of ribs

The past few days have been nothing but a whirlwind. As I was trying to study for finals I was also trying to enjoy each day to the max. I am happy to say I was able to score well on my exams and also sleep an average of three hours the entire week, starting with last Friday!

The entire group came together and really put forth the effort of hanging out together to end the summer on a high note. I can't complain at all!!!

Cristina took us to experience a real sidreria in Salamanca. You order a bottle of cider, then you have a contraption that "aerates" the beverage. You have to pour small amounts, drink quickly and then throw  out the excess. It is a traditional Asturian tradition, and she would know... That is where she is from! We also ordered tapas, and we tried chorizos con sidra and pimientos de padrero. Everything was delightfully delicious, but my favorite part was the laughter and good memories. After dinner, we went to Birdland, a bar. We each had a drink and then we went home. 

Thursday was our last day of exams. I did not study as much as I would have liked, but still got good marks. I got A's in all my classes, except I am told that it does not really matter because we transfer pass/fail only. After classes, we each went home and then got dressed up. At seven pm, we had our end of courses ceremony. We went back to the Paraninfo and heard a great speech. Then we each received certificates for participating in the courses. Since we are not technically graduating, I can't call it a diploma. It was an emotional time for me, because it made the end of my courses special. I am done with classes, and I am done with Greeley... All I have to do is get studying to pass my comps in October. I am glad to be done, but incredibly sad that I will no longer spend my summer surrounded by people like Yaneth. I have such a good bond with her and she teaches me so much, I will miss seeing her for four weeks every year. I am thankful for the time we spent together in Spain and look forward to continuing our friendship for years to come. 

After the ceremony, guess what? We were given WINE! While the food was not as good as the welcome ceremony, we ate, drank, took pictures and joked around. It was a jolly old time that only gave room for more jollyness later on...

We went out for drinks with out syntax professor and talked about our experiences. 25 out of the 39 people in the program showed up for this. It tells you how close we have become. We are all incredibly glad that even though no effort was put from the organizers into creating a bond, it happened organically. 

Most of us continued our night. We went to the Gran Via and invaded a local bar. I had THE best mojitos I have ever had. They were better than Cuba Cubas, and that is saying a lot since I have always loved them. The DJ/bartender played tons of great songs, and next thing you know, you had twenty something gringos dancing it up in Spain. One thing led to another... There were shots and a lot of drunken educators. We bar hopped to TunTun, then to PANI and we called it a night at around 330. For being a gringa, I think 330 was a solid outing!

With only an hour of sleep or so, I headed to class at 815 the next morning. No one was there. There may have been about 12 of the 39 people who are supposed to be in class, and at least two who showed up were still drunk. We went to syntax, and then I called it a day. I could not sit through literature class knowing I had a pile for laundry and cleaning to do. I went home and I was Susie Homemaker til about 6. I had dinner with Yaneth and at 7 pm we went out to Espe's place for Wine and Tapas. We had good laughs and lots and lots of food. We then walked to Becquer and had shakes to finish off the night. I had a Nata milkshake. It was delish! Most of the group was already gone, so it was only six of us. I went home at like 1. 

Yesterday was our big goodbye salamanca day. I met up at 1145 with Angela and Mateo at Museo Casa Lis. My dream of having coffee on their terrace became a reality. I had two coffees, lets be honest. After coffee, we went to tour around the wall of the city, and we saw the Cave of Salamanca where the devil allegedly used to teach dark arts to USAL students. Then we walked up the gran via and stopped at the Cervantes bookstore, where I purchased my mom's Spanish food cookbook. We did some tapas at Trastero, by Mateo's place. I tried Farinato, a very strong tasting chorizo local to salamanca, with quail egg. It was super delicious. Then Angela and I went shopping for a bit, and then home. My reservation was a mess and I was not able to check in online. I can't believe this is the third time I travel and this happens to me. This time, though, twitter did NOT help me. I had to wait until today to sort everything out. 

At 8pm, Xiara, Lalo, Mateo, Angela and I went to La Parrilla one last time and then we hopped to another place nearby, where I had morcillas. After dinner, we all walked together to the Plaza Mayor. It was already lit up, as if it was waiting for us to come over to say goodbye. The skies were a dark, beautiful blue. The pictures we took are ridiculous. It was a good last hurrah at the plaza. We walked to Valenciana, where I discovered that the ice cream guy may have had a small crush on me. Why did we wait five weeks, hmmm????? I enjoyed my LAST Crema Catalana ice cream. We all said our final goodbyes, I may have cried a little.... And then went home. 

This morning, after a whole two hours of sleep, I frantically finished cleaning up the apartment and then headed to the bus station. I arrived to Barajas and then proceeded to walk like a lost puppy, trying to figure out how to get where I needed to go. I made it to Terminal4, and then it took me an hour to get someone to help me. I stood in at least three massive lines and had no response from ANYONE. When I was about to lose hope, someone helped me. I stood in one last line and then got to the front desk and found a very sweet man who gave me all the info I needed. I was freaking out over nothing. I checked my bags... Yes, I multiplied. I now checked both my original carry on PLUS a duffel bag. Don't judge me. 

I passed security, no problem and then the shock came....NO WIFI. I paid thirteen euros because I can't possibly sit here for five hours doing nothing. I bought a cappuccino, and proceeded to find a good spot to people watch and blog.

My adventure in the Iberian peninsula has come to an end. I am now heading to Canary Islands to see a friend I have not seen in fifteen years. I can't wait to see her!

Xoxo,

Bee