Feb 12th

This is the best picture I got of the surf 2 days ago. It was an amazing day, this wave is probably 12-14 feet tall. This picture shows the rocks that jet out into the middle of the beach and the lighthouse on the small island in the background. I can't wait to actually get in the water.

This shot is from a long strip of shops right on the beach. They all seemed to be closed for the winter, and the graffiti covering every inch of the wall made the place look pretty sketchy. Even so, I found this yellow guy hanging out by the entrance. He seems pretty happy just to be here.




These are all pictures from my casa. The first is a really old violin that my madre said was used by her grandfather. Above the violin is a pretty intense head-statue of Beethoven (I think). The second picture is of the Huidobro family shield. Huidobro is my madres surname and I thought this shield was really cool. I wish I had a Peifer shield.


Ok so the last update was kind of short, considering I have now been here for 5 days. Each day has been busier than the last. We have been introduced to the University of Cantabria (UniCan) where we will be taking classes. It's a pretty cool place, tiny compared to NC State. The classrooms are about the same as ours in the States, with the same uncomfortable desk-chairs. There is a small dining hall in the main school building that serves beer, which I will take advantage of soon enough.

We have been going on some orientation excursions for the past 2 days. They are very tiring and touristy, but we've gotten to meet and get to know the other international students. So far I've met people from Australia, Belgium, England, Mexico, Slovakia, Italy, and France (and Florida). They all seem pretty nice. I spent today walking around with 2 of the Mexicans, Barco and Mayra. They barely speak any English, so we had a lot of small talk in Spanish.

We've gone to some beautiful places on these excursions the past 2 days. I will upload some more photos in my next post, but right now I've got to get home for dinner (it's 9pm here, usually dinner is around 9:30 in my house).