This one's for you guys

So, I have been here for one month and one week and life is amazing! Surfed for two hours this morning, booked my flight for the Canary Islands.. for CARNIVAL in two weeks, and we are in the process of planning where we are going to head for this up comming 3 day weekend! Adventures are ahead! I have also finished one of my four classes here and my spanish is improving which is a HUG plus! I'm stoked! Other than these there has not been too much happening, just getting more acclimated, hanging out with everyone, swimming to islands (no big deal) and loving my wet suit even more than some of my plaids. (now thats saying something). I wanted to write this blog and devote it to some of the people that I love with all my heart back in Chico, CA. These past two weeks were rush for my Sorority! WHADDUP SISTA SQUIRRELS (Alpha Gamma Delta) and my favorite fraternity where some of my favorite gentlemen reside Phi Kappa Tau. It has been insane these past two weeks for them trying to recruit new people and hosting events in order to promote their chapters! I wanted to take some time to let you all know that I miss you like crazy and I enjoy skyping you all and hearing all about the craziness that Chico still brings...a little less with out my presence.. but still enough insanity to have my heart!.

You guys are amazing, and I am so glad to have friends like all of you that include me, and fill me in on all of the happenings in Chico while I am over here. I love trading stories with you guys and I know it was a big concern for a while that how was I going to survive with out you all and vice versa and I am happy to say that it is working out amazingly! Seriously this goes out to anyone: NEVER BE AFRAID TO SKYPE ME! Im always on and I love talking to all of you. I knew coming here that one of the hardest things that I was going to miss was recruitment but I would not trade being here for anything in the world. I am so happy to hear that we have 56 new baby gams that I cannot wait to meet, and my boys finally have some pledges to mess around with. This definitly shall be interesting.

I have such a crazy family back in Chico and I want you all to know that you are amazing and I know that you all are supporting me while I am over here and again..vice versa. I love my fifth street ladies, my AGDeezies, My men of phi tau, my pine tree home girls, a few other important people that have my heart and probably don't even know it : ) and the list just continues. This blog is just a bunch of jumble but I wanted it to be known that I love you guys and I am soo happy that you all are enjoying and loving life as much as I am!

So cheers to new pledges, not letting the rain get you dow, spring crazyness and keeping up with koose! miss and love you all!
Much Love
Koose.

Short, Sweet, Simple.

I could not have asked for better roommates here! Laura and Morgan are amazing and I love that every weekend we end up doing some sort of exploration and activity its great. I really feel like I am adventuring out here a lot which was the point of me coming to Spain in the first place. Last weekend we went to Mundaka, this weekend we hiked along the coast on this cliff near our apartment, and tomorrow we are swimming to a small island that is across from one of the beaches and it should be a lot of fun. People are joining in on our adventures and there is about a group of 6 or so of us going. Its going to be awesome!

With that being said, I have decided something. A little adventure goal that I am creating myself for my time here as well as back in the States. As you all know I am turning 21 in March (March 22 to be exact and I love when people wish me happy birthday so don't forget!!) haha and I decided to make it goal while I am here to visit 21 different cities throughout Europe before I leave here in May. When I get back to the U.S I plan to visit another 21 cities there too before the end of the year and see where I end up. The rule is I can visit which ever cities I want but I cannot have a residence in any of them, I must stop and visit (not just pass through) and the cities have to be outside of the counties in which I reside. So whose with me? It seems like I am going on a couple of road trips this next year so come along for the ride. I am really excited about this endeavor and I cannot wait to see where I end up. YAY! its gonna be good. Who thought turning 21 could be so creative. haha.

Speaking of trips we are planning on going to the Canary Islands for Carnival in the beginning of March which is this huge mardi gras thing in Europe and every one participates and its a really big deal! I am very excited and its going to be warm, and beautiful, and I am going to be dressed as a shark because that is part of the theme and I know you guys will be dying just to read my blog about it! haha.

So with all that being said I am pumped for my new explorations, my new adventures, and more challenges. So 2 continents, countless countries, and 21 cities each! Whose with me!

ROAD TRIP!
Much Love,
The Koose

Just another excuse for an adventure.

So I am doing homework right now, and I am stuck on translating a few verbs so what better time to write a blog right? haha. This weekend has been amazing..as usual and I am in a very good mood at the moment so I thought I would share it with you all. I am starting to feel really home here, like I belong, and this is no longer foreign to me. It defintely became apparent that this was home last night after a long day of traveling to Mundaka and as the taxi pulled into San Sebastian we were all so exhausted and so excited to be back where live. With Laura lying on my shoulder and Morgan on the other side of me all cuddled up in the backseat of the taxi, as Michael helped communicate to the driver, we all hoorayed and clapped to show our joy for being back in San Sebastian. It was a really good feeling and realization to feel at home, you know, just that sudden calm where you feel familiar, where you enjoy being. I loved it. Don't get me wrong my true home will always remain in the 530 (Chico, Ca) where I left my heart, I left my friends, and I left my love for it all. Its nice to feel comfort in a new place with new surroundings and i am so happy to have love for a new environment so far from home! So cheers to that.

Mundaka, Spain was absolutely beautiful and if you have a facebook which I am guessing you do, you should check out the new photos that I uploaded. It was unreal and the waves were beautiful. The village surrounding the ocean was such a small, basque town and everyone was so friendly. And i really have to say it again, the place was BEAUTIFUL! and famous surfers from all over have surfed here. We went to eat at a small restaurant near the marina and there were pictures of Kelly Slater and other surfers from the Billabong pro tour over the years with the bartender and waiters.

What was more funny is our adventure getting TO and FROM Mundaka. It was a long day but totally worth is and we got to spend quite a lot of time in the town. So first we get up at 9 and meet our guy friends (michael, ALex, and Jake) at their apartment and walk to the train station. First we accidentally go to the bus station instead and then have to finally walk to the train station where we miss the first train and had to wait another hour for the next. No big deal, we go get breakfast instead. We finally get on the train and it is a two hour ride to this town of Lamoa where we then will hop on another train to take to Mundaka. While we are on the first train Morgan drinks a lot of water and about an hour in she has to pee so bad so Michael gets off with her at the next stop and we plan to meet up with them at Mundaka. We then have a nice rest of the train ride just shootin shit and talking and then get off at Lamoa. We are then directed to take a Bus to get to the next train, and finally get on the next train and ride another hour and then arrive in Mundaka. A little complicated but we got there and Morgan and Michael made it about another hour and a half later. 25 minutes after that our friends Sara and Hannah showed up adn we all explored the town and had a good time thinking that we would have no problem going home. HAH!

Michael ( The eagle scout) LED US WRONG! haha only kidding. but really.
So we figure out that the last train that leaves from Lamoa to San Sebastian leaves around 8:30 P.M. So we need to leave Mundaka around 7. We get to the train station and wait for the train and as the train comes to pick us up, we second guess ourselves and decide its the wrong train. We then realize as it is leaving the station it IS the correct train and it is too late to get on it. Shoot. What do we do. So we realize there is another train in an hour and we are hoping that when we get to Lamoa there will end up being another train to San Sebastian by some grace of God. So we have an hour to kill so what would any college student do? FIND A BAR OF COURSE!!! So we find a bar with probably half the town already there watching a soccer game and we order a few cocktails and mingle for a little. I LOVE CHALEMOTOS! (coke and wine) they are delicious and I swear I am bring the craze of them back to the U.S! amazing. haha. So we get to the train platform with plenty of time to spare and meet this old man who has had a little too much to drink and offers us a sip of whisky. When in Spain right? So of course we do it! haha it was so random, so fun, and so incredibly awesome!

So everything seems fine, we get on the train and will connect to the next train and we will be home. WRONG!
So turns out we miss the last train back to San Seb by three minutes when we get to Lamoa so now we have to take another train to the closest town, and then have to take a bus to another town and once we get there we have to take taxis back to San Sebastian. this is like another two hours extra of traveling and seriously besides a plane or a ship, we all exhausted every mode of travel that day! haha. our taxi ride was 85 bucks but split 4 ways we each had to bay 20 some euros. Still a little hefty but hey at least we got home! : ]

So you could only imagine why we would feel so relieved and happy to be home in San Seb. I can say that I love it here, I love living here and I love exploring here. It may have been more than a hop, skip, and a jump to get back from Mundaka but it was truly just another excuse for an adventure and that is exactly why I came here. It was a great weekend and I look forward to many more in the next three months. Have fun watching the Superbowl today everyone! GO PACKERS!! <3

Much Love,
The Koose.

Salt in my veins.

So I am now a proud owner of a new surfboard and wetsuit and I am ready to venture out into the Atlantic Ocean and surf the basque country. Pretty sure not many people can say they've done that with their life so needless to say I am STOKED!! Yesterday I went with my roommates, Laura and Morgan, to Puka's surf shop which it right on the beach here in Gros where we live in San Sebastian, and also where the the surf beach is located. We went in, picked out our boards, waxed them and the purchased them ready to embark on a new adventure of climbing on our boards and paddling out figuring out how to surf for the next three months that we will be living here. IT IS AWESOME!. Laura and I also went to the surf and skate shop next door to where we bought our boards and purchased wetsuits as well. The guy that worked there was named Yuri and he spoke English and was one of the nicest people I have met while abroad. He was so helpful and friendly and got us set up with what we needed for a good price. I will definitely be going back there and visiting him since he wants to know how our first few days out in the waves have been going.

My board is a a Black on White 7.2 board that is Bright orange and fades into yellow throughout. It is sick! I feel like I need to name it, since I name every other inanimate object but I have not found a fitting name yet. Its gonna take me a while I believe, gotta get a few waves in to finally figure out what is worthy haha. Today was our first day our in the Atlantic and it was INSANE! We should have realized it was going to be when we headed to the beach and no other surfers were there. It was mainly white cap waves which means that it is very rough and really hard to surf. We all learned the hard way after we were tossed around my them for a good hour and decided that we all didn't want to drown or get hurt and safely made it back to shore. I body surfed a few on my board and got the feel of it but it was a little difficult with sough hard waves. Sunday when we venture out it should be a lot smoother and a whole lot better for surfing! SWEET! It was really funny when we walked back to shore and set down our boards and laid in the sand and our friends Jake, Michael, and Alex came up to us and said hi, and also admitted that they had been watching us get rocked by the ocean the entire time. They really enjoyed our wipeouts!

I am really liking where this whole surf road is taking me. I came here for an adventure and I am not afraid of a challenge and I feel like taking on this endeavor is really putting both of those traits to the test. It was a great feeling walking back to my apartment today and feeling tired. That kind of muscle tired that I have not felt since swim team in high school and it felt so good. Like I was working hard, pushing myself, and working out. It also felt good to be back in the water where I truly feel at home, another great feeling.

Our new schedule is that every morning we are all waking up at 9:30, heading to the beach by 10:30 and surfing until 12:30 when we will return to our apartment and get ready for school.Not a bad life if you ask me. Live 5 blocks for the beach, surf in the morning, go to school in the afternoon, and reflect on how amazing this place is on my awesome walk home by the beach after class. I really could get used to this!

Another thing that was really awesome was that I took my first midterm for my Spanish 1 class yesterday ( which I received an A on) and after taking the exam our professor brought us to the cafeteria and bought all seven of us (the classes here are VERY small) a round of beer. So we sat there for the remainder of class drinking a beer with Paco talking about our hobbies, the government, and just simple nonsense. It was a great time and really fun to hang out with everyone and get to know our professor on a normal level. Paco is a great person and an AMAZING Teacher. I really enjoy class everyday and he is so helpful with learning spanish words and phrases. Although sometimes there is a little bit of a language barrier especially when the 7 american students mix up the days of the week and come prepared to take a midterm an entire day early! Mierecoles means thursday, not wednesday just FYI. Paco is my hero!

Pedro came by tonight to collect our rent and I can tell that my spanish has improved, I was actually able to communicate with him and hold a conversation which felt really good and accomplishing. I am starting to feel home here, (although Chico will ALWAYS have my heart) but I really am starting to feel like a local rather than a tourist. It was pretty hilarious though as the three of us walked back to our apartment after surfing and the entire bus stop a few blocks away from our house STARED at us as we walked by. Im not talking like one or two people. I am talking about a good 15 people just straight staring at us as we walked by. haha. It is highly apparent that we are americans when we are paler than snow, we all have freckles, and Morgan and Laura are blonde! but that is something you get used to and kind of learn to not bother you, although I will say I have a whole new respect for foreigners in the U.S! Its tough!

Tomorrow we are visiting Mundaka where a lot of surf competitions are held and is said to have some of the biggest waves in all of Europe. It is a small fishing and surfing village and it should be really beautiful and a whole lot of fun! Pictures of surfing and my board will ensue soon but I thought I would keep you guys updated! Its been a fun, awesome, insane, exciting, week so thought I would share it with you! Miss you all and I hope you all are enjoying small adventures of your own.

Much Love,
The Koose