Surfin the Basque Country

I learned how to surf on Tuesday! It was a blast. I can´t put up any pictures though, because I have finally sent my laptop in to HP to be fixed. Hopefully I will get that back within 2 or 3 weeks. I´ve only been without it for 2 days and it´s driving me nuts! But the weather has been beautiful so I don´t want to be spending too much time online.

Surfing was a lot easier than I thought it would be. We watched a youtube video, rented wetsuits, boots, and boards, and jumped in the ocean. After about an hour and a half I could stand up on the board, but not for more than a few seconds. We tried to go again on Thursday, but it was really stormy and dangerous so we collected sea shells instead. I think I´ll be able to get pretty good at this after 2 or 3 more times in the water.

School has gotten really busy. Last week, I had 2 presentations and a midterm, and this week I have 2 more presentations and another midterm. I´ve been doing well so far though, and it´s not too overwhelming.

I missed having corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick´s Day. Maybe my mother will make it for me when I get home for the summer though? We´ll see. For now I´m off to bed. Take care!

Love, Em

The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly in San Sebastian

The weather has been very dreary and cold and rainy here. I was sick for a little over a week, and now I'm playing catch-up with all my school work. I have probably spent a total of two hours outside in the past two weeks, just walking to and from class a few times. My freckles are gone and I am completely out of shape. And my computer is absolutely busted so I will be without one for probably the next month. All around, I'm a bit frustrated and homesick.

But on the bright side, the local grocery store has added an American-inspired line of products, McEnnedy, and they make salad dressing! And pancake mix, and peanut butter, and marshmallows, and all sorts of American things.  It's great! And the weather is finally getting nicer - it should be in the 60s all week. So life is looking good for the future. As soon as I get back on track with all my school work I'll be a happy camper again. 

I took some pictures to post up here before I got sick, so finally I will put them up. The first bunch are some views from my walk to school:

This one is the front entrance of a cathedral right around the corner from my apartment. It doesn't seem to hold any services anymore though.

Here we have the Plaza de la Constitucion:

My apartment! The third window up on the left is my bedroom.

Just outside my apartment - local farmers set up stands where you can buy flowers, fruits, and vegetables.

The front of our apartment - the two windows in the middle just above the tree are Laura and Noora's bedrooms.

Plaza Sarriegi - the street we live on.

I will put up some pictures of the inside of my apartment later this week, once I've cleaned it :)

I hope everyone is doing well! I miss you all a lot. 

Love,

Em