"Dia de Puta Madre"

I heard a quote once that happiness is having something to look forward to, and today would prove to be demonstrative example. Although I try to avoid speaking English while I am in Spain because I have the rest of my life for that, I really appreciate the humor and the comraderie I experience with m three American friends Carlie, Charlene, and Jordan. At lunch Carlie told me that her boyfriend rented a house in Rome that I am welcome to come and stay with them…so all I have to do is buy a plane ticket and some museum entrance fees and Rome is within sight! I cant believe that it is already almost March and the spring is about to begin. I booked my tickets from Granada (where I will be after Marrueccos) to Milan for two days and then Bari for 6six. Adding this excitement was almost too much and I felt like I had about 6 cups of coffee in my system. I shook all through class. Luckily, I asked my art history professor if we could have class outside in the gorgeous sunny weather to which he not only replied yes, he drove us in his car downtown to learn about the architectural development of the port town of Santander and view the progression of the building as they extend further east along the water.
Later, Alvaro returned my phone call and asked if we could grab a drink. While I am very grateful to his mom for setting me up with a potential friend I do not think I will be meeting with him again. Conversation, smiles, and general happiness all seemed painful for him and during every topic we discussed he would stubbornly tell me that I was mistaken in my way of thinking. Also, even though he had spent 4 months in Ireland and knew what it was like to be a foreigner trying to learn a new language he was impatient and unhelpful with my Spanish. Generally I am surprised with how many people in Spain are full of life, loving the present, and happy, but Alvaro was an exception. I hate categorizing people, but people like Alvaro who act as though to go through life is a big inconvenience are a waste of my time and energy, besides, they seem to be determined to not let anyone or anything help make it more tolerable. What I got out of the meeting was a perfect picture of what I never want to be, and beer.
While eating my Spanish fish and French fries at dinner the friendly young man sitting next to me happened to be studying psychology as well and was as passionate about it as I am. Refreshingly, I was back in touch with the kind of people that are excited to be here on earth, want to soak up life like a sponge, and eager to learn solely for the sake of learning. We discussed in English and Spanish our favorite parts of psychology, what we want to do with it and what the drive to help people feels like. He also happens to be from Valencia, which is a city I would love to visit soon for a world famous festival they have yearly. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a day more “de puta madre”. I am still trying to use this phrase without feeling ridiculous, because the idea is “it was the bomb” but the literal translation is ¨of mother bitch”. I apologize if my usage of this expression offends any readers, but try to remember that language generally is best not translated literally and also that to swear in Spain is much more common; professors swear in front of their students, and children swear in front of their families.
They also especially swear in futbol games, or soccer for you Americans! If you want to hear some of the crazy ones I can tell you in person, but they are too vulgar to post here. We tied, so it was an exciting game against Barcelona. They are so into soccer here that even on a rainy cold Sunday the stadium was completely packed and Barcelona had even brought their own band to play while they cheered their special Barcelonian cheers.