Chris Banyas
Life Editor
A young man stands before you: dreadlocked and pierced, his appearance evokes a response somewhere in the back of your mind. You’ve seen him before. You know him. You know others like him. Don’t you?
Soon he introduces himself. As it happens, one of his passions is reggae music, and that fits oh-so-nicely into the cookie-cutter mold you’ve already constructed, an apparatus of limitation through which interpersonal interactions are forced.
Francisco Belda, a native of Ontinyent, Spain, is visiting Idaho State University on scholarship from his home university, and while having only been in the area for a short time has already had to deal with the above scenario several times.
“When I came here, I don’t know if it’s because of my dreadlocks or something, everybody who sees me has been like ‘hey do you smoke marijuana?’ Uh, no, thank you. It has been like two or three people,” said Belda. “I think it is over the world, that you know, there is people who wear dreadlocks and don’t smoke.”
A nursing major in his junior year based out of the University of Valencia, located in Valencia, Spain, Belda chose to study at ISU because he wanted a change from the coastal setting.
“We have the coast, so by the pass of the time, you don’t like the coast. I prefer mountains and stuff, so that’s why I came here. I like the outdoors and mountains and stuff,” said Belda. “What I like about Pocatello is that it is a peaceful city, and that’s what I really wanted to look for. To relax some. I came from a big city with lots of inhabitants, so I really wanted to come to a place like this, with beautiful landscapes.”
Ontinyent, a village of about 40 thousand, is located roughly 60 miles south of Valencia, and is known for its textile production.
Belda is an only child who, along with his mother and father, would go on holiday frequently throughout his childhood years.
“Here in the United States I have been to New York and Miami, and then in Europe, places such as Italy, France, the United Kingdom, and Mexico, the Bahamas,” said Belda. “I would like to go to Canada.”
Of all the places in the world that Belda has set foot, Mexico is his favorite.
“Have you heard of the Maya culture? It’s very interesting for me. I’ve been there many times, so I always love to go back to Mexico. The resorts and the coast are amazing, but that’s what I like about it,” said Belda.
In Spain, Belda was active in sports such as volleyball and soccer, and has begun to discover new physical activities in the short time he has been at ISU.
“I had to find something new. I am starting rock climbing on the wall, and I really like it. I’m sure I will continue with this when I go back to Spain,” said Belda.
Being a nursing major, Belda found himself in the minority at ISU, even among his international peers, something that first became apparent at the international student orientation.
“Everyone had to say their name and program, and everyone was from engineering. Nobody from nursing or even psychology,” said Belda. “I really like the program and I’m really comfortable in the class. Everybody helps me when I need something.”
A major difference between Belda’s home university and ISU is the way in which exams work. In Spain, all the exams are condensed into a period at the end of the term, while at ISU they are peppered periodically throughout the semester.
“I like both systems, because here you have to study every week and that’s better for you, but there you have more freedom to plan your studies,” said Belda.
English is Belda’s third language, after Spanish and Catalan, a language unique to Valencia and Catalonia. Catalonia is also the source of one of Belda’s favorite musical styles.
“We have our music in Catalan, and it’s only typical there. I really like those concerts. It’s like folk music or something similar,” said Belda.
Another band that Belda is a fan of, Soja, an American reggae band, will be playing at the California Roots Music and Arts Festival in May.
Belda said, “I have always wanted to go to San Francisco, and I have this concert in May.”
