About two months ago, I received an email from the Chemistry Department at Millersville. It was an application for a summer research opportunity for undergraduate students (REU) in Cadíz, Spain. So to make a long story short, here I am sitting in a small room in an apartment building on the outskirts of Puerto Real in southern Spain. It´s Thursday evening, cool, breezy and the fair is going to start at 10pm. The feria is a big deal here is Puerto Real; they shut the whole town down for several days and serve special drinks and dress up in flamingo outfits and dance. I will take pictures and post them somewhere.

So after two and a half days of orientation at Bucknell University last week we left point A and travelled to point B (Point A being Lewisburg, PA and Point B being Puerto Real, Spain). So it was bus, plane, bus, plane, and van. With much walking in between. And eating. We had American food, Spanish food, drinks, etc. It was good eating.

We got to Puerto Real on Sunday night. And found a restaraunt with a Spanish menu, Spanish waiter/bartender, and Spanish food. Luckily two girls in our group, Olyvya and Ruth, speak Spanish so they could interpret for us. We slept (or tried to), woke up, ate, walked around Puerto Real and ate some more. Then on Tuesday we were formally welcomed to the University of Cadíz by the Rector. We climbed to the top of Torre Tavira (a watchtower formerly used by merchants to watch for ships), had a most excellent meal that lasted longer than most church services, and explored the city. Spanish food is good.

Today I woke up late. My room is on the second floor. It has a window into a tiny white private courtyard. The others tried to wake me, but they couldn´t get into the apartment or the tiny courtyard. So they couldn´t pound on my bedroom door, or throw stuff at my window. My alarm clock dutifully rang, but it was promptly shut off by a lethargic, mostly unconscious individual. So after missing our first Spanish class, I finally woke up at 10:10am. At least I woke in a general sense of the word.

We were given lab coats and goggles, toured the university, and ate lunch. Then we were assigned to our labs and given glassware. I am in the same lab as Jeff, Rachel and Ashley. Jeff, Rachel and I are working with lichens from Antartica. The others are working on other projects.
So this blog will be updated as time moves on. Whether or not it is updated with any sort of regularity remains to be seen. Maybe I will even write in español.

Buenos noches!