I have arrived!

Hi everyone! I have arrived safely in Bilbao and I am loving it here so far. The first week was full of many activities and excursions around the city. During the first day we had meetings where we learned about the program and were able to meet other international students. It has been fun meeting people from not only around the United States, but also different countries around the world.

Most of the Grand Valley students here.

On our first day we also had a tour of the city.

Our tour guide that told us the meaning behind all of the artwork.

Cheesin' in front of my favorite view of the city...the river and the Guggenheim Museum,

Standing in front of my new school.

Later in the week we visited a couple cities nearby.

Plentzia- The water is so pretty there.

Some GV friends in Plentzia.

Puente de Vizcaya- Such a cool bridge. You can pay to park your car or stand on the platform to cross the river.

Beach in Getxo.

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time with my host family at their other house 30 minutes away. They are such a nice family and are helping me a lot with my Spanish. Everyday I feel myself understanding Spanish a little more.

 Swimming by the mountains! Such a pretty view.

While we were there we were able to see a bunch of churches that are part of the Camino de Santiago.

This church is over 1,000 years old.

The shells mark that this church is also part of the Camino de Santiago.

I went to this beautiful old church in the mountains on Saturday. 

And I got to see the man-made lake that supplies water for Bilbao.

Everything here is extremely pretty and everyone is super nice. I still can't believe that I get to study here for the next three months. Classes are just starting this week and I am looking forward to improving my Spanish. Today I found out that I was placed in the level I need to transfer all of my classes back to Grand Valley- such a relief. 

Hope all is well back in the US!