Vic University in Vic, Spain

I went to visit Vic University in Spain in late October. Following the fiasco of the bus trip, Angels and I went to visit the international dormitory. The Residence Director, Toni Carrasco, there was quite intent on showing us everything and in being very hospitable. He spoke in fast Catalan, but I picked up some words here and there when they were similar to Spanish. This building is relatively new and seemed spacious, light, and clean. There is no carpet so that the building can be easily mopped and cleaned.

There are several study rooms of different sizes and shapes, including a computer lab, so that students can separate themselves physically into study rooms for work, and use their dorm rooms for relaxing.

There are also several student lounges varying from rooms with tables and vending machines to this large open area with a pool table.

This is the cafeteria for everyone in the building. If I recall correctly, about 80 students live in this building.

This sign lists the hours that the cafeteria is open. Again, this is not Spanish, but you certainly can understand it.

This is one side of a dorm room for three people. On this side, there are two bunk beds.

The othe side of the room has one bed, which can convert into a bunk if needed. There are 3 desk areas along one wall, with bookshelves available.

Each student has a closet with drawers, cabinet areas, and space for hanging clothes.

This made me laugh. This is the laundry room, with only two washers and two dryers!! I questioned this, Angels translated, and we were told that many of the students go home for the weekends and "take the laundry home to Mom!" Some things are truly the same the world over!

Later on Friday evening, Angels took me through one of the two main sections of campus. This building smelled wonderful, and it turned out that there was a baking class going on. This class is held for the community and often includes immigrants as class members in the hopes that they can find employment as bakers. Angels asked permission for me to take this picture and told these men that I was sending the picture to America. They were pleased to pose and got more bread out than had originally been on the table!

Angels had been a bit distressed that I came the weekend that I did because there was some kind of party occuring on the Thursday night I came. However, this class was meeting so again with permission, I took this picture from the front of the room.

The next day on my way to meet Angels in her office, I went by this sculpture which was built in honor of a poet.

This is the legend of a campus map, posted on an outdoor wall. Remember you can click on it to enlarge it.

Same map, showing the layout of the buildings. This is basically one of the two campuses of Vic. I supposed they're half a mile or so apart.

This campus had quite a setup for audiovisual and communication work, including sounds rooms, rooms full of equipment, rooms for recording audio, and rooms for both television and radio productions.

A room for television broadcasts, with appropriate scenery behind!

This is a top-of-the-line kitchen used for cooking classes. Angels told me that they sometimes have professional chefs from television shows come in to demonstrate.

This is a shot of the patio between buildings, with students studying left of center. And yes, the sky was that blue---it was so nice to have sun and warmth after rainy Bielefeld!

This area was to the side of a building, between the building and the road. The area had been cleared, planted, and is maintained by occupational therapy students and clients, if I recall correctly. Previously, it had been just dirt and rocks. It was so pretty!

This library is in the main, downtown portion of campus

This is the international student staff. The two young women on the left are both named Anna

with one in charge of incoming students and one in charge of outgoing students. The woman with the green blouse is Merce Prat, Head of the Office. She had dinner with me and Angels on Thursday evening. Angels Pinanya is on the right in gray and black. She is the international study director for the business school.

Cesar Duch is one of the business profs, with Angels, me, and the business dean, Maria Antonia Pujol. We all went to lunch together (at 2!!) on Friday. Spaniards eat late! I don't remember the name of the woman on the far right---she simply came by shortly before a student took this picture for me. Cesar was very helpful with instructions about how to get from Vic to Barcelona and then on to the airport.

Somewhere along the way, I saw this cigarette package on the ground. It seems to me that Europeans are far more blunt about the health hazards of smoking than we are. The warnings are in bigger print and are just mor graphic.

The signs on these doors of the 2nd floor of the building are so explanatory. I had never seen signs like this before!

On the way back to my hotel, there were birds in cages on one of the balconies, singing and squawking to themselves. Definitely not something I see in Marquette!

One of the narrow streets I walked on my way back to the hotel from school.