Hiking in the Italian Alps overlooking Lake Como. Playing guitar with Spanish musicians in a local bar. Watching huge papier-mache constructions set ablaze in the street. These are just a few of the memorable moments University students experienced last semester in Valencia, Spain.
The program, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has enabled nearly 5,000 students from the University and other universities across the country to experience a semester abroad.
When the Valencia program began in 1983, it consisted of a group of five students and a professor.
These original students, and those in the years that followed, studied in whatever classrooms the University of Valencia could spare.
"We had trouble with getting classrooms from the University of Valencia which is huge and over-crowded," Spanish Prof. David Gies said.
Today, however, students who go abroad to Valencia don't compete for classroom space.
The University has combined efforts with Spanish businessman Enrique Selma to create a multi-purpose building just for the program students. The new building has seven new classrooms, a library, computer facility with 20 terminals equipped with the Internet, administration offices, a cafeteria and a large projection TV.
Last Month, University President John T. Casteen III visited Valencia, toured the new facilities and returned with positive reviews.
"Everyone with whom I talked described it as excellent," Casteen said. "Several said that it is easily the best academic facility they have seen."
Also new to the program this year is a system of direct credit-transfer for University students. This new procedure means that instead of receiving a credit/no credit mark for classes taken in Valencia, letter grades from these courses apply to one's transcript just as a course at the University would.
The new facilities and direct credit-transfer have strengthened an already successful Valencia program.
"For 20 years, this program has been our best known and largest international program," Casteen said. "It is recognized in Europe as a flagship program."
With this acclaim, it's not too surprising that students returning from Valencia have many exciting experiences to recount, and few complaints.
Fourth-year College students Pepper Watkins and Emily Guest were two of about 100 students who recently spent a semester abroad through the University's program in Valencia.
Both Watkins and Guest enjoyed the classes they took while in Valencia.
"Classes were good," Watkins said. "It was nice to be over there and have classes that weren't stressful, but were also helpful."
Similarly, Guest reported that the courses were "not as intense of rigorous as U.Va." but also said she felt she learned a lot. Guest said she especially enjoyed a course about Mass Media in Spain, which was made even more interesting because of the barrage of news coverage of the war with Iraq.
"We got to look at the media in Spain and see how the war was being covered, as compared to how it was covered in the U.S." Guest said.
Besides working their brains, both Watkins and Guest had course schedules that allowed them to travel.
"I had class all day Monday, all day Tuesday, and then after that I could take off," said Watkins.
Watkins took advantage of his class schedule by journeying to numerous destinations throughout Europe. His travels included stops in Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona and the ski slopes of the Pyrenees.
Guest had no class on Fridays, which allowed her time for travel too.
"My goal was to see as much of Spain and Portugal as I could," she said.
Guest toured the cities of Barcelona and Madrid, as well as Seville, Lisbon and Gibraltar.
During their travels, Guest and her companions stayed in hostels located throughout Europe. She said that although hostels may have a reputation of low-cost and low-comfort, "some were so nice, even nicer than American hotels, and much cheaper."
Guest did recall a hostel in Italy, however, where she and two other girls ended up being placed in a room with three 60-year-old bikers.
"They had the pleather pants and bandannas," she said.
Guest and her friends decided to get to sleep as soon as possible, with their bags next to them under the covers.
When they weren't traveling or studying, Guest and Watkins both said they enjoyed the local culture of Valencia.
"One of the coolest things I did while I was in Valencia was I linked up with some Spanish musicians," Watkins said. "I ended up going to a Spanish recording studio and recording a CD with them."
Watkins also participated in -- and won -- a competition with the Spanish guitarist and his girlfriend.
Guest said she and her friends from the program spent much of their free time in Valencia walking through the town and shopping.
"Shopping there is so much fun," she said. "Everything is really cheap."
Because Watkins and Guest both attended the program during spring semester, they were able to experience Las Fallas, an annual Valencia festival comparable to New Orleans' Mardi Gras celebration.
During the week-long festival, each neighborhood in Valencia built a sculpture of paper-mache and wood.
"The sculptures are as tall as buildings." Watkins said. The sculptures "illustrate scenes from the past year -- cultural commentary, social satire, a lot about Bush."
After five days of celebration, one of the constructions is voted as the best and relocated to a museum. The rest are burned.
Watkins recalled watching one of the largest sculptures burning in the intersection of a street.
"Firefighters came through and hosed down the buildings surrounding the sculpture," Watkins said. "There was a really intense heat."
The festival also amazed Guest.
"It was such an exciting time to be in Valencia," she said. "The people are so proud of their city."
Living in Valencia is enriching
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