LONG OVERDUE!

Hey All-

   This is me telling you I have finally arrived in Portugal. Although, I am a month late in doing so...

To start off, Porto (the city I am living in for those who don't know) is incredible! It's a northern portuguese city located on the water. They are known for their Port (I'm sure you could link that together). Most of you know that 'i have a boner for wine' as Nick would say, so you can imagine my excitement. There is a 3-mile stretch of wineries along the Rio Douro (Heee-yu Door-oo in Portuguese), which is about a 2 mile walk from my house. That said, I HATE to report to you that I have not been wine tasting since my arrival here... I have been busy. It's a tough life here, I have to travel and shit (DRAG). Actually, in all honesty, my job is much more intense than expected, so I swear I have been busy. Prior to my arrival, I assumed my job would be a bit of a joke (since I am being paid quase nada), yet, in fact, it is one of the more intense jobs I have carried. I recently moved to an AMAZING apartment in the center of Porto. I am near many bars, bakeries and shopping! Speaking of bakeries, they have been doing a number on my body. I am pretty sure I have gained a kilo or ten since my arrival. I will leave it up to my drug dealing friends to convert that into pounds, but for the rest of you, I refuse to divulge myself. 

I have met some really cool people here. Most of the people I hang out with are interns in Porto. I have only met one American since being here, a graduate of CAL POLY, so I have one person to share my California lingo with. Everyone else I've met speaks more than a handful of languages, making Americans looks like ignorant idiots. When I go out (after a few drinks in), I pretend to have an accent so nobody knows I am American. I usually stick with the Spanish accent so if anyone calls my bluff I can say a few words to them in the language but it rarely works in my favor. My good friend here is actually a girl that I work with, Marieve, a French-Canadian. I call her Maminhas (little tits). She comes in a tiny package, but has A LOT to say, so we hit it off quite well. All in all, I am loving it here. I will keep you updated more frequently and will soon write about my adventures to Madrid, Covilhã and Lisbon!