Bienvenida a ERASMUS

Today was the first day of 3 in UC's orientation programme. Up at 8:30, we were meeting at the uni for 10 - but after a confusion with the shower (turns out the guys here turn the gas inlet off at night..) I ended up having to leave without much more than a few bites of cereal and grab the bus.

Managed to find the lecture theater, and had the good luck to sit down to the only 2 other English students studying geography, both from Leeds Uni - though one's from Shepton Mallet, just down the way from Bath! Strange coincidence indeed.

So, the lecture started - welcome, information, how things work in UC, and how to get things done with the International Office. Lots of paperwork that needs to be done - everyone needs to apply for an government student pass, along with a mountain of other papers that need to be signed and stamped. Luckily we're all in the same boat so I'll just follow everyone else....

Was awesome to be able to speak English for a bit after nothing but Spanish for a few days, which gets a bit isolating when you can't fully express yourself with slag and the rest of it that comes so naturally to your mother tongue.

We had a tour of the Uni, before getting some nibbles and drinks served by waiters in the almost equivalent of the student's union, although no such body really quite exists here - more a student's association, who organise trips etc, but there really isn't the same amount of student involvement - no societies, for example.

We then took a bus tour around the city, with guides telling us on the mic what we were looking at, but for the most part we just chatted. Called in at the oldest lighthouse in Cantabria, on a sweet headland, and then through the town, before pulling up by the old palace and having a walk around - there's even a 'mini-zoo' there with penguins, seals and sea lions.

After, a boat trip around the bay - which was got my geology brain excited (very clear folding and faults!) before returning to the port.

Here we were left, and I headed back home to rest a wee while before going to someone's house for pizza, then 'pre-game*' in one of the squares. While the flat I've landed myslef in is pretty nice, it's a bit of a ballache to walk out too - at the minimum it's about 25 mins. Doesn't sound like much, but when everyone else I met had houses much more central, it did make me think.

Lush pizza, homemade, and a very nice house - then a very spanish club with very spanish music. Everything's got a latin beat - I can't dance to that stuff, my hips won't lie.

*American/international english for predrinks, no sport involved