We Are the Heroes of Our Time: Cumpleaños, Bailando, Brunch, Gala, Eurovision, and Nacimiento del Urederra. WOW.

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Me exploring things and making use of my Chacos 
Every time that I think that a weekend cannot get any better, one like the past few days comes along and I am amazed.
With the approach of the end, time seems to go faster, but the friendships are getting stronger and the fun continues to grow.

I have 2 presentations(done now, yay!), 5 exams, 8 classes,  a paper, and one project standing between me and what is going to be the best summer of my life. I cannot believe this semester has gone so fast! 

I haven't talked about my courses very much because that's not very fun, but there have been some that I have really enjoyed. For example, my Basque class has been by far my favorite. It is probably the class that has been the most difficult for me, but I have loved it. I'm not sure if its even the course material. I struggle with the language and it makes no sense to me, but the professor, and above all, my classmates have made it a course that I look forward to every week. I am so thankful for the other students who have helped me along the way and who have been beyond supportive of me throughout even a 20 minute presentation in Spanish. As excited I am to be done with courses, this is one that I will miss. 

When I was writing in my journal about the weekend this morning, I was amazed at how much happened, it was truly full of some of my greatest memories of my time here in Pamplona. 

¡Feliz cumpleaños Mia!
But really... We're the best.
Thursday was the birthday of my friend Mia, we all gathered in her piso in the evening. The night was full of laughs, stories, and singing songs before we headed out to dance the night away. She is one of the most amazing people that I have met here in Spain and I am so honored to have her as a friend. I know that sometimes when you host a party you don't fully get to enjoy it, so I organized a surprise birthday brunch for her with some of our friends the next morning, she was truly surprised. We enjoyed the (late) morning with fruit, crepes, tortilla española, pigs in a blanket, and cheesecake (Zoe might make the best cheesecake that I have ever had in my entire life). It was so nice to enjoy food and laughs together. 

After brunch it was time to get ready for the Erasmus Gala! We were all so excited to get dressed up and spend the night together, people are starting to leave and I think we all knew that this event might be one of the last that everyone can make it to so we wanted to do it big. As usual, the mentors made it a night that was truly unforgettable. We all looked stunning, everyone had put on their best clothes and we all clean up pretty well if I do say so. The night consisted of awards, jokes, and a video/photo collaboration that naturally had me in a fit of tears. I am so glad that the people here mean so much to me and this night really made me aware of just how much I am going to miss not only this country and this experience, but most of all, these people. 
Wowza... we are an attractive group! 

My People.
Can you tell how into it we were?
Saturday morning, I went to Maja's piso and sat with her, Tarah, and Zoe. We shared stories from the night before, ate pizza and had a true girls day singing along to and watching the videos to all of our favorite hits from the 90's! It was an experience for sure haha! Later that night we all met up with Scott, Edward, and Jerom to watch Eurovision. Let me just tell you US friends that have never seen it, it is an experience. It was a great night but I don't even know if it was the competition or rather  the silly dancing, photo taking, and playfully joking that made the night, maybe it was a combination. Either way, it will be one of those nights that I can always look back on fondly and with a huge smile on my face.
No caption needed.

Time's not slowing down, and so neither are we. The next morning Zoe and I woke up early and joined our friends Pablo, Isabel, and Gustavo for a day of exploration and fun at a really cool place called Nacimiento del Urederra. IT WAS SO PRETTY!!!! The water was crystal clear with lovely waterfalls and all framed in a sea of green trees. I loved getting to spend the day out in the fresh air and with great companions.

The best people to pass a Sunday with
To finish my weekend right I made it to the library and then had movie night with Zoe and Scott. I love that even the little things here feel like the world.

Yesterday I had 2 presentations and to celebrate finishing one of our classes, a group of us went out to this place here called 100 Montaditos, they have a great deal every Monday and so we had to take advantage. Dinner turned into a night that turned into a morning spent laughing, talking, solving riddles, and playing on playgrounds in the night. I may be a bit tied today, but it was worth it. I love that I have experiences and memories like this on a regular basis and I am so going to miss these people, because they have become, "my people".