime experience, and I am glad I was exposed to it. However, that does not change the fact that, in my opinion, it the most barbaric of all rituals I have ever seen. On a happier note, much love to all back in the States, somewhere I will be in less than 48 hours, for better or for worse...

Hasta luego, C. Langdon

19th of July, 2006 Greetings and salutations, Americanos. Valencia has been quite the experience for me thus far. I could go into detail about all of the interesting aspects of Valencian culture that have hit all of us since we arrived, but in fear of boring everyone to death, and because I wish not to repeat what has been been said countless times already on this site, I will spare everyone and take a different path with this post.

The following pictures were taken last Friday night, during a long walk home with Jeremy and David, which we were forced to take after the bus that was to drop us off close quit running and dropped us off even further from home than we were when we got on. It was a muggy night, and I had already removed my shirt. I let my cumbersome jeans down to my ankles and asked Jeremy if he thought it would be inappropriate for me to walk the rest of the way home with this look. Not even considering that it would lengthen the trip significantly, for that is reason enough to advise against it, Jeremy responded and asked why I did not just take them off and carry them home, along with my shirt. I thought this was an idea crazy enough to work, so that is what I did. It was a much cooler trip home for me. That much can be said. While lying in bed that night, I realized that the predominantly nude trip home served as confirmation to what I suspected when I first arrived in this foreign country. Nudity does not really matter to these people. I really did not get any second glances, and I passed numerous people, young and old. People eating, people socializing, people whom I could tell were homeless passing me on the streets- hardly one thought twice about the fact that there was a 21 year old kid in nothing but boxers strolling down the streets of their city many hours into a Saturday morning in July. This is simply not done in the States. Not only this, but as it has been overstated in previous posts, it is not abnormal to turn the television to a local channel past midnight and see Hardcore pornography. Contrary to what Jeremy would have you believe, I do not condone this, nor do I condemn it. I was just throwing it out there when I told him about it.

Of course by now everyone is aware of the fact that if you go to the beach here in Valencia, you will probably see more than one woman topless. I am not pointing this out to be a pervert, rather to say that I believe they place much less value on how they look here than those in America do. If you are of the female persuasion and you weigh over 120 pounds, you probably would not be caught dead wearing a string bikini, much less not having on a top at all. But here it is of no importance. Beauty comes from within, is their motto, and that is something that I respect way more than any measurements on a pretty girl.

Now that I have gotten the nudity talk out of my system, I will close by saying that I am very excited about going to the Museum of Arts and Sciences today. It is the scheduled activity for today. Tuesdays we have Salsa dance lessons, Thursdays we go to the beach to play volleyball, and today we get to go to what all the natives say should be our number one destination while here in the city. If that is not enough fun for ya, a few of us just bought tickets to see a bullfight here on Friday night. When many people think of Spain, they think of bullfights, so it will definitely be cool to do something unique to the region before I return home.

Enough rambling. Love to all those back in the States who are enjoying air conditioning and hot showers while we are freezing our butts off over here in their showers, and sweating our tails off in their restaurants. Look forward to seeing you at the end of the month.

Hasta luego, C. Langdon