So it seems as though February break is over, and tomorrow I have to step back into reality, hand in a paper on Marxist perspective in Mrs. Dalloway, and go to class. It sure did go out with a bang though! I was a little lazy with my camera this weekend and didn’t take any pictures whatsoever, so I guess I’ll just have to explain.

On Friday night, my friends who live in an apartment downtown threw a little get together. It wasn’t anything huge, but it was a ton of fun. We sat around in a circle for hours, listening to good tunes, switching between French and English, and (sort of) playing Kings. At the end of the night, my friend Kirsten and I decided that we were done living by the lame tram schedule (it ends at about 1:30 on weekends, 1 during the week), so we ended up staying and sleeping on their couch. At about 5 in the morning, I woke up to grab a glass of water. Upon my return to the couch, Kirsten informed me that she had yet to sleep a wink and was wondering if I wanted to head back to campus. I said sure, we were already in our clothes anyhow. It was still dark outside, and we made the long trek to the tram (it starts up again at 5) and headed back. By the time I got back to my dorm, it was around 6:30 and I couldn’t fall back asleep. By the time I did fall asleep, it was about 8 o’clock. The unfortunate part is that I had to wake up again at 11 because Nicole and I had plans to (finally) go to the beach. So I got up at 11, groggy as all hell, got dressed, and Nicole and I headed out. When we got on the tram, Nicole realized how completely tired and not excited to go to the beach I was, and suggested we just go get falafel and save the beach for another day. 

When we got to our favorite falafel place (l’Oasis), it was so packed that we could barely get in the door. We had never been there on a weekend, nor at actual lunchtime (we always go around 3 or 4), so we got our falafel to go. Then we walked over to this park, found a table, and had a little picnic. It was terribly nice outside (sunny, warm), and we soon found ourselves peeling off our sweaters and having lunch in tank tops. It was probably the most perfect way our plans could have fallen apart.

When we got back to campus, I worked on my paper a little bit and then took a much needed nap. I woke up after about an hour and half to make dinner, and then I got ready to go out for my friend Carly’s 21st birthday (sort of anticlimactic when you’re in a country that serves alcohol to 15 year-olds). Before we met everyone else, Nicole and I decided to head to Cafe Riche for a glass of wine, yet too soon after we received said glasses, our friends called us and informed us that they were almost there and that we had to meet them at Place de l’Europe. We guzzled our wine as quickly as we could (hardly enjoyable) and hopped on the tram.

First, we went to this bar called Ayer’s Rock Australian Cafe, and it was awesome. The atmosphere was really cool, and they played my kind of bar music (well, Blink 182 and Nirvana. Better than Rihanna and Britney Spears). Soon enough, 1 o’clock rolled around, and I was once again faced with the decision to either take the tram back, or see where the night took me. I chose the latter. 

Nicole and a few others headed back, but the rest of us decided to head over to this other bar called Panama. We planned on staying out until 5 (when the tram starts back up), but several sweaty and tired hours later, we decided to leave. From lack of better transportation options, the four of us that live on campus then proceeded to walk the 2 miles home at 4 in the morning. It wasn’t really that bad, we just followed the tram tracks. It took about 45 minutes, and I was so happy to see my bed when I got back. I skyped with Brendan for a little while, and didn’t end up going to sleep until around 6 (and I had to get up in 6 hours to meet a friend for coffee).

This weekend was certainly sleep-depriving. I think I’ve probably slept a total of 12 hours since Wednesday. But that’s okay, because I’m twenty years old and the world is my oyster! I’ve been on this new spontaneity kick, because recent events have made me realize that life deserves to be lived, and that I’m not going to be young forever. After all, I can sleep when I’m dead! Okay, well I’m not that angsty.

Today was equally as pleasant, but a bit more eventful than yesterday. I got my hair cut! Well, actually, I chopped most of it off! Here’s a shitty iPhone photo:

I really like it, I feel so light and liberated! I needed an outward change, and I think this did the trick. That first shower with a new haircut is always weird though- as I was washing my hair, I ran my fingers through it and forgot it was so short. And I also used waaaay more shampoo than I needed to. Oh well, I’ll get used to it. 

Anyway, now that you know the details of tonight’s shower, I’ll let you know about the rest of my day. Before my haircut, Nicole and I stopped by Fairview for iced coffee (the only place in Montpellier where it’s sold) and walked around town for a little. It was so unbelievably gorgeous out today- mid 60’s, sunny, bustling streets, etc. It really is so wonderful to experience (what would be in the States) late spring/early summer in February. No wonder everyone wants to live in the South of France! It’s gorgeous.

After coffee, I got my haircut. We had our iced coffees with us, and my stylist was so confused as to why we would be drinking such large coffees, especially over ice. I explained to him that it is a very American thing, to which he sort of scoffed. But hey, you shouldn’t knock it till you’ve tried it! It really is refreshing on a warm day, let me tell you. And it’s not like I’m walking around with a Frappucino or something!

Nothing of consequence really happened after that (we headed home, made veggie burgers, watched My So-Called Life, the usual). Later on, I went downtown with my friends Kirsten and Nick to this English pub called Robin Hood. It was nice, I got a pint of some odd no-name beer for about 3 euros, and we sat outside for hours just shooting the shit. 

So all in all, it was a nice day! But I am so overwhelmingly exhausted, I think I’ll turn in. 

This afternoon was so golden and sunny and perfect. Nicole and I headed downtown around two, and went to our favorite little English bookshop (funnily enough, called Le Bookshop) and browsed for about an hour. I decided to buy Franny and Zooey. I’m really excited to read it, I always tell myself “Okay, Grace, you can’t just read Catcher in the Rye over and over, try something else”, so I figured another book by my boy J.D. would be a good bet.

After the bookshop, we got falafel for lunch at this placed called Oasis that we sort of frequent. For six euros, you can get a falafel sandwich (on cheesy naan) and fries with Andalusian sauce, as well as a Coca Light. The guys that work there are so nice, and after we ate they brought out two mint teas on the house. It was loose tea, and I wished that I could read my tea leaves so badly, because they made this awesome pattern on the bottom of my cup. I didn’t have my camera with me, so unfortunately I cannot produce a picture of said pattern. But trust me, it was cool!

After lunch we went to Monoprix to buy some groceries. My refrigerator is so happy now! I bought brussel sprouts, gruyere, olives, and hummus (all of my favorite things) as well as this “poivron et aubergine” (pepper and eggplant) pasta sauce that Nicole and I crave every minute of every day. I can’t wait to eat tonight!

So in conclusion, my day wasn’t extremely eventful, but rather perfectly pleasant. And I’m pretty sure that the Siberian Cold Front is over now, because it’s in the 60’s today and lovely as can be! In fact, it’s supposed to be 66 on Saturday, and Nicole and I plan to go to the beach (not to swim).

And I can’t believe it’s almost March! There’s a tree outside my window, and I always see birds with beaks full of twigs and grass flying into its branches to make nests. Springtime is just around the corner… in fact, it might already be here- there are already some trees in blossom on my campus. This is all so exciting! In a few days, I’ll have been here for two months, and I’m loving every second.

Well, after a long week and a half of adventures, I’m back in my little dorm in Montpellier. I had such a wonderful week, and saw and experienced so much more than I could have ever imagined… but I guess I should start at the beginning.

After a long, exhausting, and stuffy 15 hour bus ride, our bus pulled into Tiburtina Station. It wasn’t much to look at (rather gray and dingy, certainly no Grand Central) and we were far too exhausted to feel really any excitement that we had arrived in la città eterna. Lugging heavy bags and rolling suitcases through Rome’s first sleet in years and years, we soon found ourselves lost on our way to our rental apartment. When we finally found it, we were amazed at how beautiful and clean and comfortable it was. We relaxed for a little while, before making our way downtown to get some dinner. Upon exiting the metro, our first view was the Colosseum. It was nighttime and it was all lit up (so incredibly beautiful), and although it was still sort of raining and gross outside, our excitement was overwhelming. That night, I had my first real Italian pasta dish. I can’t begin to explain how delicious and satisfying it was after not being to eat anything substantial for a over a month in France (vegetarian options are kind of limited over here).

The next day, we headed down to Piazza del Popolo in an attempt to find this cool market that we had heard so much about. After an hour or so of unsuccessful searching, we decided to wander Via del Corso and grab some gelato. I got pinoli flavor (pine nut), and let me tell you, it was the most delicious gelato that I had ever had. Later that week, we returned to the same gelateria so we could get more. 

Upon leaving the gelateria, we saw this group of street performers playing an assortment of bizarre instruments. We stopped for a few minutes to watch, they were really good! And they seemed like they were truly enjoying it, which is always a nice change from the regular subway performer. 

On Via del Corso, we saw signs for all these famous sites and monuments just along it (The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc.) and we tried our hardest not to look neither left nor right as to avoid seeing them before Valentine’s Day (for which we had planned a romantic day of sightseeing). But upon exploring side streets along Via del Corso, we just happened to stumble upon the Pantheon. That’s the funny thing about Europe, you just seem to stumble upon famous sites.

It was truly magnificent. I was so excited to see it in the flesh after having studied it in my Art History class last semester (along with the Arch of Constantine, the Colosseum, The Column of Trajan, etc.). I was really proud that I knew so much about these things already, and I (overzealously and kind of unwantedly) gave my friends a history lesson about each of them. 

After the Pantheon, we headed over to the Vittorio Emmanuele monument and took a ton of pictures. Call me a tourist, but I didn’t find it as big and gaudy and arrogant as I had heard. I thought it was beautiful. 

The next day, we made our way over to Vatican City. Vatican Square was so big and beautiful, I couldn’t believe it. We weren’t exactly sure where we needed to go (we were bent on seeing the Sistine Chapel and The School of Athens) so it took some wandering before we figured out that we needed to enter the Vatican Museum. 

(Laocoon & His Sons, my favorite sculpture of all time. I had no idea it was even held in the Vatican! I was so excited that I teared up among a sea of Japanese tourists)

(The Sistine Chapel- The Last Judgment!)

(The School of Athens- Raphael. Oh my gosh.)

The Sistine Chapel was especially hard to capture, because it was so dark. There were only a few skinny windows along the ceiling that let in some natural light. But you can still imagine how incredible it was!

The next day was Valentine’s Day, and we already had a romantic day planned. Three out of the four of us had boyfriends, and we all woke up kind of bummed that we couldn’t spend the day with them. But we all collectively decided that if we couldn’t be with them, spending the day sightseeing in Rome wasn’t a bad alternative! First, we made our way over to Campo dei Fiori (a flower and vegetable market). On the walk there, we walked along the Tiber river, and it was absolutely gorgeous. There were all these little bridges along it, and the sun was shining so brightly and warmly. It was more than picturesque:

(I love that I can drink wine with every meal over here in Europe).

After lunch in the market, we headed over to the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain. A nice old man at the Spanish Steps told us the correct way to wish at the Fountain (three coins, each thrown with the right hand over the left shoulder- the first one for love, the second for marriage, and the third to ensure you’ll return to Rome one day).

That night, we found it only fitting to go to this restaurant we saw near the Trevi Fountain called “That’s Amore”. Cheesy, I know, but the food was impeccable and it was so cute inside!

On Wednesday, we went back to Vatican City to see San Pietro (St. Peter’s Basilica). The Basilica itself was beautiful, and I couldn’t believe that I was lucky enough to see Michelangelo’s Pieta! The baptistery pulpit was also very gorgeous:

We also climbed to the very top of the dome, about 137 meters. It was quite the workout, but it was well worth it to see the view of Rome from the top.

That evening, we headed home for a little rest before going back out to this ice bar at which we were meeting Patty’s friends from home. The bar itself was awesome, though it was a little small. It wasn’t as enjoyable as we had hoped, (we were so overwhelmingly tired from the day) and we decided to turn in around 1. 

The next day we finally went inside the Colosseum (after seeing it from the outside so many times all week). It truly was magnificent- and, colossal, if you will. 

And that’s pretty much it for Rome! We left the next morning and took a bus to Nice, which is truly the most beautiful city I’ve ever been to. The first day, we headed down to Vieille Ville (the old part of town) and stumbled upon a used/antique book fair. I scored some really awesome vintage posters for Brendan (like actually vintage, not recreations) of “Amstel, la bière svelte” (1981) and one of Chairman Mao (1967). After the book fair, we walked through this farmer’s market on the way down to the beach.

Upon reaching the beach, we were awestruck. For me and Nicole, it was the first time we had seen the Mediterranean up close (we had seen it from far away at Parc Guell in Barcelona, but that doesn’t compare). The water on the Côte D’Azur is this shade of turquoise that I couldn’t even give a name to, and is absolutely breathtaking.

We then left the beach and made our way up to the top of this castle that overlooks the city, and the view was equally as stunning.

It was a little overcast at that point, but beautiful nonetheless. We headed back to the hostel and had a little dinner before going back out to the Corso Illuminé (the light festival at Carnaval). Carnaval was bizarre to say the least, but a ton of fun!

The next day, we took a dollar bus to Monaco. Allow me to answer the question that’s probably on your mind: Yes, Monaco really is as rich and expensive as you’ve heard. Like, Maseratis and Bentleys flying past you while you’re looking at yachts bigger than your house. Oh yeah, and the casual 50 euro plate of pasta. Regular stuff, right?

The first thing we decided to do is head up to the Monte Carlo to try our hand at gambling. It cost 10 euro just to get in, and then I played another 10 on the slots (since it was our first time gambling, we thought it best to not even try the tables). I pissed away 20 euros, but Marion ended up winning 38 off of 5 (38 euros is the equivalent of 50 USD). We couldn’t believe it! Sure, it’s not a really big win, but we were just so excited that somebody won something! 

And then I guess that’s pretty much it for Nice and Monaco! The next day, we hopped a train way too early in the morning to get back to Montpellier, and now here I am! I am still sort of exhausted from the week, but it was truly incredible nonetheless. I am so happy to say that I gambled for the first time at the Monte Carlo and that I tossed a coin into the Trevi Fountain on Valentine’s Day, as well as that I did all the rest of the wonderful things that I did this past week. I am truly grateful for everything that I’ve seen recently. I can’t believe how lucky I am.

Nothing really eventful in the past few days… some preparations for Rome and Nice, a new plan to head to Geneva afterwards, and a little bit (a lot) of cuddling in my covers. As you can probably deduce, it is still freezing here along the Mediterranean. I hate Siberia, I hate its cold fronts. I can’t wait to have my sunny South of France back… hopefully by the time I get back from February break, it will be warm again! 
After I got back from class this morning, I packed up my suitcase, made a checklist, and got everything ready. Then, I proceeded to take a nice and cozy nap for a couple of hours. It feels like this day is taking so long! Our bus to Rome doesn’t leave until 11:30 tonight, which means we have to leave at 10, which means I still have three hours to kill. I’m already such an anxious traveler, the anticipation is killing me! I keep going over my checklist and itinerary and things… after all, we will be gone for about 10 days.  

But I keep telling myself to not be so anxious, but rather to be excited. 

Well, that’s really all I have on my mind right now… next time I blog, it’ll be in Italia!

So, sufficient to say that I felt like one of the set of four grandparents in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today. You know, the bedridden ones that have to have cabbage soup brought to them and all they do is watch TV and knit? I literally didn’t leave my bed all day. My only class of the day was cancelled, and being that all my friends had class all day, I was left to my own devices. Now, normally I would have gotten up, gotten dressed and headed downtown to explore or grab a coffee, but due to the harsh Siberian Cold Front temperatures that have made such a gracious appearance to the South of France, I had no such intention. The temperatures themselves fall to the 20s (F) but the windchill (about 35 mph) is down at about 10 degrees. So, needless to say that I was completely content in cuddling under the covers all day and watching movie after movie on youtube. 

After I was finally through with the world of bad teen films (please, no more Hilary Duff), I decided to finish recording this song I had been working on. I’ve had the guitar recorded for a while, but I hesitated on the vocals. I mean, mind you, I’m not anywhere near a musician or anything like that, it’s just something I experiment with. I think it’s interesting to dabble in all fields of the arts, as well as consider it kind of cool to hear/see what you’re capable of. And (I won’t be modest), I have a pretty good voice. I mean, I like how it sounds, and I think that’s kind of why I record it. 

Anyhow, that was my day… my interesting French day that had absolutely nothing to do with French besides Gruyere and Phonetique homework. 

Forgive me for it having been so long since I’ve written. The past week has been more than fun-filled (as well as time consuming) and I still can’t even believe all the wonderful and beautiful things I’m experiencing these days; if you had told me five years ago that I would be living in France, taking weekend trips to Barcelona and then spending the following week in Rome, I think it’s needless to say that I wouldn’t believe you. But alas, this is my life, and I wouldn’t have it any other way at this point.

On Friday, Nicole, Kirsten and I hopped a Eurolines bus to Barcelona for the weekend. The ride was about 5 hours, and it was absolutely gorgeous. You’ve never seen such a beautiful landscape (the Pyrenees off in the distance, wide fields of grapevines and farmhouses, castles on hilltops). Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Kirsten’s friend Rico from back in the States, who is studying abroad in Barcelona this semester. He navigated us through the metro (I felt like I was home in my beloved city) and we made it to our hostel, heavy and cumbersome bags in hand, eager to flop down on even the grimiest of beds. We freshened up a bit, and headed out for our first (authentic) tapas! At first I was hesitant- to me, tapas were just an assortment of chorizo, shrimp, etc.. But I was so pleasantly surprised when I saw that REAL tapas are mostly vegetarian! Everything was so delicious:

After dinner we headed over to this bar called l’Ovella Negra (the Black Sheep in Catalan). It was in an abandoned warehouse, whose walls were later painted with all different kinds of murals. It was such a cool place- I wish I had a good picture of the interior, but it was a bit dark.

The next day, we did the sightseeing thing. We were only able to check out La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell (both Gaudi, both breathtaking) as time lost itself throughout the course of the day. Nonetheless, I can’t even begin to explain the beauty that is overlooking Barcelona from the top of a mountain. It’s such a gorgeous city, nothing ugly. Just picturesque.

So I was reading one of my old secret blogs (this one from freshman year of college), and I came across this post. It made me tear up a little bit, and all these feelings came rushing back of how I felt the first time Brendan and I did long distance, those far-off three years ago:

“I never thought I’d be able to breathe without you.

But here I am, sitting in my bed, in a dorm room, thousands of miles away from you. And I’m living, breathing, alive. I miss you with everything in me. I miss the warmth of your body and the scratch of your beard and the wire of your hair. I miss your green green eyes and your perfect soft pink lips. I miss your long fingers and big knuckles. I miss you playing with my face, pressing my cheeks to make funny sounds. I miss falling asleep on my couch while watching HBO. I miss baking with you, and letting you lick the spoon every step of the way. I miss driving you home at night, I miss seeing you after a long day at work. I miss seeing you in the hallway, and excitedly telling me about all the new things you learned. I miss holding you in the pool, at sunset, in the summer. I miss you spinning me around in the water. I miss you washing my hair in the shower, the feel of our stomachs touching in bed. I always loved the feel of your skin on mine, no matter what part. I miss going out for lunch with you, sharing meals, cooking you breakfast. I miss ruffling your hair whenever you made me laugh. I miss playing with you in my basement, and getting frustrated. I miss forgiving you for beating me, then crawling on top of you and showering you with kisses. I miss showering you with kisses, everyday, everywhere. 

I can’t believe we’ve made it this far. There are only 19 days until I get to see you again. To kiss you again. To hold you in my arms and never let go. I love you more than anyone else could ever understand. I think of you every second. All I want is to always make you happy, and to always be there for you whenever you need me.

There are so many tears running down my cheeks right now, but I don’t care. For this past month, all I’ve wanted is for this pain to stop, to stop missing you, to move on.

But I don’t want to move on. I don’t want to be numb to how much I miss you. I want to feel every feeling you give me, forever.”

This feels like an eternity ago, and it’s so foreign to me that I ever felt this way. I guess what I can learn from this is the following: Anyone can get used to anything, and even the things that seem the most horrible, are really the most fortifying.

I swear, if all this fun endures, it might be hard get me to re-cross the Atlantic at the end of the semester. I have found the best group of friends a girl could ever ask for, and sometimes I find myself so happy that I could burst. This weekend was wonderful, to say the least (but I promise not to gush too much, at least not in every blog post). On Friday night, I wasn’t really feeling up to going out or even leaving my room, and Nicole and I had already taken comfort in snuggling beneath throw blankets together, watching TV shows on youtube (this is where you can find us when in doubt). That is, until, my friend Kirsten knocked on my door around midnight and invited us to go out for a drink with a couple of friends. Nothing big, just a drink. I gave it a thought, and decided that I’m not in France to watch My So-Called Life in my bed on Friday nights (no, no, I’ll save that for America). 

Nicole decided not to come, so Kirsten, Aleks, Nick and I headed downtown to Le Petit Nice for a verre de vin. As the waiter brought us our drinks, we noticed he was carrying plastic cups as well. He informed us that we had to empty our wine/beer glasses into the cups because they were about to close, as well as insisted that we pay immediately. A little confused, we did as he asked and proceeded to chat over plastic cups of white wine and Kronenbourg. It was then that they turned the lights off on us. We took our cups and headed off, contemplating what we should do (all the bars were closing). Our only option seemed to be a club of some sort, but that wasn’t really any of our styles. So we just pretty much loitered in the center of Comédie until the last tram at 1:30. It wasn’t anything wild, but it was nice to just spend some time with friends and laugh about our plastic cups while wandering aimlessly.

On Saturday, Nicole and I went to the zoo! It was so much fun. I haven’t felt so childlike in years (spoken like a true 40 year old woman), but it was really spectacular to see all these big animals in the flesh. Unfortunately the zoo closed before we were able to make our way over to the giraffes and the rhinoceros, but we still got to see lions and bears and a bunch of other animals. It was really interesting to note the array of North African animals they had, including this truly horrifying-looking bison of some sort with a squished nose and curly horns. All in all, it was really cool- and being that it’s free, I can’t wait to go back!

The last photo was actually taken for a particular reason. For those of you that don’t already know, my nickname for my boyfriend over the past four years has been “Bear”. I’m not sure why… it just fits. He’s my bear. My Brendan :)

Anyhow, to avoid getting all warm and fuzzy by way of keyboard, I’ll start talking about last night. Also pretty low key, my friends and I just hopped around between a few small get-togethers. We had the intention of going out, we really did, but Nicole and I (being two old feeble ladies) were too sleepy. We had walked for about 5 hours straight earlier in the day (all the way to the zoo, all over the zoo, through the length of a nature reserve, then all the way home). So we decided to just take the last tram home, and leave the fun to our better friends. But the night certainly was fun while it lasted! Everything is fun when you’re with the right people. And these, let me tell you, are the right people:

So it appears it’s been two days since I’ve posted- I guess life is just getting the better of me. I really am enjoying this whole study-abroad thing. It feels as though I’ve been here forever, thought I’m only just on the brink of a month. I’ve decided that this a good thing, and that I truly do feel like I belong here. Even before this trip, I would always tell Brendan “Look bud, you better start learning French cos if you plan on marrying me, we’re going to live in France for at least a little while”. I’m lucky to have the kind of boyfriend who loves traveling and experiencing different cultures. Not that the French culture is extremely different from our own (well, the cheese is a little bit stronger), but you get what I mean. Plus, I want little French babies. French children are way cuter than American children, that’s another thing I’ve noticed. There’s just something so endearing about a little French toddler yelling “Maman!” while swerving over pavement on a tricycle. Yes, I think I’ll have French babies. 

Anyhow, I’m sure you don’t really care about my fantasies about raising a family in France one day. So I’ll proceed to tell you about the past two days. On Tuesday morning, Nicole and I met up with our friends Andie, Marion and Patty at Fairview at around 11:00 am (far too early for me to be out of bed on a day I don’t have class, but I did it for friendship’s sake). By the end of our rendez-vous, we decided that Nicole, Patty, Marion and I would go to Rome together over February break (I told them I had this secret desire to be Lizzie McGuire, they agreed)! We’re going to meet up on Friday afternoon (at Fairview, of course) to book our bus/plane/however-we’re-getting-there tickets. I can’t even begin to explain to you how excited I am. I took an Art History class last semester, and half of the sculptures and monuments that we studied are in Rome. It would be so cool to see everything I studied in the flesh (well, in the marble/stone), as well as to practice il mio italiano.

Nothing much else happened on Tuesday, so I guess I’ll move on to Wednesday. Yesterday, I went to class in the early afternoon, then came back and tried recording something. Everything I play sounds so much better since I cut off all my nails (they were so nice and long and lovely for a while, but alas, I couldn’t play in the slightest). Oh well, it’s the price you’ve got to pay for your art I guess. Later that night, I met up with a bunch of friends (namely, Nicole, Kirsten, Andie, Marion, Patty, Aleks) and we headed over to the ERASMUS party, for the second week in a row. It was a lot of fun. It wasn’t as much fun as last week, but I met some cool people: a few Germans, another Mexican girl, some girls from Belgium, a girl from Greece, and a girl from Hungary. I swear, my international people-palate is going to be so refined by the end of the semester. 

Anyhow, have a look-see at the night: