Nomadic Noles – Issue 4 by FSU International Programs

Nomadic Noles

Summer 2017 A magazine written and produced by students in Florida State University’s Study Abroad Valencia Program

Feliz aniversario! FSU Valencia celebrates 20 years

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Vicky Pacheco has worked at FSU Valencia since 2001, and her behind-the-scenes role helps the program run smoothly and efficiently.

The Ruzafa neighborhood, the “Brooklyn of Valencia,” attracts locals and students who want an artistic and cultural experience.

From the Olympics to CNN, from entrepreneur to climate expert, four study abroad alumni make their mark on the world.

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PAGES 6, 10, 22, and 28

Letter from the program director

e are PROUD, very proud, of you: the students and faculty who choose to study and teach abroad. It is not an easy choice, and it includes costs and other personal efforts. But we know—and those who have experienced it are our best promoters—that the effort pays off. You, brave students and faculty who leave your comfort zones, homes, Photo by Madison Manley cars, families, and loved FSU Valencia Dean and Program ones behind for a few Director Ignacio Messana weeks or months, are choosing to do something that will change your view of the world and ultimately, your view of life. You will learn and experience many new or different things. And, trust us, you’ll like some, love many, and hate a few of those experiences, but they will become amazing memories and personality-shaping moments that you will have forever. This year FSU International Programs marks 60 years of educating students abroad, of helping students and faculty make this eye-opening experience possible. FSU International Programs has been in Panama for 60 years, in Florence for 51 years, and in London for 46 years. In summer 2017, we marked the 20th anniversary of the Spain (Valencia) program, during which time we have hosted around 10,000 students in Spain. For the celebrations, for the hard work and the camaraderie, we thank all of the administrators, staff, program assistants, and recruiters who made it possible to change the lives of so many people through study abroad. Having said this, we would like to make a special call to you students to share these memories with your friends. Some of us in Spain come from a more collectivistic culture, and we know well that other countries and cultures tend to be a bit more individualistic. This collectivist culture gives us a perspective that we share with students every semester, every week. As human beings, we grow and mature in a much more positive way if we can share things—if we can have another person or group to talk with, laugh with, cry with about whatever is happening in our lives, from a very important moment to a more casual but meaningful “something” that just occurred yesterday. Please, neither be closed to sharing, nor be closed to listening to others. The more you talk with others about your experience, the more it means to you and to them. Many of those 10,000 students have passed by our offices, so we give you this advice from personal experience. —Ignacio Messana Front cover photo courtesy of FSU Valencia Photo credits for table of contents, clockwise from top left: courtesy of Noah White; courtesy of Teaghan Skulszki; courtesy of Colleen Quigley; courtesy of Lee Alexander; and Marc Hollingsworth

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12 Table of contents/Summer 2017 Faces of the staff Taking care of business 4 Meet Vicky Pacheco, a hidden gem and key contributor to the FSU Valencia Program. By Taylor Goggin Study center in focus Fresh take on studying abroad 8 New for 2018: Spring break course offered in Valencia through International Programs. By Brittany Argote FSU Valencia hosts Belmont 20 Belmont students join Valencia program and create unforgettable relationships with FSU students, professors, and each other. By Madison Manley Beyond the study center Lives examined 12 A personal look into the lives of several students at FSU Valencia. By Sarah Silva Ruzafa revitalized 14 Valencia neighborhood that went from an undervalued barrio to a vibrant area appreciated by all. By Amber Lewis A central meeting place 16 Students and locals alike savor the tastes of the Central Market. By Kamille Catala

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Arts and science on display 36 Visit Europe’s largest aquarium, an IMAX theater, and three stories of hands-on science in one place. By Alyssa Blanco

Mental maps 18 Students find various ways to to document their one-of-a-kind memories of studying abroad. By Teaghan Skulszki

Harmonic convergence 26 Discover why July is a hot month for music in Valencia and in Spain. By Jessica O’Connor Local landmarks 30 Two architectural pillars, the Valencia Cathedral and North Train Station, give visitors a lesson on two “Golden Ages” of architecture. By Madeline Hoffman Two Valencian visionaries 32 A closer look into two of Valencia’s most inspirational and most prominent figures, painter Joaquín Sorolla and writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez. By Rachel Dranetz

International Programs alumni profiles Chasing her goals 6 From home-schooled teenager to professional model to national champion to Olympic star—FSU Valencia alumna Colleen Quigley’s unconventional journey. By Carter Floyd “Why not?” 10 FSU London alumnus Lee Alexander realizes the importance of taking life’s opportunities. By Brittany Wallace

Don’t-miss attractions 34 Take a closer look at some of Valencia’s less-frequented spots, and learn more about a few of the city’s oldest traditions. By Marc Hollingsworth

The world in perspective 22 Candi Obrentz reflects on her Florence study abroad experiences and the impact they had on her career. By Samantha Gettis An environmental epiphany 28 FSU Republic of Panama alumna catapults herself out of her comfort zone and into tropical Central America. By Ian Tramm

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Summer 2017

Revealing a hidden gem on FSU Valencia’s team

Vicky Pacheco By Taylor Goggin

any students who study abroad in Valencia, Spain, may not be familiar with Vicky Pacheco. As the program’s accountant and facilities manager, she works in the Garnet study center and focuses on financial issues rather than hands-on student matters. Working behind the scenes for Florida State University’s Valencia program keeps Pacheco from having a lot of direct interaction with students, she knows, but she still feels an emotional attachment to them. “I do not have as close relationships with the students, but when I go to farewell lunches or trips, it fills me with happiness to see the students so content,¨ Pacheco says. Pacheco is small in stature but mighty. Beyond her welcoming smile, she is a powerhouse of drive ready to take on any task that comes her way. In addition to overseeing the financial aspects of the program, she has

“The major aspect that attracted me the most would be the students, working with young people, young minds. I believe it is a beautiful job, working with students.” — Vicky Pacheco

recently been dealing with labor issues, such as hiring and faculty contracts. Since FSU hired her in 2001, Pacheco has been an important contributor to the program, being a part of and leading other team members.

“Vicky is a good friend, a good daughter, a good sister, a good wife, and a good mother. I feel very privileged to have her very close.” — Cristina Gil “I work in the back office, I know, but in the end, the front office could not Photo courtesy of Vicky Pacheco prosper without the help of the back,” Vicky Pacheco at a gathering with her she says. daughter, Victoria. Associate Program Director Alicia Martinez has worked with Pacheco since offices. Even though her work in the back2002, and she appreciates the diligent and ground may not be as visual, it is essential to efficient work Pacheco performs to help fur- the program functioning.” ther develop the program. Born and raised in Valencia, Pacheco at“Vicky’s tasks have been growing with the tended high school nearby, where she met program needs, and her work and efforts her husband, Ignacio Messana, during their are well coordinated with the other offices,” senior year. He is Valencia’s program direcMartinez says. “Vicky is coordinator of the tor, dean of studies, and a professor who Student Services office, and she, the staff teaches business and communications coursteam, and I work synergistically between es. Though in high school Pacheco and Mes-

Photo courtesy of Vicky Pacheco

Vicky Pacheco (far right) visits Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences with students and faculty during Summer Session 1 in 2017. 4

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sana had opposite academic schedules—one with morning classes and the other with the afternoon classes—being in a mutual group of friends sparked their relationship. After graduation, both Pacheco and Messana attended the School of Economics and Business Administration of the University of Valencia, and eventually earned their master’s degrees, Pacheco in economics and accounting and Messana in business administration. The couple has been married for 19 years, and they have a daughter, Victoria, just shy of 8 years old. In Pacheco’s free time, she enjoys activities with her daughter such as assisting Victoria with her homework or taking her to the park. “Vicky is a huge family person,” says Cristina Gil, a longtime friend of Pacheco. “Her loved ones are above everything. Vicky is a good friend, a good daughter, a good sister, a good wife, and a good mother. I feel very privileged to have her very close.” In addition to her work and family, Pacheco enjoys a daily dose of the outdoors by swimming and riding her bicycle around town. On weekends, you can catch Pacheco with her family in the beautiful coastal town Javea, sailing and enjoying the beach. Pacheco and Messana enjoy their privacy and keep a very professional appearance in the program. “I have all these fun experiences with the students and faculty, and many people never knew I was actually married to Vicky,” Messana says. “Students are always shocked that we do not announce our marriage, but I think it’s much more professional keeping it that way.” The two have their own personas, he says, and while sometimes they have different opinions on program issues, they both stress that they rely on all opinions from team members to navigate the differences. During college, Pacheco worked for Red Bull to help promote its brand to earn extra income, but her most avid interest has always been in all things accounting. She used her knack for numbers right out of university when she went to work for Banco Santander, analyzing the risks of granting mortgages to potential borrowers. Pacheco worked for that bank for about three years, before she transferred to CaixaBank, which is where she met Bob Smith, a client of hers at the bank who at the time was the program director of FSU Valencia. This is how her path to working for FSU began. “The development of this friendship is ac-

Photo courtesy of FSU Valencia

Vicky Pacheco (left) at FSU Valencia’s 20th-year anniversary dinner. tually how I got informed about FSU,” she two study centers, and on purchasing new furniture and equipment. says. “Managing the buildings is more active One day when a job for the program became available, Pacheco referred Messana to and ever changing, which sparks my interSmith. She believed her husband was a suit- est a tad more than the accounting side of able candidate for the job: Messana spoke work,” she says. Pacheco has accomplished a great deal English, had a university degree, and was looking for new employment. Messana throughout her 16 years of service to FSU. joined the FSU Valencia team in 2000 as as- Whether it is managing accounts, overseesistant director, and one year later FSU pro- ing the maintenance of current facilities, or helping to purchase new ones, Pacheco moted him to director. Fortunately, the FSU Valencia program was increasing in student enroll“I never thought I would end up ment each year, so Smith approached working for FSU International Pacheco about a job with the proPrograms; however, it resulted gram and she accepted. She never in being the best possible job thought she would work for FSU, but imagined.” the work, she says, turned out to be the best job she could have imagined. — Vicky Pacheco “The major aspect that attracted me the most would be the students,” she wishes to continue her work in Valencia and says, “working with young people, young to advance within the program. She also wishes to influence more stuminds. I believe it is a beautiful job, working dents to join the program. FSU Valencia’s with students. “When Bob Smith told me about the job, student body provides Pacheco with motivaI didn’t know exactly what to expect, but it tion to continue to work her magic behind is an amazing, yet very interesting position.” the scenes and to keep the program running And she continues to work in the field that from the ground up. ¨I want to contribute in helping the she studied in college and enjoys, yet she also program be the best it could be,” she says, gets to branch out to new ones. “Accounting has always been my passion; “having the students be bursting with joy however, it can get quite mechanical, repeti- as they arrive, and devastated when they tive at times,” says Pacheco, who also works leave—that is when I know I succeeded in on budgeting, on managing FSU Valencia’s my job.” NOMADIC NOLES

Summer 2017

A dream of gold In 2013, Colleen Quigley was a college sophomore spending five weeks studying abroad in Valencia; now she is chasing gold medals with the U.S. national track and field team By Carter Floyd

bead of sweat drips down her back as she takes her place on the starting line. The heat is stifling, and not just because she is in one of Brazil’s hottest cities. An entire lifetime of work culminates here, in the next 10 minutes. She is used to pressure—she is a former national champion, after all— but this is something else entirely. Three years earlier, in 2013, then-Florida State University sophomore Colleen Quigley runs through Turia Park in Valencia, Spain. Though she is breathing hard, she feels no pressure, only tranquility, as she pushes onto mile number four. There are no bright lights, roaring crowds, or records to break. She is running because it is what she loves to do. She does not know that in three years, she will be running for the United States national team in the Summer Olympics. She is in Valencia to take classes for her dietetics major and her Spanish minor. Photo courtesy of Jeff Cohen The thought of running professionally Quigley prepares for a race in Beijing is the furthest thing from her mind. In-

stead, she is focused on getting the most out of her five weeks in Spain. After finishing eighth at the Rio 2016 Olympics, a year later Quigley reflects on her FSU Valencia experience and how it has helped her on the national team. “I think [international travel] is good for anyone, but I think it really helped prepare me to be away from home for a while in a situation that isn’t entirely comfortable,” she says. “Being away from home six months out of the year now—that’s just a normal summer for [my teammates and me].… We’re always away from home, in new places. You just have to adapt to wherever you are.” As a runner for both the national team and Nike’s Bowerman Track Club in Portland, Oregon, Quigley has very little time to spend with her parents in St. Louis. Running is her full-time job now. But Quigley takes comfort in the long hours and grueling training sessions; she enjoys being around others who share her passion and her drive. It was one of her favorite things about FSU when she first arrived on the Tallahassee campus.

Colleen Quigley placed eighth in the 3000-meter steeplechase at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Photo courtesy of Ian Walton

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Quigley (left) poses in Rio with former FSU teammate and fellow Olympian Linden Hall. Below: Quigley (second from right) visited Madrid and the presidential palace while studying abroad in Valencia. Photos courtesy of Colleen Quigley

“I had people to work out with, people to push me. I was not winning the workouts. I was being crushed, but it was awesome. They made me better,” she says with a smile during a Skype video call. That hard work paid off in the form of an extremely impressive resume as a student-athlete. In high school, at Nerinx Hall in St. Louis, she was a National Merit Scholar and was offered track scholarships to some of the best programs in the country. At FSU, she earned All-American honors nine times, All-ACC academic honors six times, and NCAA AllAcademic honors four times. Also at FSU, she won the 2015 steeplechase national championship, as well as conference championships in the steeplechase, indoor mile, and 1500-meter. Despite her accomplishments, Quigley is remarkably down to earth. She has a warm smile, an infectious laugh, and dislikes talking about herself. When asked about her individual accomplishments, she inevitably redirects the conversation to instead credit those who have helped her: teammates, coaches, agents,

administrators, and family members. FSU Valencia Program Director Ignacio Messana keeps in regular contact with Quigley, and he has a similar impression of her. “We knew she was going to be a great professional runner,” he says. “She knew it. She knew she was smart. She knew she was pretty. She should have been so stuck-up and full of herself, but she wasn’t. She was a sweetheart.” Quigley’s short time in Valencia clearly left its mark on Messana. One memory in particular stuck with him. He recalls teaming up with “We were all standing around doing students and faculty nothing—just stretching or whatever— other to challenge her to a race. and she is running around the track They ran at a local track in Valencia. As Messana doing her professional warm-up. It was describes the scene, the like watching Michael Jordan.” field of challengers was di— Ignacio Messana vided into three teams of NOMADIC NOLES

five runners: the first team was composed of faculty members, the second was a co-ed student team, and the third was an all-male student team. Each team of challengers ran the race as a relay, with each person on a team running one lap (400 meters). She ran the full 2000 meters. “She beat us,” is all Messana will say about the race results. “I beat them handily,” Quigley says. But the result matters little to Messana. What he remembers most vividly is watching Quigley warm up and realizing how athletic she is. “We were all standing around doing nothing—just stretching or whatever—and she is running around the track doing her professional warm-up,” he says. “It was like watching Michael Jordan.” This serves as a great reminder that, for all her modesty and friendliness, Quigley is still a professional athlete. By necessity, she is an ultracompetitive person. Her job demands it. Unlike other athletes though, she doesn’t seek prestige or acclaim. She strives to succeed because she enjoys testing her limits. She is never content, always “looking ahead to the next big goal” rather than resting on her laurels. This was not always the case though. As a girl, running was not Quigley’s first love. She was a dancer and a soccer player, and she ran cross-country in the fall to get in shape for soccer. But playing soccer for her high school would have required a tryout, and having been homeschooled her entire life prior to high school, she was afflicted with what she describes as a “fear of rejection.” Rather than face the uncertainty of a soccer tryout, she chose to focus her efforts on track—a no-cut sport. Even then, she still wished she could just practice and not run at the meets. When a young athlete struggles with her drive and self-confidence, one of the best remedies is a reliable coach. Quigley was no different. In her moments of doubt, she turned to her first and best coach: her father. Her lack of desire did not stem from a lack of competitiveness, but from the opposite. She was hyper-competitive, and struggled more with meeting her own expectations See QUIGLEY, page 38

Summer 2017

Spring break inValencia

International trade

By Brittany Argote

tudents who want to study at FSU Valencia but can’t afford the time or the money for a whole semester or summer session are now in luck. FSU Valencia will offer its first spring break class in March 2018 and will add a second course in 2019. The 2018 course is Principles of Macroeconomics (ECO 2013), and the 2019 course is The Art of Being Human (HUM 2020), a humanities course during which students will walk part of the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. The bulk of each course will be taught on the Tallahassee campus over the whole spring semester, and then the students who choose to go abroad will join their instructor in Valencia over spring break. The idea to add spring break courses comes from FSU Valencia Director and Dean Ignacio Messana, who believes that all students should have the chance to go abroad. “It would be beautiful for the Tallahassee students to have the opportunity to come to Spain,” Messana says. “And then we thought that we need to find something broad enough for the students to be able to participate in.”

Teaching the economics course will be Joe Calhoun, a member of the teaching faculty and the assistant director of the Stavros Center for the Advancement of Free Enterprise and Economic Education at FSU. In Valencia, Calhoun will focus on international trade. “With Valencia being a coastal city with foreign goods coming into the port, it is perfect to illustrate trade,” Calhoun says. “I’m hoping students see foreign exchange in a new and personal way,” Calhoun adds. “Looking at a label and seeing ‘Made in ____’ isn’t seeing trade. By visiting a country where goods come from, seeing the goods move, and literally buying something with different currency should allow students to understand trade in a deeper way.” When students return to Tallahassee, they will share their experiences and photos with the rest of the class, in turn

The sun sets over the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia, Spain. Photo by Kamille Catala

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FSU to offer spring break classes in Valencia, one in 2018 and another in 2019

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encouraging those students to travel on their own later, Calhoun hopes.

Camino de Santiago

Teaching the 2019 humanities course will be Kathryn Cashin, a member of the humanities teaching faculty who supervises multicultural film and who has choreographed many opera and ballet productions. In the course, students will brave the Camino de Santiago, a collection of hiking paths originally used by Christians during the Middle Ages to atone for their sins and to pay homage to the Apostle James, who supposedly is buried in Santiago in northwestern Spain. The walk, which can be completed in 30 days, will be partially completed by the students in 10 days. The camino is best known for allowing hikers to gain a sense of tranquility, as the scenery is notoriously stunning and the lack of phone connectivity allows for a clear mind. “The camino relates in numerous ways directly to HUM 2020,” Cashin says. “The course already has a component on the importance of pilgrimages, and in addition

Nicolas Gonzalez, a friend of the author of this article and a student at Florida International University who hiked the camino in 2016, recalls his own experiences and gives FSU students who take HUM 2020 a preview. “It is a journey one takes to repent for sins and . . . to be [absolved] of all sins in the end,” he says. Gonzalez ﬁrst heard of the journey through family members who had completed the walk and was captivated, recalling “stories of hard days of walking through ancient trails braved by millions before us [as well as of] the scenery of the farmland and the mountains [in] the region Galicia.” The camino is said to be rigorous, but Cashin says precautions will be taken to ensure students’ safety. “Students will be told they need to be able to walk about 12 kilometers a day,” she says. “However, a minibus will travel with [the group] in case someone is injured or ill, or simply needs a break. Safety will be the top consideration.” Cashin and Calhoun Photo courtesy of Nicolas Gonzalez expect about 12 students in each course, Two students hike the camino in northern Spain. and both instructors covers the Roman and Islamic influences on have previously taught at FSU Valencia. Europe and the consolidation of ChristianStudents in the humanities course will be ity. Moving forward, it investigates the influhoused in hostels and hotels along the camience of architecture and art, the impact of no. Students in the economics course will Napoleon and 20th century conflicts. HUM be housed in Valencia but will also spend a 2020 and the camino fit together seamlessly.”

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Photos by Nicolas Gonzalez

Top: Views of the coastline near Deba, Spain, can be seen along the Camino de Santiago. Bottom: Wild horses graze along the hospitales path on the Camino Primitivo. night in a hotel during an overnight trip to Barcelona. The benefits of cultural immersion through study abroad programs such as those offered by Florida State are valuable even after the program has ended. “There are so many components the student will benefit from,” Cashin says. “They will see the art and architecture we discuss in person because the camino has representations from almost all art forms we study. They will learn how the ruling faction controls the art, architecture, and literature of the area, the devastation of armed conflict, and even how pilgrimages helped start the hospitality Industry. While the trip tracks the course beautifully, it will benefit many diverse majors. The entire class will be able to learn from the students that participate in the trip when they return and present their findings.” For more information, see the International Programs website at international.fsu.edu/Programs. aspx?type=sb.

Summer 2017

veryone loves a good story—

of success, of failure, of romance, of heartbreak. We’re hardwired to listen carefully for the interesting, the uncanny, and the inspiring. But to do so, first we must listen to the stories of others; only then can we weave their narratives into our own, to be shared. FSU alumnus Lee Alexander has always loved storytelling, so when he went to FSU to study theater, he was most interested in how to best share a great tale. In 2000, Alexander found himself abroad, studying in the London theater program. Now 17 years later, he has found a way to share others’ stories as a producer at CNN. In a phone interview, he shares his story of learning the value of traveling, sharing a good narrative, and asking, “Why not?” A native Georgia boy, Alexander grew up in a family from two different worlds. His father’s family preferred to stay close to home, avoiding travel outside of a few states. His mother’s family, however, were more adventurous: According to Alexander, they were “willing to drive four or five hours to meet for lunch somewhere” with family members who had found roots elsewhere. While traveling throughout the United States with his mother, brother, and grandmother, Alexander learned that things he had heard from other family members weren’t necessarily true, that he could spot the similarities between himself and people from different backgrounds. And so, when given the opportunity to experience people of another country, he jumped at the chance. He chose the Florida State University study abroad program in London, the very heart of theater and playwriting—the perfect setup for a theater student like Alexander. In fact, one of his favorite things to do in London was to visit the local theater, pay 10£, and enjoy a play. Despite the price, “it was super high-quality,” Alexander says. “Even if it was a bad performance, there was still something that you could learn from it.” And, as any study abroad student learns quickly about most countries in Europe, “[London] was a great hub to get to the rest of Europe. I was able to do a lot of travel to different countries on long weekends,” he adds. In all, he visited nine countries during his time with FSU London, including Sweden, Italy, Spain, Greece, and France. Though Alexander enjoyed exploring these new places, not every weekend excursion went well. 10 Summer 2017

Lee Alexander, shown here at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England, is now a producer for CNN, but he honed his love for storytelling through the FSU London Theatre Program. All photos courtesy of Lee Alexander

“I traveled with another student [Helen] to Italy for a week, and we arrived in Venice with nowhere to stay and walked hours before my friend Helen found a bed in a convent and I found [one] in a male dorm…. We were exhausted from drudging through the flooded narrow canals, and she had packed a ridiculously large suitcase. Neither one of us spoke Italian. By Rome, I had gotten sick and had to stay in bed for a day, and then we ended our trip in Florence.” Even still, Alexander didn’t let difficult trips get in the way of a learning opportunity or of strengthening the bonds of friendships. “Every trip is going to have its pitfalls, but it teaches you lessons for the next trip,” he says. “And it teaches you a lot about yourself, as well as the person you’re traveling with. I spent three months with Helen and a very intense week with her in Italy, and even though I haven’t seen her since, we are still in touch.” On the weekdays, Alexander focused on his theater studies, and the London program allowed him to explore his interests in playwriting and storytelling. At the time, the humanities community was engaged in a heated cultural debate over whether film was killing theater, so people questioned his pursuit of an arts degree in college. “London proved that theater is super relevant still.… There was always something that NOMADIC NOLES

was really worthwhile in just seeing a performance, and for me, it just reaffirmed that storytelling, no matter what sort of form or vehicle the story is in, is something that people always want to consume,” Alexander says. He also credits his professors—one in particular—for validating the significance of theater as a form of storytelling. “[I had] an excellent teacher, John Degen, who was amazing,” Alexander says. “Theater can [often] be seen as light and fluffy, and [people ask], ‘Do you really need an academic, rigorous analysis of [theater] to conceptualize why people are going to see entertainment?’ And [Degen] proved that we do need that framework [to understand that we] can learn about the playwright, historical context, themes, and genres that can define what a play is about and why someone like Shakespeare is still relevant today.”

“This is a time to hear more voices, not fewer.” — Lee Alexander Alexander’s study abroad experience in London also taught him that theater is a living thing. “People want to see stories,” he says, “They want entertainment; they want to be challenged. [Theater] doesn’t just have to be musical or comedies. If you just invest in creating [a] great story and telling [that] story, there’s going to be an audience for it.” Alexander’s experience as a student with FSU London inspired him to return as a graduate counselor (now called a program assistant for International Programs). In this capacity, he connected with Mary Balthrop, then administrative director of FSU’s London study center whom he had formerly only known when he was a student. He says her life philosophy became his: “If you get the opportunity to have an experience, you should embrace it and do it. Whether it’s good or bad, you’re going to learn from it. And why not?”

He worked as a graduate counselor for six months, guiding students’ experiences in London, until he landed a spot as a participant on an Australian reality television show. When he talked with Balthrop about leaving his job, she encouraged him to take advantage of the opportunity. The change also meant that he would embrace this new challenge. Alexander cites Balthrop’s support and her “Why not?” motto as key to helping him realize the importance of accepting the opportunities life has to offer. In 2003, he returned to London for graduate school, where he furthered his passion for storytelling and pursued a master’s degree in Text and Performance Stud- Alexander, at Stonehenge in 2002, when he was a ies at King’s College graduate counselor for FSU London. London. After graduation, Alexander moved to Washington, D.C., [just] ramped up, because people are grieving where he was a substitute teacher briefly, and their missing loved one or their murdered then he moved to New York City. loved one, and it’s compelling TV.” At the time, a friend who worked for After leaving Nancy Grace and striking out Larry King at CNN connected Alexander when searching for a job with CNN, Alexanwith an interviewer for Nancy Grace, then der traveled to South America for six months, airing on Headline News (HLN). He landed backpacking from Colombia to Argentina. the position as a production assistant, and The trip, he says, “reaffirmed that travel is a when he left almost seven years later, he had really important experience. It’s a gift.” become a writer-producer for the show. On When he returned to the U.S. with a fresh the Nancy Grace show, Alexander blended set of eyes, he did some freelance work with his love for storytelling, honed while earn- ABC News and eventually shifted into digital ing his college degrees, with the factual as- news to produce web videos. pects of crime reporting. And then, in October 2014, an opportuniHe explains that Nancy Grace is an excel- ty arose for a production position on CNN’s lent storyteller. “The stories [she told] really Reliable Sources, a weekly media critique show are captivating,” Alexander says. “All the inSee ALEXANDER, page 39 herent ingredients of storytelling are there,

Two sides to every story FSU London alumnus Lee Alexander discusses the importance of travel, storytelling, and the news in today’s world By Brittany Wallace NOMADIC NOLES

Summer 2017 11

Humans of

Valencia s e i r to By Sarah Silva

ocated 4,618 miles from Tallahassee in Valencia, Spain is a little slice of Florida State University that is the temporary home to some unique and adventurous students. Eager to jump out of their comfort zones, these students have gotten a taste of what life is like in other cultures all around the world. During their time at FSU Valencia, these students have the chance to participate in important festivals, break common stereotypes about other cultures, and have once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Not only is this program open to FSU students, but to students around the world. For example, in Summer Session II of 2017, there were students from the University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, and Carnegie Mellon University—and even a few students from the University of Valencia. The FSU Valencia Study Center unites students under a common characteristic: their love of travel. This article takes an up-close look at six of the nearly 200 adventurous students studying in Valencia in July 2017, five from FSU and one from the University of Valencia. Of the five FSU students interviewed, four ventured to Valencia without any previous friends, but they agreed that they wouldn’t change that fact for the world. Making new friends and unique memories is a big part of what FSU Valencia is all about. Here are their stories.

Photo courtesy of Noah Wright

Noah Wright spent his first year abroad traveling throughout Europe, including riding a gondola down a canal in Venice, Italy. Noah Wright, a First Year Abroad (FYA) student from Los Angeles, arrived at the study center for the fall 2016 semester and stayed through Summer Session II, which

“Come in with an open mind … because once you open yourself up to the culture, the mindset, and branch out of our American bubble and meet the locals, I’d say that’s the best thing you can do for yourself.” — Noah Wright 12 Summer 2017

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ended in early August 2017. “I never saw myself as one of those people who would travel the world or have cool stories about all the places they’ve been,” he says. What caught Wright’s eye before he made the decision, though, was the part of the brochure that says FSU offers in-state tuition to those who study abroad the first year. “This is the best decision I have ever made,” he says. He even jokes about how his

new goal is to be one of the students in the FYA brochure that he found so convincing. One common issue people tend to encounter when living in a new country is culture shock. But Wright says he instead experienced “reverse culture shock.” He sits back in his chair and starts to laugh. “I went to Wendy’s in America [during my visit home in December], and I ordered a medium drink, and it was humongous,” he says. “It was the biggest drink that I had had in a semester. It was bigger than any ‘large’ in Europe.” During his time in Valencia, Wright traveled throughout Europe and to several cultural festivals, such as Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany and to Pamplona, Spain for the San Fermin Festival. “You learn so much, even in a weekend, about the county and the people,” he says, smiling. “My favorite thing to do when I travel, especially when I travel by myself, at my hostels I just talk to people from different cultures and I ask them what it’s like—what they like about it, what they don’t like about it.”

Photo courtesy of Taylor Goggin

Taylor Goggin, in Morocco, rides a camel into the desert.

Photo courtesy of Ben Seamen

Ben Seaman feels on top of the world on this rooftop bar in Madrid. Through the opportunities at FSU Valencia, students are able to fully immerse themselves in new cultures. Wright’s advice for future study abroad students is to “come in with an open mind … because once you open yourself up to the culture, the mindset, and branch out of our American bubble and meet the locals, I’d say that’s the best thing you can do for yourself.” Taylor Goggin, a junior from Miami, is no stranger to Spanish culture. With both a mother and grandmother from Seville, Spain, Goggin was getting a chance to embrace her roots in summer 2017. “I feel a sense of connection with them because they’ve done the same,” she says. “I wish they wouldn’t have deprived me of living here. I love where I grew up [Miami]. This experience has just made me want to pursue getting a master’s abroad.” Before studying in Valencia, Goggin had already visited Spain many times and had been to several cities, including Madrid and Barcelona. But 2017 was her first time in Valencia. “It’s really cool because, even though it’s one country, every part is really different,” she says. “Living here is definitely an eye-opening experience—actually having an apartment here and going grocery shopping and having to convert money. I’ve only visited here and stayed for small periods of time, NOMADIC NOLES

but I’ve never been indulged in the culture. So, I think that is pretty cool.” As for what it’s like living in her family’s country with a bunch of foreigners, she says with a smile on her face, “I thought when I was going to come here I wasn’t going to speak Spanish whatsoever because we’re surrounded by everyone who speaks English…. But the other night I went out to dinner with eight girls, and I literally had to translate around the table.” She starts to laugh, then says, “At least I’m getting a lot of practice.” Ben Seaman, a junior from Miami studying business, took on the unofficial role of the program’s photographer during Summer II. “I’ve been taking pictures left and right,” he says. “Studying abroad gives us the potential to change so much, and through my camera I’ve been able to watch everyone around me grow. I think they all should be able to look back on all of these special moments.” After returning to Europe for his second time, Seaman was getting to see the continent through a new lens. “The most eye opening experience for me is just seeing how different the lifestyle here is. The quality of life here is just as good, if not better [than America]. And by quality of life I mean people’s happiness. People here seem way happier here than they are at home.” See HUMANS, page 40

Summer 2017 13

alencia can be a lot to take in when you first arrive. The narrow roads are crowded with towering buildings that all stand tightly together as if they are close friends. You could spend your entire time in Valencia simply exploring the historical El Carmen district. However, doing so would be an injustice not only to Valencia, but to you. Would you go to New York City to only stay in Manhattan, would you go to California and only see the Golden Gate Bridge, would you only go to Washington D.C. to see the White House? Then why would you come to Valencia and not venture to the hidden gem named Ruzafa? Originating as a small village outside of Valencia, Ruzafa was almost always a diverse and community-driven area. FSU Valencia archaeology professor and Valencia native Juan Salazar thinks back to his earliest memories of the neighborhood, noting how much he enjoyed the mixture of different people. “I think in that neighborhood, at least for me, it was the first opportunity to see that people from all over could go there and you could meet people from all over, and that’s a very nice experience,” Salazar says.

Ruzafa revamped By Amber Lewis

A neighborhood that dates back to the beginning of Valencia

However, people have not always been as embracing as Salazar is of this diversity. Still to this day there are parts of the world that are not comfortable with racial or religious

Photo by Amber Lewis

Built in 1957, the central market of Ruzafa is one of the city’s newest markets. differences, so it is no surprise that back in the 1600s, diversity was a tremendous problem in Valencia. The Moors, who were Muslims mostly from North Africa, ruled Spain from 711 un-

Photo by Teaghan Skulszki

One of the many intricate pieces of graffiti in Ruzafa. 14 Summer 2017

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til the fall of Granada in 1492, according to the BBC. This history helped create a large Islamic population in Ruzafa for many years. However, in 1609, the Spanish monarchy banned the practice of Islam in Spain. This move against Islam, including against Moors who had been forced to convert to Christianity (Moriscos), is called the Expulsion of the Moriscos. “So [the Moors] were thrown out of Spain,” Salazar says. “Some of the kids were kidnapped, and they kept them here as slaves in the houses for the [other] families. So, the demographic history of the neighborhood was broken—I mean absolutely broken.” But in modern times, Ruzafa offered inexpensive housing, so Muslims, as well as immigrants of other faiths, moved into the community. “My father lived in Ruzafa many years

ago, and it was also for many poor people,” absolutely normal neighborhood, but it was all of a sudden, all of these new people came.” Due to all of the recent changes in the Salazar says. “What happened is that many good for the interest of the developers to area, the neighborhood has become more of people in the early 21st century started com- give this idea of a negative [area].” ing to Valencia to find a job. People mainly Even though a strict government was a place to go out in or to eat at, but not to from Latin America and Northern Africa once able to scare away outsiders, recently live, says Salazar. The cost of living has start(Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Mali) Ruzafa´s low cost of living has been able to ed to rise in the past decade, and more accame to the neighborhood.” draw people from all over back in, accord- commodations have been made for pedestriUnfortunately, some of the previous ing to Salazar. As the rumors of Ruzafa be- ans and visitors, so parking is also a problem. neighbors started leaving because they ing a dangerous neighborhood grew older, Other changes are in the works, too. There thought the coming of the new people more and more people started going there are plans to build a brand new park in Vameant the neighborhood lencia called Parque Central, was not good, a belief that which will be placed right was echoed in the media and next to the Ruzafa neighborby developers and city offihood. cials, Salazar says. On Ruzafa´s website, a “They created in the memap shows the area, almost dia the idea of danger,” Salaas big as the neighborhood zar says, “mostly, I guess, beitself. This new park could cause people from Northern not only push up the cost of Africa and Islamic people living, but also draw in more were living there.” people. Realistically, the various While it´s true that many newcomers were coming to people have moved out of Ruzafa for the same reason the area due to the recent most immigrants move to changes, the overall culture an unknown and different that engulfs Ruzafa conarea: jobs. Photo by Amber Lewis tinues to lure people to the When discussing the idea A busy Tueday afternoon inside the vibrant and colorful Mercat de neighborhood. that Ruzafa was somehow Ruzafa. When asked if he still dangerous, Salazar says, “It visits the area, Salazar says, was not true. It was created from outside.” to see it for what it really is: a cheap and “Yeah, absolutely … it has this intellectual The various immigrants were truly coming nice place to live. cultural atmosphere.” to Spain to create their own businesses and Similar to many cities and neighborhoods Despite the increased number of bars in their own networks. in the United States, after a lot of young and the area, the neighborhood still radiates an “At the time, most of the people who creative people started moving there, the intellectual vibe, thanks to its cafes, restaucame at first were young men,” Salazar says. area began to change into a popular place full rants, and bookstores that are different from “But eventually their families came. It was an of bars, bookstores, cafes, and art galleries. “I think in that neighborhood, at least for The diversity also enhanced me, it was the first opportunity to see that the community, Salazar says. people from all over could go there and “I have a Japanese friend that is cooking there in a Japanese you could meet people from all over, and restaurant and another friend that’s a very nice experience.” — Professor Juan Salazar doing classes of [Senegalese drumming].” While the popularity of the neighbor- the ones in El Carmen, where the FSU Study hood sounds like a positive shift for the Center is situated. community, sometimes you can’t see things But Ruzafa attracts many FSU students for what they really are until you name them, who are willing to walk a little farther from and Salazar has given it one that Americans the study center. For instance, FSU student know all too well: gentrification. Taylor Goggin visited Ruzafa in July 2017. In theory, gentrification is supposed to im“It was a cool neighborhood with a prove and renovate a certain area. However young vibe that was close to El Carmen, but while this process can benefit newcomers offered a different scene and atmosphere,” and tourists, it can also leave the original lo- Goggin says, calling it the “Brooklyn of cals feeling betrayed. Valencia.” “It was bad luck for the immigrants living Just like Brooklyn, Ruzafa is an increasingPhoto by Amber Lewis there, because they were living in the center ly popular section of a big city that continues A small, stylish Ruzafa coffee shop that of the city, very nicely,” Salazar says. “Then, to burst with art, culture, and diversity. offers healthy drink and food options. NOMADIC NOLES

Summer 2017 15

El Mercado Central

Explore

enjoy

eat

‘Vibrant’ and ‘magical’ market is a fresh alternative for locals and FSU community Article and photos by Kamille Catala

ust a few minutes’ walk from Florida State University’s Valencia study centers lies a gem: El Mercado Central de Valencia. When you first walk up to this eye-catching building, known in English as the Central Market, you immediately notice the impressive architecture with patterned tiles that add to the building’s grandeur. People stroll in and out of the building, giving a sense of a thriving ant colony’s food hub. Already you feel the energy from the outside. As you step through the doorway, the buzz of the market awakens you with an overwhelming number of vendors, foods, colors, and smells. As you start to take everything in, you begin your journey into the deep abyss of vendors. Since Valencia’s expansion in the early 19th century, a marketplace has been “When you start going more present at the current location and more often, you get to because of its know the vendors that you recognition as the buy from and it becomes city’s market area. something personal.” Once the outdoor — Pilar Tarazona market became too small for thriving Valencia, a new market building was completed in 1928, which is what still stands today. TripAdvisor ranks the market as the #1 thing to do in Valencia, and for good reason. The Central Market is one of the biggest indoor markets in Europe, and recent renovations have allowed it to continue being a huge tourist attraction and a central part of the lives of local people as well as of FSU students. When you first walk into the market, you may wonder where to go first. This happens to everyone, but just walking around allows you to see everything and begin to understand the market, and which stalls interest you. “It’s something that you don’t really see much of in America,” Top: Architects Enrique Viedma and Àngel Romanì completed the market’s construction in 1928. Middle: These are some artisanal breads sold in many stalls throughout the market. Bottom: Central Bar is a popular destination in the market created by Michelin star chef Ricard Camarena. 16 Summer 2017

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says FSU senior Kristen Prue, who studied Fruits and vegetables tend themselves on having food items that have in Valencia in summer 2017. “There are a to be stacked on each only been handled by them, which is a plus bunch of different stalls, such a wide va- other, creating for potential customers. riety of things, and everything is just so One specific place in the market that is fresh, so vibrant, and so colorful, and to me noteworthy to mention, Central Bar, is it’s just magical.” situated amid various vendors. MiThroughout the market, which has more chelin star chef Ricard Camarena than 900 stalls, there is something for evopened this small eatery in Aueryone, even adventurous types. From gust 2012. Since then, the alostrich eggs to Valencian oranges to tradiways-crowded eating place has tional Spanish meats, you never know what grown into an integral part of you may find. the market, usually with a line “You get to see foods you are not used to, of people waiting to sit and eat. and it’s interesting how immigration in Spain beautiful displays Camarena currently has three has created booths of things we would have of fresh, ready-toother restaurants that are also located in never seen,” says FSU Valencia Program Di- eat products. Valencia and that are constantly busy: Ricard rector Ignacio Messana, a Valencia native. The meats are also displayed uniquely, Camarena Restaurant, Habitual, and Canalla This bustling and thriving market not only hanging from the ceiling of the stalls with Bistro. The food at the Central Bar changes provides a variety of foods, depending on what is in season, but more freshness than a typibut always has some consistent cal supermarket. Since many items to munch on, such as bocabooths are locally owned, indillos (sandwiches). teractions between buyer and Not only is this place highly seller can be more one-to-one. rated online, but also, according “My house would always buy to the bar’s website, it relies on at the Central Market, because the “fresh produce sourced from the product is very good, it is nearby stalls in the market.” This very fresh, and also when you allows for customers to enjoy Castart going more and more ofmarena’s creative dishes and the ten, you get to know the venlocal vendors’ fresh ingredients. dors that you buy from and it One common complaint about becomes something personal,” markets such as this one is bugs, says Pilar Tarazona, another but in the Central Market things Valencia native who works with are different. When it was dethe FSU Valencia program. signed, the architects made sure to Most booths even offer free Meat stalls are typically seen displaying meats hanging, create a flowing space that doesn’t samples to allow potential cus- attracting potential customers to what they are selling. have air conditioning but that relies tomers to try before they buy. on letting the outside breeze flow Compared to supermarkets, which displays rope or with the animal just laid out in the dis- in through the windows and out through the most items in packaging, the market has it play case. Most foods are visually shown in a open doors, which helps keep out bugs. all lying out in the stalls. way we are not accustomed to in the U.S, and “Since Valencia is Vendors use limited space to display as in most cases vendors make sure to put up See MARKET, page 40 much of their product “Do Not Touch” signs. They pride as they can.

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Photo by Kamille Catala

Summer 2017 17

Memories to last a lifetime

Brittany Wallace explored Europe with her Lego friend, Grayson.

FSU students in Valencia had a unique opportunity and several found distinctive ways to record the time By Teaghan Skulszki

when he is not in Tallahassee, he and his family live in Vicenza, eople try to capture indescribable Italy. moments in pictures, videos, and Even though Tramm has lived words. Although we can never cap- in Europe for a great part of his ture a moment perfectly, we can try life because of his father’s miliour hardest and appreciate the memories tary career, he still finds himwe’ve shared. self documenting his At Florida State University’s study center time abroad. What in Valencia, Spain, students are doing just makes Tramm’s rethat, making memories that will last a life- cords so unique is the time. However, the way in which these mem- subject he chooses to docuories are recorded is unique to each student’s ment: the graffiti or “street experiences and interests. Likewise, the way art” throughout Valencia. in which students record their memories varHe uses the social media ies from person to person. platform Snapchat, which means Over the five weeks in Valencia in the the photos only stay on his feed for 24 2017 Summer II session, students docu- hours. There is an option to save the photos, mented their adventures through various but Tramm prefers not to and keeps them media platforms, the most popular being In- locked in his memories rather than in his stagram, due to the layout of the site, which camera roll. is centered on posting photos. However, that He chose to use Snapchat for himself rathdidn’t limit FSU students, as they branched er than others. “It’s more for me,” he says. “I out from the norm and displayed different like putting things on my story that I would ways of documenting their time abroad. enjoy and I would laugh at.” Even a Lego man was involved. In this case, Tramm is not focused on his Ian Tramm, a second-year senior at FSU audience, but he has shared the images with majoring in English with a focus on creative his family. While there are myriad amazing writing, has lived abroad before. Currently, things to photograph in Spain, he connected to the graffiti on a personal level. He describes it as “a manifestation of a feeling inside someone; I do the same thing for writing, and I relate to it.” Unlike Tramm, Paige Waldberg was experiencing Europe for the first time, and she created a blog to document her travels. The title of the blog, “La Pagina de Paige,” is a play on words that translates to “The Page of Photo courtesy of Ian Tramm Paige.” As of the end of July A photo of graffiti in Valencia taken by student Ian 2017, Waldberg was still creTramm on Snapchat.

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Photo by Teaghan Skulzski

ating it, but the blog at that point took a chic look at some of Valencia’s best views. Waldberg wrote an introduction post based on her first 24 hours in Valencia and was planning to circulate the blog through various media outlets, including Instagram and Facebook. “I’ve gotten lots of positive feedback through likes and comments, which definitely makes me want to keep posting,” she says. She was also planning to travel to other places after the summer study abroad program and hoping to write about those experiences as well. Brittany Wallace brought along a friend to document her time in the program: Grayson, a Lego figure given to Wallace by her boyfriend, Sean Martin. “I told him before I left I’d like to take something with me to remember him by,” says Wallace, a senior at Florida Atlantic University. Grayson was among other items included in the little box of items Martin presented her with. Grayson traveled all over Europe, including Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, and Rome. In the photos, he can be seen at the Colosseum and dining on paella. Wallace likes to take

the timeless photographic style. She even put away her professional camera and instead chose to pick up her Polaroid to archive her memories. Argote says watching the fireworks over the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day was “the most incredible experience I’ve had my entire life—I was in awe the entire time.” I have about six or seven Polaroid photos from Paris, a lot from the Eiffel tower.” Photo courtesy of Brittany Wallace Her favorite Polaroid was taken in Grayson traveled Europe, including a visit to front of the Eiffel Tower. She took the Colosseum in Rome. a picture of the tower during the day pictures of food because “it’s a common and then again at sunset. Argote singles out Polaroids as an altermeeting ground,” and because it’s “more difficult to document in the specific way I am native way to archive your time. She enjoys with places, unless sometimes I can actually them more than a picture from her digital camera because “you’ll able to hold them in set up something, like the Colosseum.” Likewise, Martin has a Lego companion your hand,” she says. She also believes the named Amelia, whom he took on his sum- aesthetic of the pictures is more valuable. “The pictures of being in Valencia and Parmer U.S. vacation. “Florida is home,” Wallace says, “And the is are nice on their own, but with the Polaroid Legos are all about the travel aspect and keep- they become that much better,” Argote says. Jamie Freas of Michigan documented her ing someone close to you while you’re away.” As of the end of July 2017, Wallace had time as a First Year Abroad student with FSU shared the photos of Grayson only with between the fall of 2016 and the summer of Martin and close family, but she was also 2017 by writing in a journal. However, her planning to publish Grayson on other media journal is much more than her thoughts and platforms besides Snapchat, specifically Ins- ideas; it includes letters, maps, plane tickets, train tickets, and even articles from her time tagram and Facebook. In a more vintage turn, Brittany Argote in Florence, Italy. Freas writes in it after every trip she goes used Polaroids to document her 2017 summer in Spain. She was given the camera the on, or if she hasn’t been on a trip in a while, day of her departure from the U.S. by a every week or so. She keeps the journal to good friend, which turned out to be a ben- “write the memories and crazy things she’s eficial twist because Argote fell in love with done,” she says, and as a way to remember

the people she has met. What makes Freas’s journal different from other students’ archives is the physicality. “On social media, you can only put so much,” Freas says. “Of course there are going to be some stories that you just can’t put out there. I’m worried that when I’m old I’m going to forget details, so I want to describe them now.” Freas’s journal did have an audience at one point. For her ENC 1102 class in Florence in fall 2016, Freas was required to keep a journal. Even after warning her instructor how personal the journal was, she decided to share it with her instructor for the assignment. Freas’s ENC 1102 class does not stand alone. Other FSU classes also encourage students to archive their time abroad. For example, in the Editing, Writing, and Media Program in Valencia, students are required to create a blog post each week. One 2017 blog post, for example, was based on describing the differences between living in Valencia and living in Florida. Another weekly assignment for the EWM program included Instagram posts that could be seen on the program’s Instagram account, NomadicNoles. Topics included food, the program’s trip to Madrid, and floors or doors around Valencia. Unfortunately, we can’t recreate the memories we’ve shared, but we can try to preserve them. Whether it be through a blog, an Instagram post, or a journal, the way in which we archive our memories is important. In years to come, the way we document our memories will change. But for now, keep on posting, writing, and enjoying.

Teaghan Skulszki documents her time abroad

The most basic way I documented my time abroad is by photographs. Here is my favorite photo of myself from the trip hiking a beautiful castle in Xàtiva.

The social media platform I used most to document my time is Instagram. I am public with my Instagram and use it very often. This photo is of a sunflower field next to a rest stop on our way to Madrid. NOMADIC NOLES

A more personal way I documented my time abroad was with my journal. I kept notes from class in my journal and wrote about my personal experiences.

My favorite way to document my time abroad was through Polaroid pictures, using a 300mm camera. This Polaroid is of the aqueduct in Segovia. Summer 2017 19

Belmont’s campus in Nashville, Tennessee

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egan Albright and Annie Elias have been attached at the hip for years. Being in the same sorority, they knew that this summer they wanted to take on an adventure together. Yet, little did they know that with the influence of Elias´s sister, these two Belmont students would end up taking on a joint Belmont/Florida State study abroad program in Valencia, Spain.

Valencia since 2010. While Albright and Elias’s friendship and luck brought them to Spain, Karen Roggenkamp, an international business major at Belmont, was persuaded by the academics. “I really wanted to study abroad, and this study abroad [program] had classes that would count towards my major,” Roggenkamp says. She had no idea that her excitement to learn would lead her to places like Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Rome, and Florence. While Roggenkamp, Elias, and Albright all had friends coming into the program, Belmont student Emma Svedin came in not knowing anyone. She walked into the program excited about the business and marketing classes offered and Madison Manley was thrilled when she got to Valencia and had the opportunity to experience the diverse culture of both Spain and Florida State University. “Everyone is so nice,” Svedin says. That was what was most surprising to me.” Even after only two weeks of being in Valencia, Svedin had already formed a close bond with four other Belmont students and was planning to travel all around Europe with her new friends. Basically, Svedin walked into the pro-

Belmont, meet FSU; FSU, meet Belmont . . . . . . in Valencia By

“My sister did this program when she was a student at Belmont and had the time of her life,” Elias says. Albright and Elias were just in time and luckily snagged up the last two available spots in the program. “Megan texted me and told me she had just gotten an email saying that two spots opened up, so we signed up,” Elias says. Belmont, a private university in Nashville that enrolls about 8,000 students, has offered a study abroad program affiliated with FSU

“I think that the FSU students and Belmont students mesh very well. The mixing is perfect, and in all cases it has worked very well.” — Ignacio Messana, Director and Dean of the FSU Valencia Study Center gram knowing no one but walked out with close friendships with both Belmont students and Florida State students. While the Belmont students stayed busy exploring the cultures of Spain and other European countries, they still had time to talk about meeting the FSU students. “I was like ‘Oh my gosh, I am really nervous to meet these people,’ ” Svedin says. “But everyone has been so welcoming, and it has been a really fun time.” The Belmont students interviewed for this article felt varying degrees of nervousness about being around so many students from a different school, but they say the FSU students made them feel right at home. “It is a different culture, actually two different cultures: FSU and Spain,” Albright

FSU’s Westcott Building is a prominent campus landmark

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Jose Gonzalez, a Belmont professor, third from left, with several of the Belmont students, taught in Valencia during the 2017 Summer II session. Photo by Madison Manley

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says. “It was a bit of a shock to me, but I’ve adjusted really well, and FSU students are all very nice people.” While Albright was a bit nervous about the interaction with FSU students, Elias couldn’t wait to be around the FSU students. “It has been fun,” Elias says. “I am glad the FSU students are here. I think it would be a completely different experience if it was just Belmont students. I think it is better that we are with FSU kids.” The Belmont program, which enrolls about a dozen students each year, is held during FSU’s Summer II session, which sometimes enrolls around 200 students. While the 2017 Belmont students weren’t able to take part in many of the cultural activities offered by FSU because of their own personal travel, they thought their time in class with FSU students allowed for plenty of pleasant interaction. Just as the four Belmont students spoke positively about their interactions with FSU students, FSU students—including Amber Lewis and Carter Floyd—had positive things to say in return. “[Roggenkamp] was friendly when I first met her and told me how much she wanted to visit FSU and go to a football game,” Lewis says. “I always tell her that she should just transfer.” Even though Floyd, a sports administration major, noticed that some of the Belmont students weren’t as interested in football as he is, he says, “They´re very friendly and open to meeting new people.” Lewis and Floyd were not the only ones who picked up on how well Belmont students blended with FSU students. “I think that the

FSU students and Belmont students mesh very well,” says Ignacio Messana, Director and Dean of the FSU Valencia Study Center. “The mixing is perfect, and in all cases it has worked very well.” The FSU/Belmont affiliation was created collaboratively by Messana, a Valencia native, and by former FSU faculty member Jeff Overby, now at Belmont University. Messana and Overby, both business professors, saw the potential to create something special and jumped right

ternates with Overby to teach the Belmont summer program. Gonzalez taught in Valencia in summer 2017, and Overby is scheduled to return to Valencia in 2018. “I missed my FSU Valencia family and visited Valencia in 2009 to discuss a collaboration idea with Messana,” Overby says. So Overby and Messana proposed an agreement that would allow the Belmont University students to take classes and would allow a Belmont faculty member to teach two business classes during the Summer II session every year. Belmont University offers more than 60 study abroad programs, so Valencia is just one of many. “We probably have three programs that come to Spain,” Gonzalez says. “The other two are primarily focused on language acquisition. In this program, the majority of the students are not taking language courses but are taking other classes. This program contains primarily business students, not language students.” Overby believes that this program is particularly appealing because of the wide variety of classes, the relatively large number of faculty and staff, and the opportunity for Belmont students to interact with culturally diverse students. The joint program has been a winner for both universities. What grew out of the collegial relationship between Messana and Overby several years ago has allowed for students of Belmont and FSU to create new friendships and shared memories at a pivotal time in their lives.

to it. When Overby was at FSU, he regularly taught at FSU Valencia and at FSU London during the summers. “We offered our facilities and our program to another university to use the benefit and expertise of our facility,” Messana says. “Jeff used to come, like many others, as a part of FSU, but when he left [FSU] he went to Belmont and established a partnership between Belmont and Florida State,” says Photo by Emma Svedin Jose Gonzalez, who Annie Elias, left, and Megan Albright love traveling teaches business courses at Belmont and al- together and are shown here in Ireland. NOMADIC NOLES

Summer 2017 21

Embracing her lessons learned FSU Florence alumna Candi Obrentz shares her journey from English major to entrepreneur By Samantha Gettis

he time Candi Obrentz spent as a study abroad student in Florence, Italy during the summer of 1992 taught her a valuable lesson: The world is bigger than it seems and holds endless opportunity. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Obrentz seized the first chance that she had to travel overseas when, between her junior and senior years of college, her globetrotting mom and stepdad made this possible. Obrentz always had the curiosity to see beyond her hometown and seek out adventure, and Florida State University’s study abroad program in Florence was a perfect fit. Exposure to Italian culture led Obrentz to broaden her view of what spending time in a foreign country offers and how she could take advantage of such possibilities. “I remember walking alone through Florence one morning and as usual stopped to gaze up and marvel at the glorious Duomo,” she says. “I felt like, if someone was looking down on me in that moment, I would be a little pinpoint on the map. The idea of being there made me feel alive.” The thought then of being a pinpoint, however, has not held her back from taking risks and aiming for challenging goals. After graduation in 1993 from FSU with a degree in English and vivid memories of Europe, she moved to the South of France for a “gap year” before relocating to New York City, where she has lived for more than 23 years. Today, it is clear that Obrentz’s decision to study abroad played a significant role in the development of her character—including her motivation and drive for new opportunities. The most notable of those opportunities struck her one day when she was in Central Park and wanted to stretch out in Sheep Meadow. Without anything to sit on, she used her jacket, which quickly became damp from the grass.

(Top photo) When Candi Obrentz studied in Florence in 1992, the streets of the city were filled with tributes like this bust of Lorenzo de’ Medici to commemorate the 500th anniversary of his passing. (Middle) Obrentz is standing in front of the FSU Study Center, which is located in a renovated Renaissance palace on Borgo Degli Albizi in the historical center of Florence. (Bottom) Sculptures and fountains are abundant in Florence, and this structure is on Via Nazionale in the San Lorenzo neighborhood, which is a short distance from the hotel where Obrentz and her classmates lived during the summer of 1992. All photos courtesy of Candi Obrentz 22 Summer 2017

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“I asked Siri to find the best portable ground cover so that I could purchase it to avoid the wet jacket problem in the future, and I was shocked that nothing like this was available in stores or online,” she says. “I could not believe that my options were a tarp, a huge picnic mat, or a kids’ blanket and that what I wanted to buy did not exist. So, I decided to create it myself.” With little design and retail knowledge, Obrentz “took a leap of faith” and taught herself how to navigate the creation and e-commerce process, hiring specialists when needed to help her bring her vision to fruition. After 15-plus prototypes, RestoPresto, a lightweight, durable, and multi-functional water-repellent wearable blanket was launched to the market and was subsequently granted a patent. In September 2016, RestoPresto was featured on The Today Show, “an innovator’s dream come true,” Obrentz says. “I have achieved remarkable milestones for RestoPresto as a sole business owner, so when my inventory sold out, it confirmed to me that the future of this product is very bright,” she says, adding she is now entertaining partnerships to expand the business. “I transitioned from having a secure job at a 200-plus year-old global company to forming a start-up and being my own boss. I have returned to Florence many times since the summer of 1992 and my last visit was momentous because I had RestoPresto with me. I will never forget the feeling of pride that I had while using my own product invention on the streets of a city that holds a special place in my heart.” A lasting impression from Florence Obrentz’s exposure to a foreign land through an openminded lens stemmed from her decision to study abroad in Italy. Knowing that she wanted to travel overseas and take on adventure when the chance to apply to FSU’s International Programs presented itself, she chose Florence to have exposure to a non-English speaking and entirely new culture. “It was one of the best decisions I have ever made,” she says. Courageously, in search of a more insightful experience, Obrentz applied for the program without knowing anyone else attending her session. Going abroad on her own gave Obrentz the opportunity to discover an entirely new group of friends—one that could represent exactly who she was at this point in her life. “You are drawn to certain people, with whom you choose to spend time in a unique scenario like studying in a different country, for various reasons,” she says. “I remember being very choked up as I bid farewell to the group at the end of our summer semester and was already looking forward to the next time I would see my classmates and professors again.” During her first days in Florence, like many students who study abroad, Obrentz had a bit of an adjustment, but quickly committed to full immersion into a culture that proved to be one of endless gifts and surprises.

RestoPresto magnifico Editor’s note: Candi Obrentz did not know she wanted to start a business and work for herself until that fateful day in Central Park. In her own words, she describes her process, including how the experience sparked the idea for a second business. Starting my own business was not on my radar because I crave structure and always enjoyed working for established organizations. One of the more difficult challenges for me, aside from figuring out how to create a product from scratch, was to find a factory to quickly and efficiently manufacture RestoPresto because it is a complicated production process. I know that doing the right thing for the product and for my business takes time. The huge accomplishments of finalizing the prototype; running a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the first production run in the USA; obtaining a patent; scoring fantastic TV, radio, and digital press; and having a waiting list for out-of-stock colors because of its popularity have been the most rewarding moments of my professional life. Once again discovering a gap in the market, this time for

a trustworthy advisor to help people navigate all stages of the creation process, I launched a second business as an idea execution strategist. Having an invention idea but not knowing what to do next and who to trust are very common challenges. I know firsthand how to successfully turn a vision into a working product, how to form a business, and how to manage the critical steps in-between, so I apply this knowledge and share my vast network of specialists with clients who want to bring their own ideas to life. Launching a product or service to the market is very challenging, so I devise customized plans to make the process more efficient and less confusing for others since I have been there and done that. Using a search engine is great for research— collaborating with an experienced, ethical expert who can connect the dots to accelerate a project is even better. Before RestoPresto, I did not plan on becoming an innovator; however, once it became evident that the demand for this type of gadget heavily outweighed the supply, I decided to go for it. After all, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!

Candi Obrentz with her patented RestoPresto on the Arno River during a return visit to Florence in 2015.

See OBRENTZ, page 44 NOMADIC NOLES

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2017 FSU Valencia—20th anniversary

24 Summer 2017

Celebration time

n June 2017, FSU International Programs (IP) celebrated 20 years of being in Spain. The festivities culminated in a dinner at the architecturally stunning L’Umbracle, part of the City of Arts and Sciences complex alongside Valencia’s Turia Gardens. On hand were IP Director Jim Pitts (right), FSU Director and Dean Ignacio Messana (above, holding package), retired music professor Larry Gerber (top right with hand in air), the FSU Valencia staff and faculty, as well as many FSU Valencia alumni, summer students, and friends of the program. All photos courtesy of FSU Valencia

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Summer 2017 25

Summer sounds

t’s fair to say there is no better time than the month of July to be in the city of Valencia. The sun is shining, travelers from many countries line the local beaches, and extra special music is in the air. From festivals to local venues, a music lover’s to-do list can easily be filled during the heart of summer. All month, the area celebrates the Feria de Julio, also known as the Gran Fira de Valencia, a cultural festival locals and visitors to the city look forward to every year. For students studying abroad during Session II, the timing is perfect to be immersed in this cultural experience, and some of the venues just happen to be right in Florida State University Valencia’s backyard. The Feria de Julio boasts an array of music, performances, food, carnival rides, and even the famous Battle of the Flowers, which caps the month-long schedule of events. The festival dates back to 1871, and it was founded to bring visitors to Valencia. Over the course of the Feria’s 146-year history, the event has evolved into an institution that attracts famous performers, chefs, and vendors from all around the world.

The Valencia streets and venues are filled each July with festival events and cultural opportunities By Jessica O’Connor

Photo by Jessica O’Connor

26 Summer 2017

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Marcia Porter is an associate professor in FSU’s Col- “I’ve gone to Café del Duende several lege of Music, specializing in times for flamenco, I’ve heard several voice and opera singing, and concerts in Turia Park and traditional she has taught in Valencia for Valencian music in the Plaza de la three summer sessions, inVirgen. I love the music scene here.” cluding two classes in 2017, Music in World Cultures and — Associate Professor Marcia Porter Music of Spain. She says Valencia serves as a great If classical or traditional music is not your opportunity for students to not only learn about the region’s music but also to experi- thing, Valencia offers every genre you could think of: jazz, pop, hip hop, reggae, and, of ence the scene in person. Porter asks her students to attend at least course, Spanish bands. For example, Txatwo live musical performances during the rango, a fusion band formed in Barcelona Feria de Julo. In addition to the events of in 2010, kicked off Valencia’s Concerts de the fair, though, Porter appreciates Valencia’s Vivers, a slate of 17 concerts held in Jardins de Vivers as part of the Feria de Julio. live music scene in general. “There is always something to see and Txarango’s sound is inspired by the styles of hear and much of it is free,” she says. “In reggae, pop, Latino, and dubstep music, and mid-July, I went to the ‘Nit a Les Artes’ event they performed music off their new album with a couple of colleagues for an opera per- in Valencia. The lineup for Concerts de Vivers always formance. It was great – the weather was beautiful, the singing was lovely, and there includes bands that have experienced inwas such a large crowd, at 10:30 p.m., for op- ternational success. In 2017, UB40, which is widely recognized for its chart-topping era. It was standing room only.” Porter says local clubs such as Café del reggae cover of Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Duende and Radio City are popular stops Wine,” played during the series Among the other performers were Chick for local culture, especially flamenco perforCorea and Bela Fleck, Alpha Blondy and mances. “I’ve gone to Café del Duende several Colombia’s Carlos Vives, who had a hugely times for flamenco, I’ve heard several con- popular duet with Shakira, “La Bicicleta,” certs in Turia Park and traditional Valencian which had 1 billion views on YouTube as of music in the Plaza de la Virgen,” Porter says. August 2017. If you love a good cover song, the fair usu“I love the music scene here.” ally schedules several tribute bands. Valenciabased bands The Troupers, an ABBA cover band, and Momo Queen, a Queen cover band, performed in 2017. The musical lineup for the Feria de Julio is always diverse, and catching a concert should be on the “bucket list” of every study-abroad student. Besides the Feria de Julio, perhaps one of the most anticipated musical events of the summer in the Valencia region is the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, which is similar to the likes of Bonnaroo in the U.S. The event takes place in the town of Benicàssim,

Photo courtesy of Shelby Ridener

Photo courtesy of Marcia Porter

about 55 miles and an hour-long train ride from Valencia. The fest combines music and camping with an all-star lineup, and people flock to the beach town from all over Europe. The most notable headliners in 2017 were Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Weeknd. “It was an opportunity to meet people from all over Europe and even run into people who were from Florida,” FSU Valencia student Shelby Ridener says. “I made new friends and got to enjoy music in a crowd of people all just coming together and enjoying life,” adding that “seeing The Weeknd perform live made sleeping outside worth it.” While sleeping outside is one way to get close to live music, anyone walking through the Plaza de la Virgen on the evening of July 17, 2017 would have stumbled upon a live orchestra concert. La Banda Simfónica Unió Musical de Lleida is a full orchestra with close to 80 musicians, and they played until midnight to a packed crowd. Looking around at the people, it was easy to get a sense of euphoria. Here they all stood on a warm summer night, amid this beautiful classical music, “I made new friends and got to with an ancient cathedral in enjoy music in a crowd of people all the background, and a glass just coming together and enjoying of wine in hand. While this sounds like the life . . . seeing The Weeknd perform scene of a romance movie, it’s live made sleeping outside worth it.” just another night in Valencia — Shelby Ridener (right) during the Feria de Julio. NOMADIC NOLES

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lorida State University study abroad alumna Lauren Stuart thinks of her life in two chapters: before Panama and after Panama. Born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee, a town of about 50,000 people in the northern part of the state, Stuart dreamed of one day becoming a meteorologist. “I tell people meteorology chose me—I didn’t choose it,” Stuart says. “I have actually wanted to be a meteorologist since I was about 4 years old. One of my earliest memories in life is watching the weather radar with my dad, and it’s always been one of my greatest passions.”

“It was really a win-win-win situation for me,” she says about her enrollment at FSU. “In Tennessee, there are no universities that offer a meteorology program, so if it was something I really wanted to study, I knew I’d have to go out of state.” Out-of-state tuition costs are steep, so when she decided on studying abroad and the Panama program, she alleviated the pressure of a weighty bill with the bold choice to apply for the First Year Abroad program through International Programs. The decision allowed her to receive in-state tuition when she returned to the U.S. “My original thought was to go to Spain,¨

hardships, she still had plenty to deal with. “It was a bit of a shock coming from Tennessee because Tennessee is very conservative—it´s pretty rural,¨ Stuart says. ¨It’s much different than Panama, so going from Tennessee to Panama was definitely a shock, but I handled it pretty well I think.” Stuart describes her transition as just a bit stressful, but she says it influenced her overall attitude about tackling difficult situations and about problem solving. “I approached it as I know this is going to be a challenge, I know it’s going to push me in ways I’ve never been pushed before, but I’m going to let it happen and let this experi-

Conquering By Ian Tramm

culture shock

Lauren Stuart recalls how her study-abroad experiences in Panama and Latin America prepared her for any difficult situations to come In fact, Zoë Crook, a program coordinator for International Programs, was an FSU student and co-worker of Stuart’s, both hired at the same time to market study abroad programs around campus. Crook remembers Stuart “pouring herself into her meteorology degree” at FSU. “I have never met anyone who is so obsessed with the weather,” Crook says with enthusiasm for her friend’s commitment. “When she wasn’t studying for her meteorology classes, she was updating her friends about the forecast, monitoring extreme weather conditions around the country, or talking about her experiences at weather camp.” Stuart’s entire family graduated from FSU, so she was “born and raised a Nole.” Her grandfather David Stuart was, for a time, the director of the meteorology department at FSU. 28 Summer 2017

Stuart says. ¨My number one choice was to go to Valencia for the entire twelve months, but after looking a bit closer at the classes that were offered I realized Panama would be the better fit for me. They offer a lot more chemistry and physics—classes that I had to take my freshman year as prerequisites for the meteorology program.” Just like that, without so much as a second thought, Stuart left everything and everyone she knew behind for Panama. But it certainly wasn’t easy for her. Adapting to life in a new country can be difficult for anyone. Just moving somewhere new is a stressful process, and having to adjust to a new culture and foreign customs can quickly become overwhelming. For Stuart, however, this challenge was one she actively sought out. Although she says she didn’t face any particularly major NOMADIC NOLES

ence change my life and see where it takes me,¨ she says. ¨I think having that kind of mindset going into it helped me adapt much better to the situation.” Once in Panama and adjusted, Stuart faced an entirely new set of issues, which include missing the comforts of home, missing her family, her favorite foods, “just the little things in general,” she says. She also had to deal with brazen instances of catcalling. “I couldn’t ever walk out the front door without having a man whistling at me,” Stuart says. “I had a guy literally stick his head out the car window as he was driving so he could start howling at me like a wolf and then run off the side of the road because he wasn’t paying attention.” She learned to adapt and deal with that situation, she said, and her other experiences were more enlightening.

“I tell people meteorology chose me—I didn’t choose it. I have actually wanted to be a meteorologist since I was about 4 years old. One of my earliest memories in life is watching the weather radar with my dad, and it’s always been one of my greatest passions.” — Lauren Stuart, shown here standing on a bridge with the Panama City skyline behind her Photo courtesy of Lauren Stuart

“I think the most significant way it changed my life was it opened my eyes to an entirely different world,” Stuart says. “Tennessee is very much like a bubble, and you don’t really get out of that bubble very much. Living in Panama, that was the first time I was really forced to confront real poverty, real inequality.” While she didn’t travel much outside of Panama during her year abroad, she saw as much of the country as she could. “Panama is such a small country, but it’s incredible how diverse it is and how many things there are to do there,” Stuart says. “I was traveling almost every weekend just in Panama and I never got bored of anything.” On one outing, she visited an indigenous community in the rainforest in an area accessible only by canoe. Because of the extended dry season, however, the area was in a drought; the river was so low that their group had to get out of the canoes and carry them up the river. It was in that moment, deep in the Panamanian jungle, Stuart remembers thinking, “Wow, meteorology isn’t just calculus and physics and science. It’s something that impacts every aspect of society, and these people are facing serious consequences of being cut off completely from society because it’s not raining.” Stuart also recalls the moment as one that altered her career trajectory. She still loves meteorology, she says, but as of October Opposite page: Stuart snaps a photo while seated in a canoe floating down a river in the dense Panamanian jungle. Right: Stuart rests on a tree in front of a waterfall in Boquete, Panama.

2017 she is finishing a master’s degree in climate change and international development at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. ¨I’m really hoping to take that science aspect of weather and climate and apply it to communities that are really dealing with the impacts of it,” she says. “[I want to] figure out ways that we can help them adapt and respond and build resilience to these impacts.” Crook, who studied abroad in Costa Rica, says that when she and Stuart were working as student recruiters for International Programs and not discussing the weather, they swapped stories from their time spent abroad. “Lauren loved telling me about how her experiences in Panama shaped the path for her education and fueled her passion for working on the social impacts of the weather in other countries,” Crook says. Stuart recently spent three months doing a work placement in Germany with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as part of the Adaptation Framework, specifically with the Loss and Damage team. Essentially, she is involved with a number of projects to reduce losses and damages that are a result of climate change in developing countries. ¨The UN very heavily relies on interns to function because they don’t have a huge budget, and because they rely so heavily on them they really just throw you in there,¨ Stuart says about her time with NOMADIC NOLES

the organization. On just the second day of her internship, Stuart was assigned to three separate projects, and by the first week, she was assigned to a supervisory role on another. ¨It´s a great learning opportunity; not a lot of interns get to supervise a project so that´s really exciting.¨ Despite her appreciation for the opportunities afforded to her at the UN, Stuart does not plan to pursue a career with the organization. ¨I want to go work in developing countries, I want to work directly with local communities, and I want to educate people on how to See STUART, page 41

All photos courtesy of Lauren Stuart

Summer 2017 29

Valencian architecture: the old and the new By Madeline Hoffman

Holy Grail from Jesus Christ’s Last Supper is kept there. The Roman Catholic structure lorida State University stucombines architectural styles from dents and faculty who travel Gothic to Baroque and Neo-classiabroad to study and teach in cal, including Romanesque and ReValencia encounter view after naissance elements. The cathedral view of great architecture throughwas built between 1252 and 1482 on out their daily lives in the Spanish the site of the main mosque Mezquicoastal city. ta de Balansyia, directly after the ReTwo structures in particular, the conquista of the then-predominantMetropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of ly Islamic state. In 1262, Bishop Anthe Assumption of Our Lady of drés de Albalat laid the cornerstone Valencia―commonly known as Saint of the building. Mary’s Cathedral or Valencia CaAccording to sacred-destinations. thedral―and Estació del Nord (the com, the cathedral encompasses North Station) will likely be on the “unusual open arcades around the frequently visited list. northeast-oriented aspe [that] recall Valencia has beautiful beaches, a the Roman Colosseum. The portal great summer climate, and unique on the north transept, Puerta de los neighborhoods with their rich hisApóstoles, is richly decorated with tories. The sights, shapes, and styles Gothic sculpture and a 14th-century of buildings in the city, though, give rose window, while the entrance porsightseers with a passion for architectal is lavishly Baroque.” The primarture something else to rave about. In Photo by Teaghan Skulszki ily Gothic interior excels in the qualaddition to the cathedral and the train ity of its religious and artistic relics. station, Valencians boast about the Valencia Cathedral´s main entrance, located in the The cathedral houses notable treaCentral Market and the City of Arts Plaza de la Reina. sures such as its tube-like 14th-cenand Sciences as well as an abundance of architectural styles and elements that leave study centers and next to the Valencia Cathe- tury lanterns, the main silver altarpiece, and visitors in awe. dral. Whether spending cheques wisely at a numerous paintings from artists including According to FSU Professor Juan Salazar, paella dinner with friends, enjoying the per- Valencian Juan Segura de Lago, Madrid-born though, the Valencia Cathedral and Estació formances entertainers put on in the plaza, Fernando Chueca, and two from Goya. Acdel Nord are smart choices to highlight be- or tossing a coin into the fountain for good cording to oral tradition, however, the most cause they date back to two “golden ages” luck, the location offers a stunning view of significant historical relic of Christianity is stored deep in the cathedral as well. of Valencia, with the cathedral from the 14th the cathedral. The holy chalice, used at the Last Supper to century and the station from the 20th century. Located in the heart of Valencia, the catheserve wine and commonly known as the Holy dral’s main entrance is actually approximately Grail, is purportedly kept in the cathedral. A A landmark you can’t miss 500 feet south of Plaza de la Virgen, in Plaza During their stay in Valencia, students de la Reina. The cathedral is considered one Rough Guide to Spain states the chalice “has likely will spend time in the lively Plaza de of the most prominent landmarks in Va- been enshrined la Virgen, located lencia, as well as the religious center of the in the cathenear the FSU city. Some people even believe that the dral since

Photo by Madeline Hoffman

Valencia´s North Train Station shot in the midst of the city´s midday hustle and bustle. 30 Summer 2017

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More insights from Professor Salazar about the Valencia Cathedral: The orientation of the cathedral is supposed to be east-west, but it is slightly changed in the case of Valencia, and that is because the cathedral is built on top of the main mosque of Valencia…. Valencia was an Islamic city with thousands of people . . . and when Christians conquered the city they destroyed the Muslim mosque, and very soon after they began to build the new cathedral. The main tower, El Miguelete, the big bell tower of the cathedral, was not present at the beginning of the cathedral. Another smaller tower was built, then destroyed, so the cathedral was built and re-built and has gone through multiple transformations. The central area of the cathedral, you have paintings of angels playing different musical instruments from the Renaissance era,

1437, and can be viewed in a dark, simple stone chapel in the corner of the cathedral.” Salazar, professor of archaeology at FSU Valencia and a native Valencian, says while the cup housed there is from the first century, the gold ornaments around the cup are not. Christian relics such as this one were in high demand during the medieval ages, and “everyone would say they had the ‘original.’” While he does not think the Valencia Cathedral has the real Holy Grail, he believes the “sacred relic” serves as a means to bring Christians from near and far to Valencia, saying some people travel hundreds of miles to see the shrine.

Quick tip For future FSU Valencia students and instructors By Madeline Hoffman

and these paintings were covered until around five years ago….The cathedral has many mysteries in multiple places . . . It is a medieval building, and like any other Gothic cathedral it has all of these symbols like animals, devils, images to be scared of, representations of the sins, the saints; you have the chapel of the Holy Grail, you have the chains that one of the kings of the Aragon crown recovered from the high power in the south of France and given to the cathedral as a present. The cathedral is the absolute center of the Christian culture within Valencia. When the Christians conquered the city from the Muslims, the cathedral was the first thing they put all of their interest and energy into. It’s the only building that we have of that size from the Middle Ages, so it’s huge because they put all of the money and all of the resources at the time into the cathedral.

“More important than distinguishing whether the Holy Grail here in Valencia Cathedral is real or not real is the impact it has had on the followers and believers of Christianity in Valencia,” he says. “The church created a successful narrative that the people believe to be true, and that belief brings them together.” El Miguelete, the cathedral’s impressive Gothic octagonal bell tower, is the tallest and one of the most visited religious monuments in Valencia. Its 207-step climb to the top offers spectacular views of the old town, which is dotted with blue-roofed churches.

Climb aboard for trips out of town If you plan to explore other Spanish cities during your time abroad, you most likely will find yourself at Valencia’s main railway station, Estació del Nord, located a mile away from the FSU study centers. Watch the station come to life as both locals and tourists file in and out of the ticket lines to catch their train, as the sound of sweet hellos and saddened goodbyes fill the air. Considered the main train station in Valencia, compared to the newer, high-speed Joaquín Sorolla Station, Estació del Nord is a “perfect example” of Modernist architecture within the city, Salazar says, due to the “depictions of cultural elements that are key to Valencia, such as steamboats, trains, oranges,” with the latter being the most commonly known produce of the city. Built between 1906 and 1917 by Valencian architect Demetrio Ribes, the “Sezesión Vienesa” style of the interior and exterior of the station offers insight into Valencia’s culture. In addition to the oranges, the front facade of the station is covered in other Valencian elements, such as traditional houses known as baraccas, lakes, and women depicted in customary Valencian style dresses. Not only is the North Train Station known for its architectural beauty, its location is convenient, directly next to the bullring, Plaza del Toros, and 200 meters from city hall. The attraction was declared a Cultural Heritage site in 1987, making it a relevant building in and of itself within Spanish architecture. When studying or teaching abroad in Valencia, if you stay close to “home” and the Plaza de la Virgen or travel to other cities in Spain or throughout Europe, you will experience two of Valencia’s architectural gems.

How to get the best out of your visit to the Valencia Cathedral, the tallest and one of the most-visited religious monuments in the city: Climb the 207 steps to the top of El Miguelete, right, the cathedral’s renowned bell-tower, prior to 7 p.m., and feel the power of the bell as it strikes while watching the sunset—a truly unforgettable experience. Also worthwhile is a visit to the cathedral’s museum, which holds a collection of paintings and a 2,300-kg monstrance made of gold, silver, and jewels donated by Valencians. Photo by Madeline Hoffman

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Valencian Sorolla § visionaries: blasco Ibáñez

By Rachel Dranetz

pain is a country bursting with cultural vibrancy and historical richness. Students at FSU Valencia often sample many of Spain’s major cultural and historical treasures when they travel to Madrid, Barcelona, and Granada. Yet students are sometimes unaware that Valencia also has world-class cultural and historical treasures of its own, including two of its most famous sons: the painter Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida and the writer Vicente Blasco Ibáñez.

Interestingly, Sorolla and Ibáñez were contemporaries and friends, both having been born in Valencia in the 1860s and beginning their careers there. Sorolla even painted a portrait of Blasco Ibáñez, and some of their most famous works are grounded in the people, politics, and landscape of the region. Today, one of Valencia’s train stations is named for Sorolla, and one of Valencia’s biggest streets is named for Blasco Ibáñez. Shedding light on the contributions of Sorolla and Blasco Ibáñez are two FSU professors: art expert Carrie Ann Baade and Spanish literature expert Enrique Alvarez. Sorolla sketched the image on the left for a poster meant for the newspaper El Pueblo, which is the publication Blasco Ibáñez founded. The inset image is a close-up of the piece where Sorolla dedicated it to Blasco Ibáñez. Photos by Rachel Dranetz

oaquin Sorolla produced around 2,000 paintings in his lifetime (1863-1923), and his works are displayed in museums throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Musee d’Orsay in Paris, the Prado in Madrid, and the National Portrait Gallery in London. Associate Professor Carrie Ann Baade, who has taught two summers at FSU Valencia, is an admirer of Sorolla’s works. Baade herself is an internationally exhibited artist whose research focuses on genre development, as well as on materials and techniques used by previous historical artists. “I went to undergrad at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and every day—no matter how late I might be—I used to walk through the museum to get to class. One the paintings I would see was the ‘Two Sisters, Valencia,’ ” Baade says. “Two Sisters, Valencia,” which features two girls walking along the beach, along with many other of Sorolla’s works, is heavily 32 Summer 2017

influenced by his life in Valencia. Common themes among his paintings include fishing, sailing, and the beach—all of which are inspired by the coastal city of Valencia. Sorolla paintings also depict the everyday lives of ordinary people—people who had to work hard in order to feed their families and whose livelihoods heavily relied on the ocean. Baade applies her expertise in artistic technique when she teaches about Sorolla. “The painting that I refer to most when lecturing is ‘Mending the Sail,’ ” she say. “This is an epic work that features so many types of grays in the display of light. I like to show students this piece because of the values and to show how he uses color in space.” Baade details how Sorolla used warm colors to advance things in his paintings and cool colors to make them recede. She explains how things painted in the foreground are larger and bolder, and how things get grayer as they approach the background. “He masterfully arranges all of the dapNOMADIC NOLES

Photo by Rachel Dranetz

Sorolla’s “Marina” (above) captures a beach scene typical to Valencia.

Sorolla’s “Two Sisters, Valencia” depicts two young girls on a beach in the city of Valencia. Image courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago

Image courtesy of Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia

Sorolla’s “Mending the Sail” is an oil painting on canvas, finished by the artist in 1896. pled light and elaborate folds in this immense sail—a process so precious the whole household is involved,” Baade says. Another favorite Sorolla work for Baade is “Eating on the Boat,” a painting on display at the Museum at the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts. “It is hard to say when a painting will really grab you and change your life, but I was not expecting the impact of this work in person,” Baade says. “I honestly burst into tears on seeing this painting. I felt like I was on this boat with these men as they eat their bread. I could see the character and humanity in the lines of their faces and their hunger.” A look at the painting makes it easy to understand what she means. The image is raw with emotion and purpose, capturing the humbling feeling of peasant life. Throughout Sorolla’s work, there’s a distinct aura of humanity—a humanity that transcends background, location, and social class, simply because at the end of the day we are all human beings who cry and sweat and love.

Photo courtesy of Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando

Sorolla painted “Eating on the Boat,” an oil on canvas, in 1898.

icente Blasco Ibáñez, who graduated with a law degree but never practiced, was a journalist, politician, and most notably, a writer, born in Valencia in 1867. Alongside running his newspaper, El Pueblo, which aroused much political controversy during its time, Ibáñez was well known for his literary works. He was imprisoned several times for his political activities, and he eventually left Spain for Argentina and then France, where he died in 1928. He is buried in Valencia. Blasco Ibáñez’s Vicente most critically acBlasco Ibáñez claimed works were written early in his career and set in in the Valencia region. They include Flor de Mayo (The Mayflower), La Barraca (The Hut), Entre Naranjos (Between the Orange Trees), and Canas y Barro (Reeds and Mud). Some of his later works were adapted into Hollywood films, including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Blood and Sand, and Mare Nostrum. Associate Professor Enrique Alvarez, who teaches on the Tallahassee campus and at FSU Valencia, is a specialist in 20th century Spanish poetry with research interests in Spanish literary and cultural studies. “I became acquainted with Blasco Ibáñez when I was a student in high school, really, because Blasco Ibáñez is one of the staple names of Spanish literature in the 19th century,” says Alvarez, who grew up in northern Spain. “But I insist, although he was a Valencian writer, he was—he is—a major name in 19th century Spanish literature,” Alvarez says. “So he transcends the limits of the region, as far as his writing is concerned.” A noteworthy thing about Blasco Ibáñez’s work isn’t just his enchanting way with words, but the real life issues of his time period that he weaves into his seemingly fictitious novels.

“Well, [he] has a very close eye to describe the rural life, the problems facing everyday people in the 19th century,” Alvarez says. “He deals with more issues of economics and social development. So basically, it’s not what you read on the surface at the level of plot that makes his work interesting.” Ibáñez was more than just a novelist, both to Valencia and to Spanish culture. For example, at first glance, Cañas y Barro is centered on a generational conflict between a father and son in 19th-century Valencia. But underlying the surface plot, Ibáñez uses this story to share his discourse for more troubling things that were happening during this time period, including Spain’s changing attitude toward economics and modernization. “Cañas y Barro is also about changing techniques in agriculture,” Alvarez says. “It is about the process of modernization in Spain. It is a fierce critique of the Spanish colonial history—because the novel was released during the Cuban war. It’s about how the Spanish soldiers were mistreated, because they were conscripts; that means they were the sons of very poor peasants that were being conscripted and sent to fight for Spain overseas. And then when they returned home they were completely marginalized, and this is the story being told in Cañas y Barro.”

Students who would like to learn more about Blasco Ibanez can view many of his personal objects and literary works at the Blasco Ibañez Museum House on the Malvarrosa Beach in Valencia.

Students who would like to view some of Sorolla’s paintings (albeit not his most famous works) can visit Fine Arts Museum San Pio V, which is just a short walk from the FSU Valencia Study Center.

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Photo by Marc Hollingsworth

By Marc Hollingsworth

alencia, Spain teems with culture brought on by a mix of religion and tradition, historic sites, beautiful street art, and lavish festivals. Some of these traditions, such as the Fallas or Corpus Christi, trace their roots as far back as the city’s beginnings. Students studying abroad and other visitors can learn more about the history of these festivals and sites by visiting some of these less-frequented attractions. Museo Fallero Museo Fallero is a multi-level collection of some popular Fallas and Ninots from the city’s annual Fallas Festival. Ninots (puppets or dolls), lifelike figures made from wood, cardboard, paper, foam, and plaster, are mounted on Fallas to complete structures that are burned during the festival. Valencia’s Fallas festival is held each year

The massive Gulliver Park, located in Turia Gardens

Valencia’s history, appreciation for festivals, and a nod to a literary classic offer quirky places to visit 34 Summer 2017

from March 12 to March 19 in commemoration of Saint Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus. He is the patron saint of many Christian denominations, unborn children, fathers, immigrants, and workers. In the weeks leading up to the festival, hundreds of Ninots are made, poking fun at and providing social commentary about issues in Spain and around the world. The museum houses about 100 Fallas and Ninots from past years, ones saved from burning. The museum also exhibits the history of the construction of the Ninots and how that process has changed over time. The Fallas is one of the most important festivals in Valencia, and the Museo Fallero does a wonderful job at capturing and displaying the extravagance of the festivities. Museo Fallero is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays. Entry is 1 euro with a valid student ID. Address: Plaza Monteolivete 4 / Phone: 963 52 54 78 Photo by Marc Hollingsworth

Offbeat in Valencia

Fallas from past festivals, exhibited at the Museo Fallero

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Museo del Corpus Casa de las Rocas Steps from Florida State Valencia’s Garnet study center, the Museo del Corpus Casa de las Rocas displays carriages, costumes, and various other props used in the Corpus Christi fiesta. The Corpus Christi parade is one of Valencia’s oldest traditions. Approximately 300 residents take part in the parade, which does a circuit around El Carmen, Valencia’s old town. The first floor of the museum houses the Rocas, or carriages, that are pulled in the parade and are designed to be mobile stages. The 10 carriages are massive and incredibly intricate, each one made from carved wood, depicting animals and biblical scenes in great detail. The carvings are also painted, stained, or accented with gold leaf. Also featured on the museum’s first floor are the Nanos (dwarves) and Gegants (giants). Nanos are oversized wooden heads that participants wear during the parade, and Gegants are large wooden figurines. On the second and third floors, visitors to the museum, which was built in the 15th century, will find a well-preserved selection of the various traditional outfits and garments worn in the parades. “Valencia’s Corpus Christi festival occurred while we were here for the Summer II session, and the museum provided an extended look at the history of the festival,” FSU senior Ross Fleming says. Well organized and multi-leveled, the Museo del Corpus Casa de las Rocas is packed to the brim with a rich history of one of Valencia’s greatest festivities. Museo del Corpus Casa de las Rocas is open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free entry for all. Address: Calle de las Roacas 3 / Phone: 963 15 31 56 L’Iber Museo de Los Soldaditos de Plomo Centrally located minutes from the FSU study centers, the L’Iber Museo de Los Soldaditos de Plomo exhibits thousands of miniature lead figurines. Spread across 17 permanent installations, the museum houses over 95,000 figurines, most of which are soldiers. The hand-painted figurines tell some of Spain’s history, represent various battles, and even reference pop culture. The artistic intricacy of the figurines will wow visitors, and the sheer number of figures assembled in each display is amazing. The late Álvaro Noguera Giménez, a Valencian businessman and economist, as-

Photo courtesy of Toy Soldier Museum

Toy Soldier Museum visitors can purchase figurines from the gift shop. sembled and procured the collection over park depicts a scene from the novel when the course of 20-plus years. Unfortunately, Gulliver has washed ashore on the island Giménez passed away just one year before country of Lilliput and finds himself pristhe museum opened in 2007, and his chil- oner of the Lilliputians. dren now manage the collection. Commissioned by the city of Valencia in FSU Valencia staff member and Valencia 1990, artist Manolo Martin, designer Josep native Maria Sierra worked for Giménez in Vicent “Sento” Llobell Bisbal, and architect the late 1980s while she was in high school, Rafal Rivera created Parque Gulliver. The prepping and painting the figurines by hand. statue of Gulliver is a giant playground in “Giménez truly had a passion for his col- disguise, with hidden steps, ropes, and inlection,” Sierra says. clines that provide access to the many levels L’Iber Museo de Los Soldaditos de Plomo is open and slides. Visitors will feel like Lilliputians as Saturday from 11:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 they climb in and around the giant structure. p.m. to 7:00 p.m and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to “Gulliver Park is massive and has to be 2:00 p.m. The museum stops letting in visitors about seen in person,” FSU senior Ian Goldberger 30 minutes before closing time, so be sure to plan says. He recommends looking at the park ahead. Admission is three euros with student ID, from the nearest bridge to get a true idea of and five euros for non-students. Address: Calle Ca- the statue’s size. balleros 20-22 / Phone: 963 91 86 75 Parque Gulliver is a quick bus ride, bike ride, or taxi from Torres de Serranos and is Gulliver Park well worth the visit. Located across the street from Museo FalPaque Gulliver is open daily from 10 a.m. to lero and nestled in the Turia Gardens, Parque 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 9 p.m. Entry is free, and Gulliver is a giant concrete statue of Lem- there are bathrooms, vending machines, and water uel Gulliver, the title character of Jonathan fountains on site. Address: Jardín del Turia, s/n / Swift’s fictional tale, Gulliver’s Travels. The Phone: 963 37 02 04

Unique taxi driver will lift your spirits

Headed to Parque Gulliver or the Museo Fallero by taxi in Valencia? Hop on Facebook and contact the Unique Taxi Driver, Giuseppe Esposito (right, with the article’s author), one of the happiest taxi drivers in Spain. “I want to spread happiness and show people why I love Valencia,” says Esposito, as he breaks the out of the mold of what a traditional taxi driver is supposed to offer. He will get you to your destination, feed you snacks, and play you classical music with the biggest smile you’ve ever seen. NOMADIC NOLES

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A city within a city Valencia’s stunning showcase of arts and sciences Article and photos by Alyssa Blanco

must-see collection of buildings is located in Valencia for anyone visiting the city, but especially Florida State University students who are studying abroad. The beautiful Ciutat de las Arts y las Ciencies, or, the City of Arts and Sciences, stands out along the southeastern edge of the Turia Gardens, approximately 2.5 miles from FSU’s study centers. Whether you want to watch a dolphin show or take a stroll through a chromosome forest, the cultural and architectural complex has something for everyone. “It’s iconic to Valencia,” says Paula Acosta, FSU Valencia’s cultural program director. “It is important for students to see it.” The striking white buildings are located on the right bank of the final stretch of what was once the Turia, a river that flowed through the city. After a catastrophic flood in 1957, the Spanish government diverted the river and turned the greenspace into a gorgeous park that spans 10 kilometers. Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, and Modernist architecture define the majority of Valencia’s buildings, especially those near the FSU study centers and in the city center. When arriving to La Ciutat, however, visitors immediately see how different these buildings are from anywhere else. Spanish architects Santiago Calatrava, who was born in Valencia, and Félix Candela designed the modern-looking Ciutat de las Arts y las Ciencies, which shine in beautiful contrast against traditional city buildings. It’s easy here to forget that you’re even in Valencia. Calatrava and Candela wanted to create an almost futuristic feeling to show that La Ciutat is all about the present day.

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The Oceanogràfic, the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum, and the Hemisfèric, which in 1998 was the first building opened to the public, are the three main buildings. The others are the Palace of the Arts Reina Sofía, L’Umbracle, and the Àgora, which don’t require tickets to visit and are used mostly for public events. The Assut do l’Or Bridge runs between the Àgora and Oceanogràfic and the other buildings. All together, surrounded by a gorgeous pool of blue water, these structures make up La Ciutat. Oceanogràfic The Oceanogràfic is the largest aquarium in Europe, with 1,200,000 square feet of space. “The Oceanogràfic was my favorite . . . there was so much to see including a dolphin show, which was amazing,” FSU student Kelly Keith says. “We also got to see walruses playing together which is something I’ve never seen before.” Each part of the aquarium represents the different main marine ecosystems of the world. Walking through here is like taking a journey across the world via aquatic ecosystems. The Oceanogràfic offers an array of activities, such as meeting the animals up close, a 4D movie, and even sleeping with sharks, an overnight adventure held in the shark tunnel. During the summer session, the FSU Valencia team offers a night trip the aquarium, which includes seeing the dolphin show. With sharks, penguins, crocodiles, and more, an exciting animal is waiting to be discovered around every corner.

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Hemisfèric The Hemisfèric was built to house the IMAX cinema dome and is designed to represent a huge human eye, the eye of wisdom. This symbolizes visitors seeing the world through the spectacular films shown on the IMAX screen. In the summer of 2017, they played the films Walking with Dinosaurs, Journey to Mars, and Secret Ocean. When you buy your ticket, you select which film you would like to see.

The museum’s motto is Forbidden not to touch, not to feel, not to think. Walking into the dome is surreal: as you take your seat, the screen surrounds you. The imagery is breathtaking and you can watch the films in your native language with the headphones they give to each viewer. Hemisfèric also turns into a planetarium for visitors to enjoy every Tuesday and Thursday evening. Príncipe Felipe Science Museum The Príncipe Felipe Science Museum is designed for interactive and entertaining ways for visitors to engage with exhibits. The motto is “Forbidden not to touch, not to feel, not to think.” Some exhibits are seasonal but a wide range of activities are offered year-round in experimental classrooms. In “Science on Stage,” for ex-

ample, the public can take part in spectacular and amusing experimental demonstrations in order to learn basic scientific principles. The first floor is for technology lovers and houses exhibits such as “Techno Revolution” and “A highway behind the wall socket,” where users learn about electricity and the electric supply process. Also on the first floor is one of the longest pendulums in the world, which is mesmerizing to watch. History buffs will find interest in the second floor, which is devoted to “The Legacy of Science,” an audiovisual exhibit about the lives of three Nobel Laureates in Medicine: Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Severo Ochoa, and Jean Dausset. The third floor is for science geeks and is home to “Chromosome Forest,” with nearly 28,000 square feet devoted to one of the biggest milestones in modern science, the sequencing of human DNA. A large-scale reproduction of the 23 pairs of chromosomes of the human species is exhibited, and around each one, an interactive display engages visitors to learn more information relative to that gene. Also on the third floor is the dinosaur area, where students can discover how geologists and paleontologists try to reconstruct the world from 250 million years ago. “The layout of the exhibits and architecture was really impressive,” FSU student Marc Hollingsworth says. From the moment visitors enter the mu-

Students studying at FSU Valencia in summer 2017 enjoy the group trip to the Oceanogràfic. seum, they are encouraged to be hands-on and are submerged into every exhibit. Acosta, who lives in Valencia and has worked for FSU’s study-abroad program since April 2017, says the “really cool experiments” are her favorite part. From simple touch displays to a virtual reality simulator, you can engage with so many fun displays in the museum, you actually forget you’re learning. Arts palace, L’Umbracle, and Àgora The arts palace has separate areas that host operas and other musical performances. L’Umbracle, a separate building, is an open-aired art gallery that offers panoramic views of the whole complex. FSU used

this space in June 2017 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Valencia’s beginning with International Programs. The Àgora, yet another separate building, is a multi-purpose event space that can also be used for exhibits. Together, these three unique buildings add to the visual “wow” factor of the area. Even if you’re just passing through, La Ciutat is surrounded by a shallow pool and you can rent a kayak or blow-up hamster ball to roll around the water. It’s always nice to watch kids and adults alike enjoying themselves and having fun. Walking up to La Ciutat is an experience in itself to see the stunning architecture. After exploring what La Ciutat has to offer, it is clear that the goal here is to have visitors wanting to participate and to leave them wanting more.

Opposite page: The buildings of La Ciutat as seen from a bridge overlooking the complex. Above: Part of an art exhibit in the pool outside L’Umbracle. Right: People enjoying the activities in the water surrounding La Ciutat. NOMADIC NOLES

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Quigley from page 7 than those of her track team. “I was really hard on myself about running,” she says. “I wanted to be the best I could be. I remember getting stressed out if I couldn’t hit workout times, and my dad would always be the one to tell me ‘Hey, it’s just running. It’s not the end of the world. This one workout won’t make or break you.’ He always had a level head about things when I was emotional.” Family has always played a huge role in Quigley’s life. Being homeschooled from a young age meant that her parents had to fill a variety of roles: role model, teacher, coach, counselor, therapist, trainer, to name several. But she believes that their most important contribution to her success, both on the track and in the classroom, was the ability to use failure as a motivator. “I was just as hard on myself in school,” she says. “I would get pissed off if I couldn’t do things as well as I wanted. ‘It’s OK to make mistakes, Colleen. That’s how you learn.’ They told me that about a million times. I hated that phrase because I didn’t understand that it’s OK to fail.” But all their coaching and guidance paid off. Quigley graduated from Florida State in 2015 with a degree in dietetics. She made her first national team that summer, and has

since become a fixture. The Olympics are obviously the most public and visible event she runs in, but they are far from the only one. As daunting as those 35 days in Valencia must have felt at the time, they were excellent preparation for life on the professional circuit. Now she spends roughly six months a year away from her home in Portland, either training or competing. In late July 2017, Quigley was training in Switzerland to prepare for the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) world championships, which took place in London in August. It was Photo courtesy of Colleen Quigley a big stage, but she felt she Quigley (third from left) celebrates with teammates, was more prepared this year after FSU won the 2014 Outdoor ACC Track and Field than ever before. Championship. “This being my third national team, I feel a lot stronger—more confident. It’s a whole different ball game,” she her a qualifying bid in the final. But after the says. “I didn’t have to compete in [NCAA race, the IAAF reviewed footage and found championships] this year, so I feel like I’m in that Quigley had stepped on the line distinguishing the infield from the first lane— much better shape.” Unfortunately, things did not go as expect- grounds for an automatic disqualification. In the blink of an eye, excitement turned ed for Quigley during the London event. She placed third in her preliminary heat, earning to heartbreak. It was an unfortunate way to end the season. But true to her father’s teachings and her own nature, Quigley found a way to spin a negative into a positive and shifted the focus to her teammates, Emma Coburn and Courtney Frerichs, who finished first and second, respectively. She made the following tweets after the final:

Photo courtesy of Colleen Quigley

Quigley (second from left) with friends in Pamplona, Spain for the annual San Fermin Festival. 38 Summer 2017

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The result wasn’t what she wanted, but Quigley still did her university and her country proud with the way she conducted herself.

Alexander from page 11 hosted by Brian Stelter. The job is the perfect combination of Alexander’s skills. “It’s really great for me because it uses my experiences of being an avid media consumer and analyzing other media, and just putting [that analysis] in [the] context of the big stories of the day,” Alexander says. These days, Reliable Sources is perhaps more relevant than ever. Stelter and his team research and report on major happenings from various partisan perspectives. Alexander acknowledges that trust in the media is low and that there is need for media literacy. He believes that is exactly what Reliable Sources provides: “We try to parse [the context of where you’re getting your news from] so that you know what is a reliable source and what isn’t a reliable source.” The hope is that the viewer, through watching Stelter’s analysis of media coverage, will have a better understanding of the nuances of the news. “It’s good to, at least for one hour a week,” Alexander says, “have a moment where you [the viewer] can say, ‘OK, so what did we get right this week, and what did we get wrong? And what lessons can we learn from what’s happened?’” Alexander believes those moments of reflection are crucial at a time when partisan media can spin a news story to fit their platform or their target demographic. “This is an environment where people want to go to their media safe places and have their views reinforced,” Alexander says.

Alexander with Laura Ingram, a student in the London program when he was a graduate counselor. “The media’s job isn’t to reinforce or insulate people’s ideas; it’s to expose them to different viewpoints and different ideas.” For him, that’s one of the most exciting aspects of his job: that he can make an impact on real people, regarding real stories that matter to them, and stories that matter to him. “It’s nice to feel like you have a role in shaping how we talk about or frame and communicate stories that matter to you,” he says. Part of what you learn from studying abroad is that stories that matter to you often matter to many other people, and that those people have interesting, thoughtful perspectives on important subjects. Given the variety of stories being told in the news today,

hen Lee Alexander first arrived in London as a student, I remember him as quietly very enthusiastic about all the city and the FSU London Program offered. His lively interest was so obvious. He approached every opportunity with open-minded happy curiosity. He was on the theater program, and his excitement at having the world of London theater so accessible to the study center was an absolute pleasure to observe. As a London program student, Lee shared his love of London theater and newfound enthusiasm for the city itself freely and often with staff, faculty, and his fellow students. So when he applied to be a program assis-

From the desk of Mary Balthrop

Alexander says that “this is a time to hear more voices, not fewer,” a time for people of differing backgrounds to be open rather than resistant to others’ ideas and takes on events. However, this openness can only be developed through experience—of new people, of new places, of new ways of life. Studying abroad provides the opportunity to cultivate these new connections. While abroad, students can follow Alexander’s adopted “Why not?” motto to develop a greater understanding of the world around them. In doing so, they can create stories to last a lifetime. Stories that matter. Stories that should be told.

tant, I was certain he would do well in the position. When he returned to the London program as a colleague in the office, all my impressions of him as a student were confirmed. Lee was committed to helping the students have as positive and rich an experience as his own. He took pleasure in introducing them to the multifaceted world of London theater so they knew there was a lot more available than the obvious big West End shows. He helped the students learn to travel confidently to locations around Europe, as he had done, by advising them on every aspect of trip planning. I’m really proud of Lee and all he’s accomplished. I’m also extremely grateful to him for generously sharing his love of London and travel with me, our coworkers, and the program students.

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Humans from page 13 Not only did Seaman enjoy the lifestyle, but he got a lot of practice with his Spanish, which was one of his goals before entering the program. “I take every chance I can to practice,” he says. “I have definitely gotten a lot better conversationally.” When interviewed in late July, he revealed that he was not ready to go back home and that he hopes to one day move back to Spain. “Every time you turn down a street, it’s another picture, it’s another view, it’s another something that is different from the next street over,” he says. “It just never gets old to be able to walk around the same place you’ve been for five weeks and just see a new thing. I just feel like you can never see everything, and I just love that about it.”

Kylie Augsten, a senior from Jacksonville, was in Europe for her first time and adopted a “Just Do It” attitude, which included visiting Pamplona, Spain during the city’s annual San Fermin festival. “You have to embrace it, every second of it,” Augsten says. “If you want to do something, do it. You never know when you’re going to have your next chance.” One common stereotype students are warned about when coming to Spain is pickpocketing. Unfortunately, Augsten experienced this firsthand. Yet it didn’t play out like the stereotype. “It’s funny because [pickpocketing] was the one thing my dad warned me about,” she says. “When my phone got stolen, everyone told me it was a lost cause. When the police called me and said someone turned my phone in to the station, I thought it was a miracle. I’m glad I never listen to stereotypes.”

Photo courtesy of Ian Tramm

Ian Tramm caught in a candid moment at the beach in Barcelona, Spain.

Photo by Ben Seaman

Kylie Augsten is nothing but smiles at the Heineken Experience in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Market from page 17 such a clean city, it was not surprising to me that the market was so clean,” says Emily Nolan, an FSU student who studied in Valencia in summer 2017. “Despite it being a very busy place, it was well kept.” Once you have gathered all of the food you purchased from the market, there is a restaurant right across from it called El Trocito del Medio, where the owners will cook any meat, fish, or seafood you purchase from the market. For them to boil or fry what you’ve bought costs €2.50, and for them to 40 Summer 2017

grill it costs €4.20. The eatery also offers drinks and a full menu of side items if you want to complete your meal. This place is highly rated on TripAdvisor, is popular with locals, and is not crazy packed with tourists. Not only can you get the fresh ingredients from the market, but for all those who don’t want to cook, this place will make sure you enjoy your market meal. However, before you plan on going there, either call or stop by to make a reservation so that you can arrive with your market buys and a table all ready. The Central Market gives visitors a sense NOMADIC NOLES

Ian Tramm is the son of a former naval commander whose career moved the family all over the world, including Iceland, Italy, and Spain. Tramm, a senior English major with a concentration in creative writing, feels more at home in Europe than in the U.S. While some students say they have trouble adapting to Spain’s “laid-back” lifestyle, as

“Since Valencia is such a clean city, it was not surprising to me that the market was so clean. Despite it being a very busy place it was well kept.” — Emily Nolan, an FSU junior of Valencia and the diverse foods the region has to offer. The combination of a lively atmosphere, reasonable prices, free samples, and a true taste of Spain are what make the Central Market special to both Valencians and to the visiting FSU community.

Tramm calls it, for him, it’s quite the opposite. “It’s normal for me,” he says. “It’s odd to be in the States where your waiter is always checking on you or where they have those big megastores. Honestly, after moving around every few years, the biggest adjustment was moving from Italy to the United States.” Tramm did a lot of solo traveling while studying at FSU Valencia in Summer II. “I did this music festival a couple weekends ago called Festival International de Benicàssim,” he says. “I met people from all over the EU [European Union], and that was pretty eye-opening because I just got a lot of unique perspectives,” he says with a smile as he swipes through the pictures on his phone. Tramm was planning a snowboarding trip in France next winter with new friends he met at the festival. “I would definitely recommend traveling alone if you haven’t tried it,” he says. “It teaches you independence and forces you to figure things out on your own, which is an important skill.” As for advice to people who are thinking about studying abroad, Tramm says, “If you’re worried about not being able to afford it, or worried about having culture shock, or worried about not meeting anyone, do it. “The advantages of this program far outweigh any of the negatives. It’s such a huge opportunity for you to expand your worldview and experience another culture and make memories that are really going to affect the rest of your life.” Sara Muñoz, a University of Valencia student from Alicante, Spain, was taking entrepreneurship classes through FSU Valencia in summer 2017. Entrepreneurship is a new field for Spanish schools, so, for Muñoz,

Stuart from page 29 deal with climate change,¨ Stuart says. ¨You can´t do that at the UN behind a computer desk, so I don’t see myself staying at the UN at least in the immediate future.¨ At the end of the day, she attributes much of her drive to work in the field to the time she spent in Latin America. ¨Overall, Panama completely changed the course of my life and career goals and where I am now,” Stuart says. “Oh man, I could write a book on this. Maybe I will one day.” During her time as a student recruiter for

Photo courtesy of Sara Muñoz

Sara Muñoz spending her weekend in Budapest, Hungary. studying in an American classroom meant more than just practicing her English. “I think it is quite interesting because you are getting to know a lot about the culture,” she says. “You [Americans] have a lot of ideas related to business, or you’re quite good with business, and you have a lot of new startups that are a really good example for here, so I think I am learning quite a lot. So I am really happy, and I am also improving my English.”

Not only was Muñoz learning about entrepreneurship, but she was learning about American culture as well. “Well there is the one stereotype that you [Americans] are always eating fast food,” she says jokingly. “I think [my American classmates] are really nice, and they are trying to help me with whatever I need.” Muñoz hopes to visit America one day and learn even more about business so that she can return to Spain and start her own.

International Programs, after she finished her first year in Panama and relocated to the FSU campus in Tallahassee, Stuart encouraged other students to do what she did. “I would say ‘absolutely do it,’” she says, acknowledging the costs but pointing students toward loans and scholarships. “The reality is you might not have this time again to live and immerse yourself in another country, so there really is no better time to do it. It will be the greatest challenge you will ever face, having to adapt to something so different and so new, but because of that it will be the defining experience of your life.”

She specifically talks up the Panama program, knowing how much it tested and pushed her. “I also recommended Europe, but Europe won’t push you in the same way Panama will,” Stuart says. “That challenge, that’s what is going to shape you as a person and that’s what going to make this experience so much better. “Yes, it’s going to be hard, yes, you’re going to have days when you want to quit and go home, but pushing through those experiences is what’s going to make it worth it in the end.”

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About the contributors Brittany Argote Originally from Miami, Argote is a junior at Florida State University studying criminology and English with a concentration in editing, writing, and media (EWM). After graduation, Argote plans to attend graduate school for her master’s of science in criminology, and she hopes to one day to be employed by a federal law enforcement agency. She is an avid lover of travel, creative expression, and learning, all aspects that she hopes to continue to incorporate into her future life. Alyssa Blanco Blanco is 20 years old, born and raised in South Florida. She is majoring in digital media and minoring in computer science at the University of Central Florida. She enjoys technology and travel, and she hopes to make a living involving both. Kamille Catala Originally from Davie, Florida, Catala is a junior at FSU double majoring in English (EWM) and media/communications with a minor in film studies. Growing up, she would read books with her sister as a bonding activity. She enjoys spending time with her dog Buffy, drawing, and collecting films. Rachel Dranetz Dranetz is a junior at FSU, double majoring in English (EWM) and classical civilizations. She is currently interning as a writer for Uloop, and in her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and playing soccer. In the future, she aspires to be an editor for literary fiction. Carter Floyd Floyd is an FSU junior from Seattle majoring in both sport management and English (EWM). He enjoys reading, writing, and screaming at his television during football season. His ultimate goal is to work in collegiate athletic administration. 42 Summer 2017

Samantha Gettis Gettis is a junior at FSU majoring in marketing, with minors in hospitality and psychology. Her love for hospitality, writing, and business, complemented by her desire for a career in restaurant marketing/management, led her to the EWM program in Valencia. She has interned for Bascom Communications Consulting LLC in Tallahassee, and she will be interning with a start-up hospitality company and hospitality group in New York City spring 2018. When Gettis is not at school or work, find her at a dance studio, her home away from home.

ing in media communication studies and English (EWM). With a love for hard-hitting news, she hopes to one day work in broadcast journalism and provide the public with accurate and helpful information.

Taylor Goggin Goggin is a senior at FSU majoring in English (EWM), while also obtaining a minor in communications. Although unsure of what career field she wishes to pursue, her passion for writing and seeking more internships will guide her in the right direction. Goggin is a highly motivated, self-directed, and relationship-oriented person with a thirst for learning, travel, and career advancement.

Jessica O’Connor O’Connor is a senior at FSU majoring in English (EWM) with a double minor in communications and hospitality. Besides traveling the world, she enjoys doing press at music festivals with her internship at Alternative Nation, and hopes to work in entertainment broadcast journalism after graduation.

Madeline Hoffman Hoffman is a senior at FSU, majoring in English (EWM) and minoring in media communications and education. After graduation in spring 2018, she wants to return home to New York to pursue a fast-paced career within the publishing industry as either a copy-editor or a journalist. Marc Hollingsworth Born and raised in Orlando, Hollingsworth is a senior at FSU, majoring in English (EWM) and minoring in entrepreneurship. Post-graduation, he hopes to turn his passion for cars into a career writing for an automotive publication. Amber Lewis Lewis is a junior at FSU, double majorNOMADIC NOLES

Madison Manley Manley is an FSU English major (EWM) and an aspiring double major in public relations. She would like to go into the field of production or entertainment. When Manley isn´t studying and writing, you can catch her binge watching Netflix or rollerblading around Tallahassee parks.

Sarah Silva Silva is a senior at FSU majoring in English (EWM) and minoring in communications. After graduating from FSU, she hopes to pursue a job in public relations or journalism for a magazine like Vice or Rolling Stone. Her passions include music and travel, which she hopes to incorporate into her career. Teaghan Skulszki Skulszki is a sophomore at FSU who is majoring in English (EWM) and communications. She is involved in water polo and is a lifeguard at FSU. She aspires to be a journalist in the future. Ian Tramm Tramm, a senior at FSU studying English (creative writing) and Italian, is a 22-yearold aspiring writer who hopes to break into the field of freelance travel jour-

nalism. In his free time, Tramm enjoys ironically likening himself to Hemingway, getting himself lost in new and exciting places, and pushing himself to shatter the boundaries of his comfort zone. In his immediate future, Tramm plans on enlisting in the Peace Corps to teach English in Southeast Asia. Brittany Wallace Wallace is a senior at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University majoring in creative writing. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in the publishing industry, with a focus in manuscript work for fiction and creative nonfiction. When she’s not reading Jane Eyre for the fifth time, you can find her watching Disney Channel Original Movies with her friends or asking her dog, “What are you eating now?”

Advisors’ note: As anyone who has ever worked for a magazine knows, not everything works out perfectly throughout the publishing process. On the day we took the photograph of the students who worked in class to produce this magazine, Madeline Hoffman, left, was not feeling well. We were not going to leave her out, of course, so we took one of her the next day, in the same location, which is Valencia’s National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts. Advisors: Susan Hellstrom and Jack Clifford Student editors: Amber Lewis, Madison Manley, Sarah Silva, and Brittany Wallace NOMADIC NOLES

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Obrentz from page 23 “I remember watching the local Florentines go about their daily lives around the city and thinking how incredibly fortunate they are to be surrounded by such beauty every day,” she says. The food, she says, was amazing, even for a picky eater like herself, adding she found it easy to eat well in Florence. “I remember my first gnocchi al gorgonzola like it was yesterday,” she says. “Did I care that it was probably too heavy of a dish to be eating on a hot summer night in Florence? No! I tried new pastas, new sauces, and different pizzas literally every day of the week and I loved everything.” She enjoyed many of the culinary delights native to Italian culture, such as “the rich taste of the olive oil, the nutty sharp flavors of Pecorino cheese, the scent of garlic wafting from the trattorias, and of course the incredible wine.” The delicacy of the dishes she enjoyed combined with that feeling of “being selfsufficient” on her journey made each dining experience that much more memorable. Her favorite Florence panini shop, Antico Noè, which was located around the corner from

“It was an amazing feeling—having that special, shared experience with a small group that understands and shares the same nostalgia. The people with whom I bonded in Florence remain an important part of my life today.” — Candi Obrentz the FSU study center, recently opened its second location in her Manhattan neighborhood. Seeing the familiar logo, she says, is a constant reminder of that summer. Obrentz took three classes in Florence— an introduction to Italian course, a humanities course, and art history—the right number, she says, because she wanted to be outside exploring. “Brilliantly, my art history class was often taught in museums and churches so that we viewed the artistic works in person as we learned about them -- our textbooks came to life,” she says. “Since I struggle to sit still in a classroom, it was a huge bonus to learn in that manner.” Sharing an experience such as studying abroad in a country almost halfway across the globe can create incomparable bonds and the gift of lifelong friends. When Obrentz arrived in Tallahassee for the fall semester of 1992, she immediately connected with her friends from Florence to reunite on the familiar grounds of FSU. The early 1990s preceded texting and social media, she points out, so staying in touch with her classmates from other schools meant old-school phone calls and making travel plans to see each other in person. “It was an amazing feeling—having that special, shared experience with a small group that understands and shares the same nostalgia,” Obrentz says. “The people with whom I bonded in Florence remain an important part of my life today.”

Candi Obrentz, in her office in Manhattan in 2017, is committed to helping others launch their own invention ideas through her customized advisory services business. 44 Summer 2017

From Florida to Florence to New York Obrentz’s desire to continue exploring after her four years at FSU stemmed from her exposure to Italian culture as a young adult. Her study abroad journey brought her to the realization that the phrase “variety is the spice of life” holds true for her. Having the chance to be delighted by diverse places and individuals fueled a motivation to continue her travels domestically and internaNOMADIC NOLES

tionally to this day. Upon graduation from FSU, her mom and stepfather gave Obrentz a round-trip ticket to any destination of her choice. There was one rather important condition: She was on her own financially and she had to find a job to support herself. Obrentz set out for France because French was the second language she knew best. Solo, she used her open-ended student ticket to fly to Paris and traveled around a bit with no luck finding employment. Fortunately, she took advantage of an offer to stay with her aunt and cousins while she searched for a job. A short stay led to her living in Valbonne for almost a year, during which she was an au pair caring for a 13-year old girl and a 10-year old boy. She had the freedom to travel around France, Italy, Austria, Spain, and England, which was another incredible learning experience for Obrentz. When a timely job prospect arose through her aunt’s company, the challenge of choosing a place to live emerged, and Obrentz began thinking about a possible future in New York City. She wished to maintain as much as possible the whirlwind of exposure to many cultures and lifestyles in Europe. “I love cities with abundant opportunities and rich cultures, so after living in France and adoring Italy so very much, New York fit the bill,” says Obrentz, who has been a member of The Seminole Club of NYC for over 20 years. “Moving to Manhattan made sense for me.” Obrentz understands how the decisionmaking process to study abroad as an undergraduate is different from one student to the next, but everyone who does it can find a common purpose. “I believe that those of us who embrace the lessons learned about ourselves and others from experiences, like living abroad, will be furnished with memories and tools that enrich our lives for years to come,” she says. Obrentz’s choice to study in Florence ignited her adventurous mindset and taught her that the world provides boundless possibilities if you go out in search of them.

What I love about Spain . . . Text and photos by students in the summer 2017 magazine course

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What I love about Spain is the stunning scenery as well as the incredible people that I get to admire it with. – Brittany Argote

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I love the beautiful buildings, the Central Market, and most of all, the jamón. – Marc Hollingsworth

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I loved the Plaza de la Virgen the most. Every time I walked by it would take my breath away, from the first time I saw it ’til the last. – Teaghan Skulszki

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I just love going on adventures with my fellow Noles. In Spain, there’s never a dull moment and there’s always new, incredible places to discover. – Rachel Dranetz

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What I love about Spain . . . Text and photos by students in the summer 2017 magazine course

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I love the wonderful adventures FSU takes us on, and I love the wonderful people I have been able to experience them with. – Madison Manley

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What I love about Spain is all of the different food and activities I have tried since I’ve been here, including surfing at a beach in Cullera. – Amber Lewis

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What I love about Spain is the elaborate street art hidden throughout the maze-like side streets of Valencia. – Ian Tramm

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What I love most about Spain is its wealth of history, like this stained glass window in the Alcázar of Segovia. – Carter Floyd 46 Summer 2017

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I fell in love with the beauty of Spain, like the views from Park Guell. – Alyssa Blanco

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I’m in love with how the modern aspects of Spain have had to weave themselves into the historical sites and monuments. There is history everywhere you look, whether it’s at the Roman aqueduct in Segovia or in La Plaza de la Virgen in Valencia, and modernity has respected these important sites and monuments as it has developed. It’s just the most beautiful experience to be knee-deep in the building blocks of what has made Spain the country it is today. – Brittany Wallace

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I love the hidden coffee shops that are filled with love and culture. – Samantha Gettis

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What I love about Spain is you can wander aimlessly through the streets and be overwhelmed with beautiful sights. – Taylor Goggin

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What I love about Spain . . . Text and photos by students in the summer 2017 magazine course See more student photos on the course Instagram page, instagram.com/nomadicnoles

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I love not only being able to taste the great food, but also actually getting to make paella at one of the group activities. I definitely recommend going on those. – Kamille Catala

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What I love about Spain is living in a place so beautiful the pictures look like a movie set. – Jessica O’Connor

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I love the ability to watch the sunrise and sunset, with the best people, in the most beautiful city in the world. . . Nothing will ever be able to top this experience. Thank you, Valencia. – Madeline Hoffman 48 Summer 2017

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What I love about Spain is no matter where you go, you’re surrounded by history. – Sarah Silva

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