First Day in Spain

Hola!

Well, I'm here, and my first day in Spain was certainly an interesting one.

My plane ride was mostly uneventful, but I did meet a few other kids who were headed to Spain to study abroad. The guy I sat next to, Mark, was even studying at the same university as me! We spent much of the plane ride talking about our upcoming experiences. I didn't get to sleep at all, but the airline food was actually pretty good - pasta spinach alfredo.

When I got off the plane, I sat around in the airport for a few hours and then took a bus to my dorm. The dorm rooms are all right, and I was assigned a room with another girl from OU, Ashley, who I met this morning.

After moving in, Ashley and I went grocery shopping, where we were alarmed to discover that you can buy unrefrigerated eggs.

This afternoon I watched The Lion King (el Rey Leon) with some of the other kids who live in my dorm, Cristian, Mary, and Juan (all Spaniards). They seem really friendly, and they all did the face-kissing thing (which I learned is called a "bisou-bisou" for the French word for kiss).

All in all, I think things are off to a pretty decent start. Orientation is tomorrow, which means that I also need to learn to use the bus system tomorrow.

Facts I learned today:
1. Jamon Serrano is not actually ham; it tastes more like cured bacon.
2. Everyone in Spain smokes. Everyone. All of the time. They smoke in the airport, they smoke in the grocery store, they smoke in the common room of my dorm. If I ever get lung cancer, I am blaming the Spaniards.
3. Lemon soda with no bubbles is absolutely delicious.

Con un "bisou-bisou",
Katie