Last Day of Classes

Our students had classes with students from France, Austria, and a few other countries. They were able to make the most of their experience by interacting with the International students outside the classroom as well. There was even a soccer tournament at our dorm which the Americans won. Shout out to the Americans! Hopefully, everyone learned something in their classes too. On the last day, we had a small graduation ceremony and handed out diplomas and T-shirts. We gave the International students Mizzou t-shirts so they would remember us.

Novelda- Fiesta de Cristanos y Moros

Many towns in Spain celebrate the Fiesta de Cristianos y Moros (Christians and Moors). The Fiesta celebrates the battles between the Christians and Moors in the 1400s. The towns hold huge parades and everyone dresses up in elaborate costumes. Some costumes cost over 1000 euros! We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel to Novelda to see their celebration. It was an interesting experience. The entire town comes out to watch the parade. It was also nice to see another small Spanish town. While Spanish culture is laid back all over the country, Alicante is hectic compared to these smaller towns.

More pictures!

Guadalest and Altea

We had our weekly excursion to Guadalest and Altea on Tuesday night. Guadalest is a small Spanish town close to Alicante. We climbed a castle and got to see a great view of the surrounding mountains. Altea is another town close to Alicante. It's also on the coast and the views are amazing there as well. To finish off the night, we went to a hut on the beach and had some tapas.

First week of classes

Classes started on Monday July 12. After a short orientation, we started classwork. We are in classes with French, Austrian, Spanish and other International students. It's interesting to see how classes are run in Spain and things are definitely a little different. The mornings are a little tough to get through, but a coffee break helps out a lot. Class discussions are much more interesting when people from all over the world can contribute.

World Cup FINAL

After we got back from Granada, everyone threw on their jerseys and headed downtown to watch the World Cup Final. We got to El Barrio right in time to get some good seats. The game got a little intense but Spain scored in overtime and the crowd went crazy. We celebrated like we were Spaniards! It was a once in a lifetime experience!

Weekend in Granada

On Friday afternoon, we left for Granada. That we night we went the old Moorish part of town called the Albycin. Afterwards, we went to a Flamenco show. It was really authentic and interesting to see! At the end, a few students got to show their own Flamenco skills...or lack of Flamenco skills. Even our professor showed off his moves.

Saturday was a free day. Some people did some sightseeing while others did some shopping and exploring. Granada is a beautiful city although it was about 105 degrees during the day.

Sunday was our trip to the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a giant complex and palace that the Moors built when they were in Spain from 711 to 1492. They surrendered to Ferdinand and Isabella during the Reconquista in order to preserve the beautiful palace. It was breathtaking and the views of Granada from the top were great too.

Tabarca Island

Thursday was another really tough day! We took a boat out to Tabarca Island for some snorkeling and beach time. The small island has restaurants and a beach, but not much else. It's a great place to relax away from the crowded beach in downtown Alicante. We did a little snorkeling and relaxed on the island. We really needed some down time after our two days of company visits!

More Visits....

On Wednesday we headed to a Spanish chocolate factory. Valor Chocolates is a very successful chocolate company that has been in Spain since 1881. The entire place smelled like chocolate chip cookies. We got to sample some chocolate and see the factory floor. And of course, we got to buy some chocolate.

After that we went to Benidorm, a popular tourist destination in Spain. People from all over Europe vacation in Benidorm and we heard a presentation on the tourism industry there. We got to walk around the city and take some pictures.

The Hard Work Begins

Tuesday was our first day of company visits. We first visited OHIM, the European Union's

office for trademarks and designs. They gave us a really interesting presentation and we learned a lot about the European Union and the issues surrounding trademarks and designs. And of course, we had to have a coffee break with a

beautiful ocean view.

After that, we headed to Pikolino's, a well-known shoe brand in Spain. They also gave us a

great presentation and we learned a lot about doing business in Spain and around the world. They even showed us their nap room! That might be something that the students will try to bring back to the U.S.

We're Here!!!

Everyone arrived in Alicante on Thursday July 1. We jumped right into things and headed downtown our first night. The students had a great time getting to know the downtown area, El barrio, the port, and the beach. With plenty of free time for the rest of the weekend, everyone got a chance to get to know Alicante and enjoy the beach and night life before the hard work starts.

On Monday, we met with some Spanish students to have a team competition. The teams worked together to answer trivia questions about Spain and the United States. It was a great way for the students to meet some Spanish students.

That evening, we climbed the Castle of Santa Barbara, a castle that overlooks Alicante. It was a tough trek but the view at the top was worth it!