1)  It's hot.  It's hot like I haven't been in a long time.  I give thanks every day for the teabags and Sweet n Low my mom gave me to take with me.  I'm drinking iced tea like it's going out of style.  However....

2)  The air conditioning in the classrooms is on way too high!  It's FREEZING!  So, in that case, I give thanks to the "summer" scarves I brought with me.  They are very useful shawls/blankets/scarves.  Whatever I need them to be on any given day to keep warm.  And then take them back off once I go back outside so I can be cool again.

3)  The stairs on the Nebrija campus, particularly those leading up to the international office, are VERY slippery.  Use EXTREME caution when going up and down (especially down) them.  I saw my life flash before my eyes when I was walking down those said steps with a friend and we both slipped at the same time.  It was only through the convenient windowsill that we didn't tumble to our deaths (we grabbed the sill and held on for dear life).

4)  Americans walk around with their nationality stamped to their forehead.  Even without speaking, the natives can pick us out from a mile (or a kilometer) away.  And even if you're willing and able to speak Spanish, they are equally willing (and usually able) to attempt speaking English with you.  To impress us or help us...who am I to say?

5)  Smoking is alive and well in Spain.  While a lot of buildings are smoke free, a lot aren't.  When I get home, I'm buying some nice scented bubble bath and soaking myself (and possibly my clothes) in it for a month or so. 

6)  Field trips are fun no matter what country you're in!  Having been on field trips in three countries, I can honestly say they are fun, no matter what.  And the bigger the group, the better. 

7) Memorize your passport number.  Much like your bank account number, your phone number, home address, and social security number, you'd be surprised how much you need it and how much more convenient it is to just be able to spit it out than rummage through your backpack/purse looking for your allusive passport so you can read off the number (assuming you're even carrying it with you).  NOTE:  Carry it with you!

8)  Don't be shy!  Everyone else is just as nervous to be in a new school in a strange country as you are, even if they came in a group and know some people.  Don't be afraid to introduce yourself!  Even if you're on a subway/bus/sidewalk and someone nearby is speaking English (or reading a book in English), ask where they're from, start a conversation.  Chances are, they won't bite, and will be as thrilled as you are to meet someone from their country (or at least someone who speaks their language).  And who knows?  You might be from the same area!

That's what I've learned from this week.  I've already been to a few museums and trips, but I took like two hundred pictures already (no, I kid you not), so I'm not going to post any until I pick like my favorite, say, ten.  Because two hundred.  Seriously.  Who wants to sit looking at two hundred pictures on Sarah's xanga?  Not even me.  lol. 

Peace out.

...or later today actually, since it's well after midnight.  This is the first time I've really announced it outside the safety of my home, as the paperwork was only finalized last night (36 hours before my flight was due to leave...if that's not cutting it close, I don't know what is).  That's the real reason I started up this blog last month (and seemingly promptly fell out of habit again).  To keep track of what I'm doing so my friends and family can follow back at home.  So consider this Entry One.  Next time I write, I'll be in Spain.  So good night.  I have a flight to catch when I get up, so I'm going to bed.

See you on the other side (of the Atlantic).


And for anyone who is wondering, Dollhouse got renewed for a second season (yay us!).