This New Year's Eve was one like no other! First, I got to spend it with Miss Courtney and second, I was in Spain! The night was perfect! It started out with dinner at 10pm with the family Courtney is an au pair for. They were very welcoming to me and I felt right at home. We had an amazing seafood platter. Fresh crab, calamari, octopus, shrimp, mussels, ect. There was also duck patte, cheese and French wine. The whole time we were eating, the TV was on so we could not miss the moment the clock strikes twelve. At midnight, it is tradition in Spain to eat twelve grapes, one every three seconds. There is a bell that rings so you know when to eat your next grape. Apparently, this is a dangerous custom as people tend to choke on the grapes. So, throwing caution to the wind, Courtney and I decided to totally immerse ourselves in the culture. As soon as the bell started ringing, we started popping the grapes in our mouths! It was a little difficult to swallow, as there were seeds in the grapes, but we survived! After a salute with Spanish Cava(sparkling wine) and many hugs and kisses, Carlos drove us to the metro. After a long, crowded ride, we finally arrived at our destination. La Rambla. A very happening place, especially on New Year's. As we were walking amoung the crowds, we realized we were the only single girls out. Hmm. Seconds after realizing this, I was grabbed by a Pakistani man and kissed on the check. He was trying for my lips, but I managed to turn my head just in time. Weird, we thought. Then it happened again! To Courtney this time. She was able to somehow get a great picture of it. After a few times, it stopped being funny and we were starting to get annoyed. We could see guys looking at us with the intent to kiss us, so we could push them, or slap them, away before they could.
After about two hours of this, we were getting tired. And the next train wasn't due to take us home until 6:30! So we found a place to sit and people watch. A group of Gambians were sitting by us and one of them came over and talked to us for a while. He really wanted us to go to a disco with him, but Courtney and I didn't feel like paying a €30 cover-charge. And we didn't want to go with him. Finally, James saved the day by calling Courtney and giving us an excuse to leave. As Courtney was talking to James, I was able to sit and watch people be funny or stupid. I saw a guy on a motorcycle try to stop at a stoplight and completely fall over. He stumbled around for a bit before getting back on his bike. I was very glad I was not driving that night. Then there was a dancing Pakistani. Very entertaining! He was listening to an iPod and just dancing. It was awesome! We did a little more sightseeing after Court got off the phone. I was able to see some more Gaudi buildings. Then Courtney talked to an Indian boy in Spanish and I just sat there. It was ok, though. I was too tired to talk, even in English. Finally we went to the train station, where it was warm, and bought our tickets for the way home. On the train ride home, we sat by more Gambians, apparently there are lots of them in Spain. They told me that my name, as a last name, meant you were a Christian in Gambia! Very cool! So, if I ever go to Gambia, my name will be well-known! When we arrived home, we had warm crossiants and hot chocolate with peppermint schnapp's! And Courtney, being the wonderful friend that she is, let me use her phone card to call Ryan at midnight in Idaho! It made me very happy to be able to talk to him and wish him a happy new year. As I was talking to him, the sun was rising over the Mediterranean. A beautiful ending to a crazy night in Barcelona!
