Last day of Tour and Arrival in San Sebastian!

Yesterday we left Madrid in the morning and drove to a town called Segovia. There we visited a castle and were able to tour inside. This castle was built in the 9th century and they continued adding to it during centuries afterward. We walked around Segovia checking out other old buildings. We enjoyed hot chocolate and a pastry at a local café. We left Segovia and headed toward San Sebastian. It was a long bus ride but I was able to sleep some. It was hard having time where I wasn’t staying busy because I thought a lot about being home and with my family and friends. We arrived in San Sebastian around 6:30. We drove through the town to check it out a little bit then arrived at Hotel Codina for the night. USAC (my study abroad program) provided dinner for us at a restaurant near the hotel. It was pasta, then salad, then chicken and potatoes, and then ice cream! Tons of food and very delicious! After dinner we had a housing meeting again and I got my apartment keys! I spent the evening relaxing in the hotel trying to get Skype to work.

Today’s breakfast was a soupy yogurt-type dish, cereal and OJ. The milk they use tastes different. I haven’t figured out why yet. We had orientation after breakfast which was in another building down the road. That lasted a few hours and then we had to take our very difficult placement exam. The written was very hard…a lot of guessing. The oral exam was a lot easier for me. After the exams 6 of us went to lunch at a Basque restaurant which took forever. The weather is nice today. It is definitely warmer than Madrid and no snow on the ground. The beach is beautiful. It is a small sized city but everyone lives in apartments that are 8 stories high. All crammed together! After lunch we went to the USAC offices to get more information about buying cell phones, renting bikes and getting to our apartments. Then Jill and I tightly squeezed into one taxi and went to our apartments. After dragging my lunch up stairs and into a tiny elevator I made it!! It is a three bedroom with two baths, a living room/dining area and a kitchen with a washing machine in the kitchen!!