Final Daze

My last week was characterized by trying to study for finals, trying to shop for Christmas and trying to absorb as much as I could before I had to leave.

School is different in Spain because until finals, there isn't any sort of evaluation of your progress. Your final exam is essentially your grade for the class. The professors don't explain much. Luckily, they seem to cut foreign students a bit of a break. Notes were sometimes allowed to be used, they were lax about how well you write and it is rumored that they actually don't fail anyone. After taking six essay tests I was pretty worn out and tired of writing in Spanish. My best accomplishment of the semester was getting a 9/10 on a paper for my hardest class. It was the paper I wrote about in this blog, about the "Bella Durmiente" on the airplane. My teacher told me I did so well and I actually felt proud because I worked really hard.

At the end of the week Andrew came to Barcelona. The first night he was overtaken by sickness and some readjustment, but by the second night things had improved. We walked forever. In the cold. Through the Gothic Quarter, to the beach, along a big road. For some reason everything seemed mistimed that night. By the time we wanted to go to some bars, they were all closed. Then there were only clubs, but my level of inebriation was insufficient. The cold got colder. I think it was the coldest European night I'd experienced and it took almost until the next morning for my ten frozen fingers to thaw.

Saturday was when I introduced Andrew to Carrefour, my favorite supermarket ever. In a way, it's nothing too special, they have them all over Europe, but I think it's fabulous. We walked along Passieg de Gracia past Gaudi's famous buildings and then finally up Diagonal to his masterpiece Sagrada Familia. For some reason I didn't feel like I appreciated it as much as I should have. On the walk home we saw a drunk man with a bottle of booze rummaging through trash cans on Passieg de Gracia. I can appreciate that--he looked like he was having a good time.

Later that night I met Megumi's parents and her best friend who were also in town visiting. We had tapas with them. Megumi's parents were really nice people...with lovable eccentricities. It was interesting to meet the people I'd heard so much about all semester. Then we went to L'Ovella Negra for sangria...minus parents. Finally Andrew and I headed to Razzmatazz for what I hoped would be a noche loca. Razzmatazz was mostly what it was cracked up to be. I'd been there once before, but only for the Air concert. This time it was crowds of dancers and loud music. Five rooms of it. I tried to find my friends there but it was impossible. It's probably one of the more hazy nights of my time in Barcelona, but I'm absolutely sure I had fun. I remember sitting on the balcony looking over one of the bigger rooms with so many lights and smoke and people. Then I had to become a part of it. I didn't feel particularly tired when we left that morning but I think I started to lose the battle on the way home in the Metro. I don't actually remember exactly how and when I fell asleep that night.

Sunday was lazy obviously. I had to say goodbye to Megumi that night. It was sad but I didn't cry. Monday we went to Parc Güell. I'd been there before right after I got to Barcelona, but somehow had missed a lot of it. The time I entered in the correct place and saw all the sights. We walked up to one of the highest points to get a view of the city and encountered a half knocked down graffitied wall. There was a ledge where we sat and ate my very last bocadillo de Ana. The moment was especially tasty. One of my fondest memories of the semester. Then a stupid growling child came up out of the brush. What a little beast. :) We walked around until it got cold and dark that night. I bought a chocolate bar at Carrefour. I was totally out of money. Luckily that night was API's goodbye dinner. I was treated to small portions of delicious food with my friends. We took pictures, talked, recounted memories and tried to be warm. We all went to L'Ovella Negra together afterwards. I ran through the rain trying to meet phoneless Andrew and my red boots stained my feet to look like they were diseased. I discovered the red blotches later that night.

Tuesday was my final day. I almost wanted it to end faster so I could get the sadness over with. I finished my Christmas shopping and went to La Boqueria with Andrew. My final time I started wishing I'd gone there more often. It was ridiculously close to my house but I spent too much time in Carrefour instead, I suppose. I ate lunch with Ana and presented her with a gift...a picture of the three of us in a wood frame. We washed the dishes together. It was beginning to end. I packed all my things after lunch until everything was sealed up into four bags. That night Andrew and I ate gelato and watched his ugly flavor slide down the street after he dumped it so I could eat the cone. I chose winning flavors: Nutella and Dulce de Leche. We went to Antiquari and sat in the empty underground and finally made it to a jazz club where some of my friends were waiting. It's the weirdest thing hearing Spanish men sing like American men. Most people ended up at Ovella again (ugh) including us but only because I needed to say goodbye. I cried a little. Oh! I hoped it wouldn't happen and I'm not sure why it had to, but they were real tears of sadness. Thinking back over how amazing the whole semester was still makes my eyes well. Even while unpacking my bags, it seems like some kind of weird dream that happened. I returned home to get my bags and said bye to Ana. It was such a rush I don't think I allowed myself to be sad again.

The way home was fine, but annoying. Being on a plane for 9.5 hours is never pleasant. The plane was full of Texas people. I was hoping to hold onto Europe at least until I stepped on American soil, but it wasn't happening. The men behind me at the gate in Amsterdam were so Texas businessmen. When I got to Houston I found out that my luggage was still in Amsterdam. I finally got it last night.