Horizons Student Support Services Global Leadership Experience: Valencia 2019

May 25, 2019 - Nikita Miller Today is our last full day here in Spain. This morning started pretty late for the most of us, because we had no class or activities for the morning. I think we all got some much-needed rest. Most of the students have been doing their own thing, such as finishing up shopping and doing some last-minute sightseeing. For Ty and me, we accomplished one of our goals of climbing up the Micalet Tower. It was a total of 207 steps to get to the top, but the beautiful view made it all worth it. It was amazing to see all the landmarks that we remember such as Serrano towers and the City of Art and Science. Being able to understand where we were in the city from the landmarks around us made me realize how well we have gotten to know the city of Valencia. We headed home afterwards for our very last meal in our homestay. We had the classic soup, salad and bread lunch and for dessert the best watermelon I have ever had. A part of me wishes I could bring back a whole ...

May 24, 2019 - Tyniquia Taylor Wow! Time has flown by incredibly fast. I can’t believe that on Sunday we all go back to the states. I woke up this morning, excited to finish my last day of classroom lectures. However, this excitement slowly began to dwindle once I stepped outside and saw that it was pouring buckets of rain. Despite the gloomy weather, I headed to the University with positive vibes. We first watched a video that talked about the five biggest threats faced by the European Union. Afterwards, our guest lecturer discussed more about major influences that have shaped the economic, political, and social climate in the European Union. For me, this was very interesting because I made many connections between both United States history and Spain’s history. After lecture, I engaged in one last debrief with my peers and teachers. After class, my roommate and I headed back to our homestay for lunch. I ate gazpacho soup with bread, a hamburger with sweet onions, potato chips, an...

May 23, 2019 - Rachel Boler Today, we were able to have class outside as we walked and learned about water in Mediterranean landscapes. The irrigation systems in Mediterranean areas are so special because they integrate tricks passed down from thousands of years ago. They are totally human made, meaning that no equipment or pipes are necessary. We saw a small portion of farm land where pumpkins were being grown and saw how the plants are watered using traditional systems. The plants grow in parallel lines, with a shallow ditch in between each row. When the small dams are released, which hold the water supply back, the ditches will fill with water without touching the plants. Farmers created this design because the fungi in water would kill the plants. We also learned that only two crops are native to Spain including olives, and carob, which is a type of legume. Walking along an irrigation ditch.   After a lot of walking and working up an appetite, we sat down for lunch. Th...

May 22, 2019 - Jacob Bagadiong We’re in the endgame now. We have (including today) four more full days in Valencia, before we leave our home (stays) for our homes. While this trip can be taxing, it has been a worthwhile experience. That said, there was only one item on the docket today: La Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias (CAC) . Considering that it can take as long as forty minutes for me to get to the University or the ISA office, even by bus, it was nice to save those bus swipes and only be a ten-minute walk away for once. My roommate and I still managed to show up three minutes late.   Regardless, we started our visit with a showing of Backyard Wilderness , an IMAX film. It centered around a house. Literally. It focused on the hidden interactions of wildlife over the course of a year, that takes place right outside the home. I enjoyed the film thoroughly, as it managed to tell stories of different animals. As someone who will spend most of his career working behind a comp...

May 21, 2019 - Lia Dees Today started out a little later than normal, but I am definitely not complaining about the extra cup of coffee that the late start allowed. Class started at 10 am at the University of Valencia and was led by a guest lecturer. This guest lecturer is a professor of literature and also directed one of our classes last week. Many students were excited to see him because we very much enjoyed his lecture last week - he has a way of making learning very fun. The lecture covered cross-cultural communication, focusing on how global leaders can improve their communication skills. The class discussed how global leaders should not judge other cultures as “weird” and should instead try to understand the reasoning behind the behavior. We learned that behavior is caused by a chain reaction, beginning with beliefs. People derive their values from their beliefs, and their values influence their attitudes. In turn, these attitudes affect behavior. The professor taught us ab...

May 20, 2019 - Jessica Antaya Today (May 20th) we started our day like normal and had our 9AM class at the University of Valencia. Todays topic was about self-efficacy and how to tell out own narrative. We took the time to go over how to use our personal narratives and focused on career development. I think this is important because we are always learning so much and go through so many unique experiences and situations but a lot of the time, struggle with how to tell our stories and who we are because of them. This class gave me a better understanding of how to bring my personal narrative to my professional life. After class a few of us decided to go to the beach and relax for a bit with the little time we have left in Spain. Its times like these I appreciate the most because we are able to connect with each other a lot better in a fun and relaxed environment. We get to know each other’s personalities and surprise one another with our responses to silly games like truth or dare or w...

May 18, 2019 - Mariah Hurley If you have seen Cheetah Girls 2 then you will understand the excitement of going through Barcelona with the scene of strut in your mind, although Barcelona has more to offer than just a Cheetah Girls throwback. This weekend we got to experience the true beauty of Barcelona that is not always displayed in movies or described in songs. We began with a walking tour of the gothic quarter which included the roman ruins, the Barcelona cathedral and the labyrinth of streets scarred with history of the city. Our tour guide expressed the influence of the gothic style on the city and especially the cathedral. The Barcelona cathedral was designed to not only offer a place for the King and Queen to pray but also for anyone on the streets. To achieve this, they did not elaborate on the designs as much as other churches to ensure those of any economic standing would feel comfortable to pray. This idea of community was really touching compared to Toledo where the k...

May 19, 2019 - Joshua Henderson Today on May 19, 2019, we departed from our hotel in Barcelona to leave for Valencia. But before we go to Valencia, we stopped by Peniscola, another coastal city with aesthetic and historical beauty. When we reached Peniscola, the Mediterranean Sea captivated me with its beautiful array of blues, and how the sun glistened off of it perfectly.  A view of the Mediterranean Sea from oldtown Peniscola. As we strolled up the castle, I was pleased to see fish and ducks swimming in what appeared to be a person-made river. We went higher and higher in altitude and the higher we got, the more mystifying the view got. After about thirty minutes of walking, myself, Jasmine, Jazmine, Danielle, Rachel, Mariah, Jocy, Mekayla, and Anna sat down at a local restaurant and ate lunch. We all ended up ordering different combinations of the of the special that they were offering. My order was croquetas de pollo (chick croquettes) y salchichas con huevo y patata...

May 17, 2019 - Danielle Harrison It is crazy to believe how fast this trip is going. If I had things my way, I would stay here in Spain forever. This has been the trip of a lifetime and I have made friendships so deep that I didn’t think were possible to develop in such a short time. Today we travelled to Barcelona which is about a four-hour bus ride from Valencia. Yesterday was my 19 th birthday so the group went out to dinner. It meant so much to me to know how loved I truly am, even by my peers whom I only met less than two weeks ago. I can’t speak for everyone else but I am not usually a night owl so that has been one of the biggest cultural adjustments. Needless to say, I spent the bus ride sleeping so I would be ready to soak in all of the beauty of Barcelona. View during the bus ride to Barcelona. Despite the day being mostly rainy, I was able to make the most of my time. As soon as we arrived, we took a bus tour around the city with our amazing tour guide Ch...

May 16, 2019 - Noah McClerkin Today was a good, not too hectic day. I enjoyed the class we had today. In class, I became informed of Spain’s politics and some of the not too distant history which still influences the people who live in Spain today. After class I went and had coffee with some friends and then we went to a park where we ate lunch and talked about different aspects of the trip so far. Lunch was refreshing and shortly after, the entire group met near the middle of the city to attend the Valencian Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity (MUVIM). The Valencia Museum of Enlightenment and Modernity The MUVIM was an incredible experience. When I heard the that we were going to a museum I admit that I was expecting a very ordinary museum where we walk around and look at different artifacts of history and learn about the history of Valencia from someone narrating. To my surprise, I was in for a unique museum experience. Right off the bat I was taken by surprise when a my...

May 15, 2019 - Jasmine Pierce For the past week and a half I have seen things I could never see in America. The culture and environment in Spain is very different from back home. For example, I went to a bull fight without any knowledge of what this activity consists of. Although I wasn’t amused from the entertainment it was something I needed to experience. Each city I have visited in Spain has always left me eager for more to explore. In Madrid, I saw a painting by Picasso. While learning art history in high school I’ve always seen his work in textbooks but to actually witness his art was mind blowing and to see so many paintings drawn by him was the highlight of my day. In Toledo, our tour guide named Mario, said we were fall in love with the view the city. Me being from Chicago I had already fell in love with its view, however, the moment we got off the bus to overlook the city I immediately wanted to stay in Toledo forever.  Me, overlooking Toledo. Our group at Tol...

May 14, 2019 - Rosetta Estelle It is hard to believe we are about half-way through our trip! The time has really flown by with our schedule being packed with fun activities around Valencia. Today started with our first guest lecturer, Professor Agustin Reyes Torres. His lecture covered the ins and outs of Spanish education. The lecture was interactive and informative, the entire class participated and seemed to enjoy the content. For myself, I enjoyed comparing Spanish and American teaching approaches. The most surprising thing that I learned was that in Spain colleges do not look for or engage in extracurriculars such as clubs or sports. I couldn’t imagine going to a school without a big social aspect like Purdue has. During the lecture we also touched on what we think schools should focus on, differences in tuition prices, and study abroad programs. We talked about how important it is for teachers to really connect with their students in order for the students to be successful. ...

May 13, 2019 - Jocy Ramirez \The trip in its entirety has been full of so much fun and adventure. May 13th was no different than anything we had experienced but it definitely took us for a loop. Although, it was RJ’s birthday! We started our day with singing  happy birthday  and continued with class at nine in the morning for two hours. Afterwards, we all headed for a bike tour of Valencia. After trials and tribulations, we were finally able to stop halfway in our tour for lunch at a park. It was awesome to sit and relax with everyone while we enjoyed all of our lunches. We played card games and watched as ducks and birds surrounded us for our food. It was entertaining to watch how close the ducks would get to us because of our food. Once our stomachs were full and we were hydrated, we persisted with the bike tour. We biked through the park that surrounds the city. Jess (left) and I posing in front of the Torres de Serrano. A picture while biking. Left to righ...

May 12, 2019 - Mekayla Dodson Our first complete weekend in Spain has been a blast! It has been filled with new food, new experiences, and plently of opportunities to learn about the Spanish culture. On May 11th, we attended a bull fight in central Valencia, but on May 12th we spent the day on the beach for some much needed relaxation. On this day, we brought out all of our towels and layered on the sunscreen to enjoy the sea and the breeze. While the water here is pretty cold, everyone still enjoyed seeing the Mediterranean Sea for the first time and swam anyways. After basking in the sun and looking for seashells, we all gathered to play beach volleyball for about an hour.  Kites on the beach. We split into team RJ and team Ronnell but never ended up keeping a score of any of the games we played. While we are not professionals, we had a great time playing and created many funny memories in the process. We had a lot of trips, falls, and fumbles, but it all made for a ...

May 11, 2019 - Jahi Mubarak Horizons students displaying their puppets and cards created for immigrant children.  Pictured are all 20 Horizons study abroad students. We gathered to create puppets and write cards for immigrant children at a home we visited the previous day. There were many different types of puppets made ranging from: fish, alligators, bedazzled, one eyed, Hawaiian, cactus, penguin, and dragon look alike puppets. The cards made were also very creative and intricate. Some had very nice front covers and others were written and then placed on a felt material. We were given a plethora of materials including: felt, glitter, glue, puffy art balls, googly eyes, markers, crayons, and much more! It took a little under two hours for the groups to complete their magnificent works of art.  Overall, we had a great time and I know we will enjoy giving these to the children and interacting with them on Tuesday.  Bull-fighting in  Plaza de Toros de V...

May 10, 2019 - Leigha Keck Day three here in Valencia with our homestays and becoming accommodated with the area we will call home for the next two weeks. Today we started our day early, at 9:00a.m., with a two-hour class session. After class and before lunch – so for first snack – nine of us went to a local café and talked over coffee and croissants. All of us are looking so photogenic for the first snack of the day at the local cafe! After lunch time we reconvened at the ISA office at 3:00p.m. to go to our service activity. For our activity we bought snacks, juices, and fruits to take to immigrants in Valencia while we listened to them and the stories they chose to share with us. This was a very personal encounter, hearing how these people got to Spain and the hardships they have had to go through and still have to go through really showed their perseverance. Once we were done with the service activity we had a free evening to explore Valencia. Lorie, Jay, Josh, Daniel...