orientation ends

Today we board a bus towards Bilbao. The city is described as a port town, surrounded by mountains continuously covered in snow. But it never snows in Bilbao, it's too warm. The weather here has been fantastic - in the mid forties and fifties. Yesterday (the Toledo day), there was a heavy fog; a tour guide said that that was probably the first fog since early fall, fog is a bit uncommon here. I am told that Bilbao, though it is farther north, is about the same temperature though is rainier. If that is true, I think my umbrella will get plenty of use but my ski jacket is going to stay in the bag - it's far too warm for it.

Anyways, I am making this update now as I am not sure (in the hustle of getting set up at the University) that I will have time to update this blog today. I gave up trying to speak only Spanish right now. I'm so irritated about that but it's close to impossible right now. AUGH. Of course I speak Spanish with Spaniards, but I'm not in contact with them ever. Furthermore, every Spaniard knows English and will just start speaking that as they figure you are from America/Germany/Scandanavia. In other words, countries that use English. At least with them I'm politely tell them I am gonna speak in Spanish for practice.

I will say this as a final note: it's odd what words you forget and how fast you forget them. My dreams are becoming a mix of Spanish and English now. I expect by next week there will be little English about them.