Kirt Matthews

Today, we had our first class with Michelle and Tommy. We ate breakfast with our host families before heading to class. The breakfast for most students was prepared and ready for the students when they woke up. Many students appreciated the gesture. Around 9:15am, we all met at the Valencia soccer stadium. The stadium will be our meeting place most of our trip. Student's host families live various distances from the stadium.

Standing underneath the bell of the Valencia Cathedral. 

In class, Michelle taught us our first lesson: Global Leadership. In the class, we went through various PowerPoint slides and various videos to learn about global leadership. The overall main topics of the lesson were the 3 aspects of global mindset inventory: global intellectual capital, global psychological capital, and global social capital. Americans typically demonstrate high emphasis on global intellectual capital, but may lack in other areas. The cultural differences between Spain and United States reinforce these leadership differences as well. Throughout the class, students asked questions and gave feedback concerning the topics Michelle taught us. Many students had various examples of leadership, teamwork, and leveraging their network. At the end of class, we had a debrief discussion to talk about our first night in Valencia. The students all had unique, but beneficial experiences concerning their first night with their homestay family. With some of the homestay families having children and being various ages, each pair of students encountered various situations regarding their host family.

After class, we took a break until lunch. The students went back to their host families for their meals. David and I had chicken with rice, peppers, and bread. We met back up together around 4:00pm to walk to the ISA office.

Rice with chicken is a typical dish for Spanish people and my lunch today with my homestay mom. Es muy delicioso!

After arriving at the ISA office, we had a short meeting with other ISA staff regarding upcoming events while in Valencia. In addition, she gave us more information regarding our walking tour later in the afternoon. Lastly, we were informed about the hours of the ISA office and the tools available to us in the office throughout the trip. The office is approximately a 5 minute walk from the Valencia soccer stadium meeting place allowing for students to easily find the ISA office in the future.

Around 5:00pm, we began our walking tour of the historic city of Valencia. During the tour, we walked by the Basilica De Los Desamparados, which is the most important religious building in Valencia. Also, we went inside of the Valencia Cathedral. At the Cathedral, we walked up 207 steps to reach the top of the cathedral. The view was well worth the walk. Inside the cathedral, we witnessed a church service and saw the rest of the historic building. In addition, we saw and walked up the Serrano's tower. The tower is one of the 12 gates that formed part of the Ancient Valencia City wall. The view of the city was phenomenal and allowed the students to truly take in the beauty of the city. Later in the tour, we drank a Valencia specialty called horchata. The drink is unique to Valencia due to some of the ingredients only being grown in the city. Overall, many students enjoyed the treat. As we began to end the tour, we walked through the City Hall Square. The area is used in various ways. Many city-wide events, such as the Mascleta, are celebrated in the square. Mascleta is a spring celebration where the city shoots fireworks each day for 15-20 days in a row. At the end of the tour, we learned that Valencia is called the "Silk Capital of Europe" and the "Land of the Oranges". Years ago, all silk entering Europe had to pass through Valencia causing the nickname. All around the outside of the city, there are oranges grown causing the other nickname.

Purdue Promise group photo before starting our walking tour.

View from the top of the Valencia Cathedral.

After the tour, we took a bus back to the soccer stadium where students headed home. In the evening, students ate dinner with their host families and enjoyed their evening at home or out walking around the city.