All good things must come to an end...

I can't believe I only have one week left in Salamanca - this year has flown by so fast! It's going to be a very busy week with lots of studying and goodbyes. A few IES friends have already left for the United States - last night we all went our together to some of our favorite bars to say goodbye! :-( Tonight I'm hanging out with Lisa and Diego, tomorrow night it's a big goodbye with a bunch of my international friends, Sunday going for tapas with some Spanish friends, and studying, packing, studying, packing the rest of the time!

It's been a fun two weeks back in Salamanca since returning from Semana Santa - lots going on and I've been trying to enjoy every minute! Real Madrid and Barcelona have played each other FOUR time in a two week period, which was insane. Usually it's only like twice a season, but this year they were both in the finals for the King's Cup and the semifinals for the Champions League Cup. Real Madrid won the King's Cup (HUGE upset), but Barcelona beat them to advance to the finals of the more prestigious Champions League. Real Madrid fans are disappointed, but (although they won't admit) I think they're pretty relieved that they didn't lose EVERY game against the mighty Barca (especially after their humiliating 5-0 loss last December). Funny story, though - during the open bus celebration parade after winning the King's Cup, Sergio Ramos dropped the cup and the bus ran over it - OOPS! Barca fans had fun with that one!

Speaking of football, I went to a Salamanca game with my friends Alejandro and Nicki. Let it be understood - Salamanca is an AWFUL team. They were bumped down to 2nd division about ten years ago (I can't imagine the massacres that must have occurred back when they played in 1st division with Real Madrid and Barca!!!), but they still lose every game they play. They're now in danger of moving down to 3rd division if they don't start winning, so it was a pretty important game for them!

Alejandro, me, and Nicki (we borrowed the scarf from a kid sitting
behind us to make the photo better, ha ha)

Alejandro and I, who had gone to the Real Madrid game together back in February, were surprised that in some ways, we actually enjoyed this game more than the Real Madrid game! Aside from the ridiculous difference in price, the small size of the Salamanca stadium made it a REALLY fun atmosphere - lots of singing, chanting, drumming, etc. The quality of the game was obviously much much much lower than I've gotten used to (Real and Barca and spoiling me!), but there were lots of goals, so we got to sing this song A LOT!
Himno de UD Salamanca - Hala Union!!!

Salamanca fans

Down by 2 goals with only 30 minutes left, things were looking bleak for Salamanca. But, lo and behold, they somehow managed to get THREE GOALS and win the game. ¡Un milagro!
Here's a video of the game-tying goal:

On Monday we got the day off from classes for the Salamantino holiday, Lunes de Aguas. Back in the days of yore, it was a celebration of the return of the prostitutes to the city (after being banished from the city during Lent), and everyone would go down to the river to welcome them back as they crossed the river in flower-covered boats. No prostitutes are involved anymore, but everyone still goes down to the river for a giant picnic. We ate the traditional "hornazo," which is basically a pie with every conceivable type of meat inside - soooooo Spanish. 

enjoying the picnic

EVERYONE in Salamanca was there!