View of the city from the balcony of the chapel
Sunset after our concert Saturday night
With the other Cristina, in concert attire
Last weekend, going out for tapas with the girls!
Hey everyone :) Sorry to my 6 dutiful followers that I haven’t written in a couple of weeks. I’m certain that you are all devastatingly upset, so I will try to make this entry EXTRA fun to read! The main reason I didn’t write about last weekend is because I didn’t go on any grand trips or take very many pictures. I stayed in Pamplona and hung out with my girlfriends here. I went to the gym and went running along the Camino de Santiago. We took blankets and books outside to the Ciudadela (the old citadel in the middle of the city) to take in the sun. And Jane and I went to San Sebastian to hang out at the beach for a few hours on Saturday. That night, we all went out for pintxos because there was a competition for the best one in Pamplona. So we had to try them out! Mmmm. Sunday Hanna and I went to our Evangelical church, and had dinner together, and pretty much just took it easy. During the week, I did the usual: go to class, work out, cook food, etc. But I also made homemade tropical popsicles, which was probably the highlight of my Thursday!
So Friday at noon the choir sang at a prestigious academic awards ceremony at the university. When I walked in the building, there were 6 policemen acting as doormen who asked me what I was doing there. Talk about disconcerting! Geez. And during the program, I have a duet with another Spanish girl. While we were signing, they had about 7 video cameras right up in our faces. It was super distracting. And the program was realllyyy boring, especially since all the acceptance speeches were in Spanish, so I pretty much just tuned it out! Anyway, after the program, they provided lunch for everyone, and then all the girls got on the bus to leave for Coimbra!
The said 7-hour trip ended up being 10, but I didn’t mind because I was reading The Host on my Kindle, and I was so enthralled that I didn’t even notice the hours passing. Unfortunately, I finished that book, so the trip home yesterday wasn’t quite as pleasant. We got to the hotel around 1a.m. and went straight to bed. The hotel (Doña Inés) was really nice.
Saturday we went to the University of Coimbra to practice for our concert that night. The weather was gorgeous, and the campus is one of the oldest in Europe, so we had fun looking around. Saturday, the concert went pretty well, I thought, considering its informality. It was very different from the rigidity and professionalism of choir concerts that I’m accustomed to, but it was still fun. We celebrated with a big Spanish dinner that night, around 10:30p.m. As everyone got drunker, they started singing all of our songs. I felt really bad for the other people there, and I was kind of embarrassed because they just kept singing and singing! So around 1, I had someone walk me back to the hotel and I went to bed. But everyone else, the director and bus driver included, stayed out until 6 or 7 a.m.
Therefore, the next day, I had a “cara fresca” (fresh face) and was ready to go. Everyone else was in bed until noon, fighting hangovers. I just don’t understand, really I don’t… Anyway, we got to walk around the city some on Sunday. We saw the university’s famous old library and chapel. And then we went to the university’s choir concert, where they sang with two other choirs. I can’t lie, it was probably the worst concert I’ve been to in my life. The off-key signing hurt my ears so much that about one hour into it, I “went to the bathroom” and didn’t return. It was so bad, it was actually comical! But at the same time, I felt bad for the performers…
Sunday night, we went out for pizza and hung out in the hotel, and then got up yesterday morning to come back to Pamplona. The trip back took about 11 hours, because we stopped for a 2-hour lunch. It was good and all, but my American attitude of “grab something to eat and get back on the road” had me itching to leave by the time they brought out the coffees and dessert. Overall, it was a fun and laid-back weekend. We didn’t do a whole lot, but every meal was delicious and everything was paid for, so I got to experience Portugal and pay less than if I had bought groceries and stayed in Pamplona for the weekend!
I’m leaving in 3 weeks and 1 day. I’m definitely taking advantage of my time here and enjoying myself immensely. But I can’t wait to see my family and Wesley and Susan and Jess and probably anyone who cares enough about me to be reading this right now! I appreciate all of your continued prayers, and I will see you SOON! <3
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