Submitted by Jordan Rampolla on the 2018 winter session program in Spain sponsored by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Physics & Astronomy…
This study abroad program has placed myself and 19 other students in the Basque Country – northern Spain. We are staying just a short walk away from the beach, which varies drastically from day to day. The area is wonderful and these first couple of days here have been quite an experience. It is warmer here than in Delaware, but it rains frequently. When the tide is in, there is almost no sand visible to walk or lounge on, but when the tide is low the beach is long. The pictures were taken one day apart and show that with the changing weather comes changing tides as well. Locals are always down by the beach, surfing (even in the rain), walking along the pier, or going to shops. This area of Spain is part of the Basque Country and Basques have a language different from Spanish. On signs in the city, there are usually two languages – Spanish and Basque. Although I expected this coming in, it is hard to adjust to locals speaking a different language. When we go to stores or restaurants, the clerks or servers typically only speak Spanish. Because of this, we have had to work together as a group to order food or find what we need. It helps incorporates the local culture into daily activities so I can fully appreciate my time abroad. I look forward to the next 3 weeks of this program!
