By Kent Truckor – Guest blogger studying in Valencia, Spain
Something that I have realized even more in the past couple of weeks is that the great thing of studying abroad in a school such as this is that not only are you provided to learn about the culture and the people of Spain – but also your classmates who hail from other parts of the world.
At first, I wanted to close myself off to anything that wasn't Spanish because that is what I came here to do. However, I realize that that is being very close-minded and that is not what this is all about. This time is for experiencing what I come across and learning on a multi dimensional level – not just what I hope to facilitate.
Friends of mine, that I have made, hale from Turkey and China. All though they are not Spanish, they can teach me much about people who come from these countries and subsequently people different than me.
This might be the greatest gift I take from my time here – maybe even greater than the language.
This past weekend I was greeted with the hospitality of my Turkish friends for dinner. It was terrific and delicious too, but what made it even better is the conversation that accompanied the dinner. It is refreshing at times and other times painful to discuss global issues with people from other parts of the world. However, I would not trade this opportunity for anything for this is how one learns. I came here not only to learn the language but also to further develop myself as a person. Whether this is in the form of a language or a different way to approach things is entirely connected.
Tomorrow we have a festival in Spain and have no class and a lot of the business around the city will be closed. Something I have learned about Spain is that they seem to live a counter life to that of the United States where it seems like nothing ever stops. Although this provides convenience to some, I wonder if it is better. Yes, I cannot deny that I will be miffed when I realize tomorrow that there was something I forgot to buy at the grocery store and the grocery store is closed. However, is it such a bad thing that the people here take time off to be with families and friends? I don't think so.

By Bradley Rehak- Guest Blogger studying in Quito, Ecuador
Having grown up and lived most of my life in Iowa, I'm used to going about my business without really thinking about the scenery in the background. In Iowa, the scenery that exists—the parks, hills and prairies—are all quite distant from the cities, at the very least in the cities that have been home to me. Quito, of all of the places I have lived outside of the States, is by far the most beautiful to walk around. I'll demonstrate by describing the simplest of things: my walk to school everyday.
I exit the small apartment building in which I live and turn left, walking along the edges of the Parque Metropolitana, which is the largest undisturbed forest/green space in Quito. The clouds usually hang low in the early morning, giving the clouds a rather misty look. I cross the street to another park that sits on a hill that makes up the eastern half of Quito. It's quite a steep drop-off that is occupied by a series of steps. Standing at the top I directly face Volcan Guagua Pinchincha, which is the largest of the numerous volcanoes and mountains that directly border Quito. I can see the western half of Quito's houses and buildings climbing partway up the sides of the volcano, eventually giving way to undisturbed forest and grassland on the mountainside and then a summit shrouded in clouds. At the bottom of the steps and the park I turn south.
Now facing the Panecillo, a hill that separates northern and southern Quito, I walk down a major street named after a national hero, Aloy Alfaro. On sunny days a statue of the virgin is visible at the top of the hill. It is an image taken from the Book of Revelation: a 50-meter tall Mary stands on top of a chained and defeated serpent. On a incredible visible day, Volcan Cotopaxi, the second highest mountain in the country and one of the highest active volcanoes in the world, hangs in the background.
I finally come to the most important street in Quito, Avenida 6 de Diciembre, and turn right to finish the short walk to the school watching the sun passing between the tall office buildings that line the street. I finally arrive having seen more natural beauty in 20 minutes than I do at home in a month.

By Kent Truckor – Guest Blogger studying in Valencia, Spain
Today I completed my 6th week of classes. Next week we have our examen for level A1. I am pretty happy with what I have learned in A1 and what I have learned so far. I realize I still have a long way to go, but I am excited with the progress so far and what I will learn in the weeks to come. I think the major push of students is about over as next week will be the third week of August and many colleges are beginning to start classes in the United States. This means less chaos in the school, which is a good thing.
This weekend there is a festival in the small pueblo of Puich, which is just outside of Valencia. Many of the small pueblos around the city of Valencia have festivals this time of year in August and I would like to catch a few of them. I figure there will be good food, music, and bulls somewhere – there are bulls everywhere in Spain.
The weekend looks to be rather tranquil I believe. Come next Tuesday there is some sort of holiday in Spain and therefore the city of Valencia will just about shut down. They take there holidays very serious around here
With the recent turn of events in London, it has led me to think more about traveling and my return home. It wasn't to long ago when I made the flight across the Atlantic and it is something very sobering to think that there are people trying to destroy life in the same route that I have taken in the past. However, I realize that there is not much I can do about things I don't know or don't understand. Therefore, I have to keep living my life just as I would have the day before. I am incredibly grateful to the people who worked to bust those trying to commit such an atrocity.
In the weeks gone by, I have learned that there is a great amount that I do not know about the world. This makes me want to learn more and more. This trip was not the first time I have felt this way, but it has definitely reinforced the feeling. Language is one of the assets that I seek to gain, but I also hope to gain a greater ability to accept things that are different from my past and what I know. One can go through life with blinders on, but there is a whole world they are missing in doing so. I aim to be different.

By Bradley Rehak - Guest blogger studying in Quito, Ecuador

Everyone needs a break from (slightly) organized writing, right? This way I can share a few items that wouldn't merit an entire blog.

Machismo: I don't think it's surprising for foreigners, particularly women, who travel to Latin countries to find themselves the object of whistles, snickers, animal sounds, and—if they understand enough Spanish—somewhat vulgar suggestions. Surprisingly, most of the girls that I know are entirely oblivious to most of them, as I quite often am the only one to notice the things listed above being directed at them. Having been myself the object of catcalls—was taken for an Australian and some Ecuadorian girls kept saying "good day", among other things in Spanish—I must say that noticing it makes one extremely uncomfortable, therefore it is my recommendation to be as oblivious as possible in South America if you're a blond girl. Judgment: opposed.

Traveling Drinking Tours: Holidays such as Carnival are often celebrated by young people in the form of a traveling drinking tour, wherein a large, old bus or even an empty dump truck is packed full of people, decorated with florescent lights, equipped with crates of beer or liquor, and is then driven around town for hours to the rhythms of thumping techno music. Judgment: in favor.

Hopscotch Injuries: While visiting Ambato in became involved in a heated contest of hopscotch. Either my memory doesn't serve me well, or as a child I played the game entirely wrong. Either way, I lost in the most embarrassing fashion by twisting my ankle while trying to make a long jump against my skilled Ecuadorian rivals, who apparently had not been playing for the first time. Judgment: opposed.

Rafting: The rafting that I participated in near Mindo consisted of ten or so truck tires lashed together with twine and a belt, filled with gringos, and then set afloat down a quite shallow and incredibly rocky river with a nine-year-old and a fourteen-year-old as guides. No one fell out and no one was hurt, despite my firm belief that it was only a moment away. Unfortunately, considering the danger, the "rapids" were quite small, but not small enough that we could drink beer during the ride. Judgment: in favor, but with some hesitations.

By Bradley Rehak – Guest blogger studying in Quito, Ecuador

Somewhat to the northwest of Quito is a small town called Mindo that is surrounded by cloud forest and is known among tourists—mostly Ecuadorians—as a sort of adventure spot. It was in Mindo that I went "rafting" as previously mentioned. However, there are other interesting things about Mindo.

Cost, for example, is one of the highlights. One can obtain lodging in a hostel that includes private bathrooms (for a shared room), hot water, and breakfast for between five dollars and eight dollars. Many of the hostels are quite unique: ours, for example, had an open walled attic from which to view sunrises and sunsets and for smoking, a thatch-covered resting area with half a dozen hammocks, and another large covered area outdoors with tables and a fireplace for hanging out at night. The owner even brought out a CD player for us and put in traditional Ecuadorian music. It was five bucks for a two-person room and breakfast.

The highlight of the town for my group of friends was the Canopy, which is a series of ten zip lines that run from hilltop to hilltop over the cloudy valleys. We happened to go on a rather rainy, cold day, but that didn't stop us from enjoying it one bit. The final zip line was 400 meters long and 80 meters high. When we started across it was so cloudy that you couldn't even see to the midpoint. My friend and I lucked out and got to do it connected together in a row with the guide, who did all of the braking, at the end. By the time we reached the other end I didn't think there was any way we could avoid hitting a building because we were going so fast, but the guide proved to be quite efficient and we stopped abruptly before the terminus.

The locals in the town were quite used to talking to foreigners, there being maybe only a thousand of them in comparison to ten or so hostels. It was therefore quite easy to strike up a conversation, even in broken Spanish. Doing so was also a sure invitation to pound shots, of which I will not admit to having taken part. We also were more than welcome to play the Ecuadorian version of volleyball, which consisted in using a soccer ball, a net that was almost fifteen feet high, and being very lenient in one's definition of setting the ball. Unfortunately, we were no match for the locals, and soon gave up to make our way towards the ice cream shop like true gringos.

By Kent Truckor – Guest blogger studying in Valencia, Spain

Today is Wednesday and I am in the middle of my sixth week. I have found a routine, which seems to make the days go quicker but I don't mind. In the mornings, I usually try to make mass, which is very short at the local church and then I check my email at school. After this I study or run errands until I have class at 1:30pm. I have class in the afternoons until 6:30pm and then I study for a little while and head back to the house where we have dinner at 8:30pm. The dinners are usually very good as Carmen is a good cook.

It is said that humans are creatures of habit and I would have to agree with this. I am aware that my time in Spain is limited so I am trying to get the most that I can out of my days here. I spoke with my girlfriend back home who voiced her nervousness about starting out new at a University in a couple of weeks. It made me think of how things were before and at the beginning of me coming here. I was nervous and somewhat apprehensive on the day I left. As this being my first real jaunt from everything I have known (college aside), it was something very large to me. The first couple days here were good and then the second and third weeks were a little more difficult because it had sunk in all around that I would not see my loved ones for a long time.

However, I found that being in a new place with new faces and things to do helped me stay busy which helped me through my wave of homesickness. At this point, I do not get nervous anymore and feel comfortable in the surroundings. It is normal for anyone to feel nervous before any big change because we all fear what we don't know. I feel pretty secure with my surroundings now and hope to take everything that I can from this experience. I figure other study abroad students have felt the same way I have.

If I could give any advice, it would be to pursue what you fear. This may sound kind of crazy, but what I mean is that if you continue to push yourself to try new things you will have lived a much richer life than those who failed to do this. To fear something is natural, but don't let that fear cripple you into not moving forward. I was nervous about coming to Spain, had second thoughts and probably would have looked for a way out had I not prepaid for the experience. However, I am glad that I held true to my plan and that I am here now. I think you will find out the same when you take a chance such as this.

By Kent Truckor – Guest blogger studying in Valencia, Spain

Today is the start of my sixth week of classes and living in Spain.

This past weekend I would say is probably the best weekend I have had in Spain so far. It started with Thursday night – I cam home and ate dinner with Pepe and Carmen and was able to make it through the whole dinner speaking Spanish and navigating my way through the conversations. Then Pepe and I talked for 2 hours, it was great. We talked about alls sorts of things from world politics to the economy of Spain. I did a lot of listening because I still have a long ways to go with the language.

Friday, class went well, we said good bye to Gabriella and Russel who returned to their countries this past weekend. Gabriella is from Hungary and Russel is originally from England but now lives in the US. They both enjoyed their time quite a bit here and we all had a good time in class, so it was a little tough to see them go. Either way it was good to get the chance to meet them.

Then when I cam home Friday night, Pepe was preparing a dinner for his girlfriend Victoria. Pepe invited me to join them so I had dinner with them and we ended up talking the rest of the night for about 3 hours. It was great and I really enjoyed speaking with them and their hospitality in inviting me to join them.

Saturday was a day of rest and studying. I have found that my favorite place to study is the old Turia river in the middle of the city. The park provides much shade and quite a few fountains to provide tranquility. That night Esra, Zeynep and I, my friends from Turkey, went to a restaurant by the beach and ate paella and shrimp. The dinner was very good and I enjoyed the ambiance of eating outside by the sea.

Sunday, I made it to mass at the Cathedral and then met Esra and Zeynep at the train station. We made a trip to Xativa, a small pueblo outside of Valencia that possessed a castle. The pueblo was small and very nice. It has a beautiful cathedral that is truly amazing to see and a very nice museum. Next, we climbed up the path to the mountain with the castle overlooking the town. This is the first castle I have been to and it is very old dating back to being the birthplace of a son of Hannibal. It was an amazing place to be and the castle spanned more than a kilometer on top of the ridge of the mountain. I took quite a few pictures and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to go there. If one is ever in Valencia I would recommend heading to Xative for a day or an afternoon, it is merely 45 minutes from Valencia by train.

Needless to say it was a full weekend but one very enjoyable.

By Bradley Rehak – Guest Blogger studying in Quito, Ecuador

In the States it is common for grade-school kids to say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning, whether there is any feeling or substance attached to it or not. I remember there being very little. The practice is immediately abandoned during high school, along with it any semblance of enforced patriotism. However, outside of government institutions, the United States is known (or notorious) for its flag-waving patriotism: many Europeans, for example, have expressed to me their surprise in seeing so many American flags displayed in front of houses. This pattern only increased, ad nauseum, after September 11th, when everyone felt the need to flaunt his support of America.

I was quite surprised, however, to have attended a ceremony of Oath to the Flag this week in Quito. The day, the 27th of February, commemorates a famous battle won by the national hero Mariscal Sucre against a Peruvian army, as well as being Army Day. The most important aspect of this celebration is the ceremony that takes place in high schools across the country (although the day varies somewhat). I witnessed it at one of the larger schools in Quito, as evidenced by the attendance of the mayor and hundreds of family members.

It took place in a large school courtyard with viewing stands on one side. First to enter were 16 and 17 year olds, probably one hundred or more, all of them carrying Ecuadorian and Quitonian flags. They marched in and past the viewing stands to a band playing military themes. They were then followed by the 18 year olds, who marched in as well and arranged themselves in eight or so lines in front of larger Ecuadorian flags. Then there were a few rounds of patriotic speeches and awards for the students with the best grades. Finally, after almost 90 minutes, the main event began: the oath. The students stood in front of the flags, and on command stepped towards the flags, knelt, took the flags in their gloved hands, swore their loyalty, then kissed the flag—all of this before their families, friends, and civil leaders. It was far beyond anything I have experienced in the US, even beyond my swearing in as a soldier. But it is a tradition that Ecuadorians cherish and are quick to defend.

By Kent Truckor – Guest blogger studying in Valencia, Spain

Today is Friday and the completion of my fifth week of classes. I feel that I have gained leaps and bounds from where I was when I came here. Last night I met my friend Mario's roommates Jose and Suzanna. They are both from Spain, but various areas. I build up a confidence in the classroom for speaking and understanding Spanish, but when I go outside of the classroom that confidence levels off quickly, haha.

I know that I still have a ways to go before I can reach my goal of being able to carry an intellectual conversation with a person who speaks Spanish. I can generally understand the main point of what they are saying, but when they speak fast, I am done for.

Last night at dinner, it was just Carmen, Pepe (her son) and I. I think it went really well, there was no one there to throw me an "English life preserver" however, I was able to manage to understand the majority of the topics that came up and ask questions along the way. This is after 5 weeks and coming here with no experience of speaking Spanish and some experience in grammar.

After dinner I spoke with Pepe for two hours! It was more Pepe doing the talking and me being an active listener. At this point, I have no choice but to be an active listener because I am scrambling to grasp what words I know and synthesize them to the point where I get an idea of what the conversation is and where it is going. However, I was able to ask questions and interject viewpoints here and there. We discussed world matters such as the on going war in the middle east, Israel an Lebanon, economies and so forth. I valued the talk I had with Pepe and was actually kind of tired afterwards because I was thinking so hard to figure out what all he was saying. I hope to have more discussions like these in the future.

People have asked me before why do you want to learn Spanish and/or why did you come to Spain. There are many reasons for this.

There are the typical reasons that it can set me a part in the business as well as academic worlds from other candidates. There is also the reason that I wanted to gain a different experience from what I have known or learned in the past. I guess the main reason I have come here to learn Spanish is that for a long time now I have made it one of my goals to be able to converse in another language besides English.

One of the greatest things is to be able to communicate with a person and trade their ideas and viewpoints in an exchange. I have done this for a while in the US and thought how great it could be to do this with people from other places and countries. I chose Spanish because I had started on in high school and also that it is the second language in the US today and does not look to be slowing down.

I could always say that this will set me apart, but I think the reason previously stated is the one that holds truest. I chose Spain because I wanted to go to Europe and learn Spanish, so there is really only one place to do that, haha. I wanted to come to Europe because there is an incredible wealth of history here and many things to do and see. I also made it a goal of mine to live in a different country for a time and this has given me the opportunity to do this. So far, I have been pleased with my experience and hope to continue to experience new and different things.