I gotta say, I'm loving vacation week. So nice to sleep late every day, although it would probably be even nicer if the construction workers didn't start work right outside my window at 7:30 every morning. It's curious how I even feel at home here sometimes, and I guess it looks like I belong here, since random people on the street and in the gym assume I'm a native and start talking to me in rapid-fire Spanish. Blame it on my dark hair if you want, but it's still cool to be mistaken for a Spaniard sometimes.

The other day at the gym, I overheard two kids about my age talking in English, so I asked them where they were from. It turns out they are both originally from the DC area, and they are both familiar with Bethesda and Goucher. My town and college never get any name-recognition, so I was more than a little surprised to meet two people who had grown up near me, in Spain of all places. Small world indeed. And it's not just Spaniards who look at me and think I'm one of them. The girl at the gym said to me, "I always see you running here, but I never would have thought you were American." I guess you never can tell...until I open my mouth, that is.

My new housemate from Greece is awesome. As it turns out, he speaks perfect English, but get this: he has a British accent! I guess that makes sense, seeing as how he lived in England, but I guess I was expecting him to have a Greek accent. He's very outgoing, and he knows all about Goucher. When I first met him, he said "Eres una estudiante de Goucher. The odds are good, but the goods are odd!" I suspect Amy taught him that one; Mamen hosted both of them last year. Well, now Goucher has a universal reputation. At least we're on the map.