First month done and done

Wow, it's only taken me a month but I finally have the triple threat for any student here: my NIE, Spanish phone and home wifi.

I've now been here for 34 days and hombre, I've learnt a lot. Therefore amiguitos, I thought I'd make a list of year abroad lessons learnt and add to it each month! First twenty, here goes...

1. I've found that I can sleep absolutely anywhere - in the car on both the way and way back from school, on the desks in the staff room and even on the bus full of shouting children.

2. Everyone in Spain appears has been to London and/or Brighton. No idea why on the Brighton front but well I now know far more about the seaside town.

3. Spanish beaurocracy is impossible  - the quest for a NIE became the bane of my existence and it was easier to get a job out here than it was been to set up a bank account.

4. In Madrid? Not sure where to go for dinner? Lateral. Every time.

5. Being at school to teaching at a school, nothing changes. My first day was spent with all the women (the teaching staff in primary is about 80% female) discussing the one or two men considered attractive (mostly just because they're there).

6. I quickly learnt ITV is not the TV channel but the Spanish MOT. Bit of an anti-climax that one.

7. You begin to get excited for just about anyone's birthday because they treat everyone to something in the school, whether it's biscuits, cake or an empanada. Yummm.

8. Alcohol is cheaper than you can ever even imagine. You can buy a good bottle of wine, which would cost at least six pounds in the UK, for three euro. If that's not incentive enough to live in Spain, I don't know what is.

9. Spain is lacking 'the meal deal' in supermarkets. Although in most bares you can get a pretty cheap fixed menu option for a meal, it's just not the same.

10. Spaniards just function on less sleep. It's madness... We got home from a birthday party last weekend at 9am. Yes - as in 9 o'clock in the morning. 

11. You'll learn vocabulary and expressions that will never (ever) come up in exams, such as ser chungo (a colloquial way to say something is bad, complicated, weird or dodgy), or donde tengas la olla, no metes la polla (a pretty inappropriate way of saying don't get involved with somebody you work with).

12. Spaniards are sadly not really dessert people... But they do make up for that by almost always having a starter and main course.

13. The metro may claim to be air conditioned but they really need to up their game. The hot, sticky air hits you as soon as you come into the station. However, at least it is less busy (and probably less sweaty) than the London tube.

14. Spain is crazy for Fernando Alonso. Not only do I see a cardboard cut out of him every time I go to the bank (Banco Santander) but he's in cologne and watch adverts and even on the side of a building by the motorway on my way to work.

15. The word ánimo, as an interjection, needs to exist in English! 'Cheer up' or 'come on' are neither the same nor nearly as concise.

16. This is vital advice for living in Spain in general, people ask "¿qué tal?" (how are you?) sort of as a form of hello, without ever expecting an answer and lots of the time you look like a fool if you answer them. Oh and this works the other way round to, don't expect an answer because you will undoubtedly be left hanging!

17. Madrid in September/October is incredibly confusing weather wise. Morning to afternoon in terms of the temperature could be the change from Winter to Summer in the UK. How on earth does one dress to leave the house when it's 10 degrees but to survive the day when it reaches 27. Although it's far better than English weather so I'm not complaining!

18. Never enter into a Britain vs. Spain argument. It will never end (well).

19. Despite the fact that I didn't turn around when people called me for the first couple of weeks, I have finally got used to being either the Spanish Rosi or the English pronounced Rosie.

20. Last but not least, I have begun a new obsession, Zara Home. I could live there with the pristine white sheets and heavenly smell. I have even had a dream about my future Zara Home-filled home.