sunset panorama

We spent the week at the beach. I love listening to the waves crashing on the shore. Here's a photo I took one of our last nights there. You can tell I'm still learning about how to stitch the photos together.

I've been packing my room for my parents move.

I contacted my friends in Belgium. They said they'd be up for seeing me and letting me stay with them for a couple days in Leuven. I can't wait to see Mieke and Sarah; they were in my Psychology of Color and Consciousness class last semester as graduate students. Mieke has recently become a PHD and Sarah is going to become one soon. They are really sweet ladies and I am excited to see what Belgium holds for me.

The bad news: I hear that finding internet in northern europe is challenging.

travel ideas

Recently, I've been looking through my travel books. There are so many awesome places to go. While the list of places I'd like to go in Europe is nearly endless.

I would really like it if I made it to:

Florence, Italy

Croatia (Not sure where yet)

Hungarian hot springs,

Lyon, France

Lueven and Ghent, Belgium.

ski trip (austria? scandinavia?)

We'll see how my travel plans work out as the trip goes along. I heard Berlin has some awesome night life. Perhaps, I have to check out Oktoberfest too. I've already been to Paris and London so while they were fun, I want to see something new. I'd like to see some of the smaller distinctively "European" towns. I wonder what sense of community the smaller towns have. Paris certainly seemed to have a distinctive atmosphere of sophistication and artistic superiority. I want to see a less metropolitan and touristy side of "the contenient"

residence permits

Today, I sent in my original documents to the school co-ordinator who is overseeing the visa process for me. It took me several tries to get her the preliminary documents in order for her to sign off. Since there is such a large time difference (9 hours) between here and there I never could get her response until the next day. Hopefully, everything is in order now.

I am pushing packing from my mind at the moment and trying to relax and enjoy the time I have left in Santa Barbara. The more times I come and go from this town the more I realize it's great beauty. This trip has also made me more aware that often the town is about the people in it and the connections you make.

My uncle and grandma have offered to buy me a bike while I am over in Holland. I am hoping to visit Belgium by bicycle so a good bike could be important for my travels.

Here's what my front wheel might look like in the land of tulips:

choices

The preparations have begun in force today. I'm currently moving out of my room at Hoyt and saying goodbye to all my bay-area friends for awhile. I'm going to miss all of them. Tomorrow I have the privelege of attending Mr. Hoyt Hall's July 4th party in Napa. I am quite excited.

Most recently, I decided that I would make a payment on a room in Ziest instead of waiting and finding housing once I arrived. Choosing the university housing option seemed to be the safer bet; although, less adventurous I didn't want to spend a bunch of time looking for housing. I know how awful finding an apartment in Berkeley can be; I wasn't in a rush to look for housing in a place where I will hopefully be doing lots of traveling and not spending a lot of time in my room. It's about 4.5 kilometers from my apartment to school which means one of the first things I will need for school is a bike. There are also buses that run to and from school frequently.

The Netherlands, or should I spell it the Dutch way Nederlands, beat Brazil yesterday. I really hope they win the world cup!

I have yet to deal the business of getting my residential visa which I have to start very soon.