Last Day in Spain

The last day in Spain has finally come and gone.  The day was a very productive and filled day.  In the morning we had the chance to visit with the non-profit business of Fundar.  This was a pretty good experience for me because being a Entrepreneurship major, seeing a business incubator and how it works was crucial for my experience.  I was even able to take a look around and see what types of help that they offered.  Seeing as I have never seen an incubator in the states, I am not too sure of the differences in that aspect, but it looked amazing at what was offered for new business ventures.

After leaving the compassion of Fundar, we went back to the hostel to change (It was almost 90 degrees) for the trip to the Arts and Sciences.  Upon arrival, I was unsure about which part to visit.  I got the chance to take a look around the Textile room and talk to the guy at the front gate.  I found that there was nothing special going on that particular day, and that they did have a wall of "shoes" but it only consisted of women's high heels.  I decided to only visit oceanography with the rest of the group.  This experience was great and it was interesting to see the differences in this aquarium to aquariums in the states.

I then left with Chad to visit the shopping district one last time for some gifts for the family.  Unfortunately, the market wasn't open, so we shopped once more on the strips in the shopping district.  Upon leaving though, I hit the highlight of my day.

About two blocks away from our hostel, we stumbled across a shoe shop call #6 Strap.  This store was amazing and I don't know how I missed the store all week.  The owner was very nice and although he only spoke a bit of English, he let me ask some questions and video the shop.  They were playing American music, and carried rare shoes and vintage Nike clothes.

We then got ready for a night out on the town with the Spanish students.  It actually was on of the best nights of the whole trip.  It was a bummer that we didn't spend more time with these students as they knew where to take us and how to interpret some of the language barriers that had been a problem for the week.  Getting in late, I realize that this experience had come to a quick end, and what an experience it was!

Wednesday Fun in Valencia

Today is Wednesday here in Valencia and it was our free day as students. I would be lying to you if I said that I didn't catch up on some sleep! After waking up, the group decided to take a trip to a lunch joint. It was a holiday here in Valencia so most of the stores and cafes were closed but we found a small place close to the hostel. As we walked in it was evident that the cafe catered to Americans because the food was "international". What I mean is that it wasn't traditional Spanish food but it was pastas and other dishes that were universal with a Spanish twist.

Eating is something I haven't spoken about much, but it has been quite an adventure. There is always a small language barrier and the culture brings on differences also. it is sometimes hard to order as sometimes we don't know what dishes are or the waiter/waitress doesn't quite understand our orders or questions. Also it is against cultural standards to split the bill so figuring out exact change for the whole group is interesting! All in all though, the people are nice and helpful and we always get full.

For the remainder of the day we traveled to the beach (la playa) to spend our time. it was a bit more crowded today due to a holiday but the weather was great. After the beach we took a cab back to the hostel to get ready for our night out. We decided to make no plans and just stop at the first place that looked good, and that first place was a burger joint. Here we were greates by a waiter who spoke English also, but the burgers were served Spanish style!

I think the moral of my story today is that one country can influence another, but it will never totally stray too far away. Even though we ate no traditional Spanish food, it had a Spanish twist on it. The experience is awesome and something I have never experienced but it is coming to a close end. Tomorrow is a full day but will bring alot of things to my table.

Tuesday in Valencia

Wow! Today is Tuesday already and the week will be over too soon. Today in Valencia was a filled day. After getting in last night I took a shower and was ready for sleep. Tim and I decided that we needed to get up early so we both set early alarms; or so we thought. It was then that I heard a knock on the door. Paul's voice exclaiming "we're leaving" was a good indication that we had not set the alarm correctly. After rushing to find clothes, we had to jog down the streets of Valencia to catch up!

When we got to the university though, our hectic start to the day turned into a great day. As a group we had a wonderful lecture about entrepreneurship in Spain. This was very nice for me because my major is entrepreneurship and I wanted to know all of the differences. My first thought was that there would be many differences, but to my surprise it was very similar in form. Most of the business tactics were translated exactly how I had learned in the states. I was most surprised that I knew exactlyall of the steps in a Spanish business plan.

After our lecture we hopped on a bus to a wine tasting and tour in the outskirts of Valencia. This experience was great because the tour was very personal to our small group.

At this point, there are no words to explain how kind the local people are. I visited the Nike store today and purchased a shirt in which my encounters with the workers were all very good. I was on my own a little today and used Spanish more than I thought I could, and hey,I got back to the hostel safely!

Second day!

Today was our second day in Valencia. After getting some rest last night we woke up as a group and took a lecture class at the university of Madrid in the urban campus of Valencia. The lecture was very interesting and taught us much about the differences on the business etiquette between the US and Spain as a whole. From greetings to learning not to stretch in front of Spanish business people, the differences were vast.
After the lecture our group went to the central market to experience how that transaction occurs. On the way there we stopped by a small cafe and ordered pastries. This experience was good as it allowed us to try and order on our own. After the market we then headed to the shopping district as we had a free day. These shops were surprisingly like what we have in the states and the people were helpful. I did find out that a size 14 shoe (my size) is not usual here in Spain. on the other side of things, I found many small shoe shops with shoes that were popular in the states. there are not many though which allowed me to think an urban shoe store would be a good idea. Maybe that will be a venture in my future. On the way back to my surprise, we found a Nike shop! I now know how to get there if all else fails.

Tomorrow should be interesting also, and I am going to check out the Nike store thoroughly! Until then, buenos Dias!

gracias,
Justin James

first day in valencia

We arrived in Valencia yesterday at about 11:00 a.m. (Valencia time). being my first trip on a plane, it was incredibly long. It was my first experience with airport security, international security, plane take-off, and everything in between.

Today we ate paella (another first) on the beach of Valencia and then walked our trip back through the city the culture here is different in many ways but similar in some. The people are helpful and very kind, but the driving is insane! I have been a true tourist though and will post some of my pictures in the next posts. Tomorrow will be a lecture on the differences of business between Spain and the united states, then I plan on looking at the shoe stores here to get a feel for that market. Until then, buenos Dias!

Valencia First Class

Hey, this is Justin!

I am posting for our first "blog" class meeting.  I am getting excited about our trip that is coming up soon, and I have been thinking about what I want to get out of the trip.  Since I am trying to get experience abroad and I want to design shoes, I plan on taking some pictures of shoes that are in Valencia.  I have no idea what to expect, but who knows, I may come back with some Valencia kicks!