Cumpleaños Feliz

The day finally arrived. The day that marked 23 years of Molly.
Or, as I like to call it, my 3rd Annual 21st Birthday. 

One year ago, I was drinking beer out of a boot and dancing the polka at the Essen Haus in Madison, shortly followed by running down State Street with my birthday balloon attached to my dress. At that moment, I had no way of predicting where I would be when I turned 23. I wasn't sure of my plans for the next chapter of my life. I had not applied for any jobs or graduate schools, bought any plane tickets to Spain, or really made any life decisions of any kind. But I wasn't worried. I was a completely carefree Badger, eating Babcock Ice Cream every day, going out with friends every night, and coasting by in my more specialized and therefore more interesting and enjoyable classes. How could I possibly handle real life on a day(s) like that? I had the rest of the semester to figure it out, right?

But of course, the last few months of my undergraduate career flew by. I soon became an official alumna of UW-Madison, and the reality of my situation began to sink in. I knew I wanted to do something different--I wasn't ready to be totally grown up yet and felt burned out from 4 years of a college routine. I knew I wanted to return to Spain. After my semester abroad in Sevilla, I wanted more, and so I just had to figure out how I could have another Spanish experience.

And just like that (and after much thought, planning, and support from my friends and family) I enrolled in the November TEFL course in Barcelona and bought a one-way ticket to Spain. And so began the second half of Molly at 22-years-old.

The rest of that story has already been documented here, so I won't bore you with the details (that, of course, was sarcasm. You know the details are GREAT!). But I will relay how the events of this weekend unfolded:

The main event of this already monumental Month of Molly rushed through me like a tsunami of super fun things. There was no time for bitter sweet thoughts or reflections. A true testament to my 23rd year of life.

It began with a nasty cold. On Tuesday, just a few days before my day of glory, I felt like crap. But this wasn't a big surprise. This actually happens every year. Every year I get sick just before my birthday. I used to blame it on nasty Wisconsin weather. But now what's my body's excuse? But anyway, every year I get sick and every year I refuse to feel sick and continue on with the celebrations. And this year in Barcelona would obviously be no different. So my roommates took me immediately to the pharmacy. I was handed a giant pill that I would need a prescription for in the States, and my health quickly began to improve.

My plethora of VIP visitors began arriving on Thursday. They were all very excited to be able to come visit me (seeing Barcelona was an added bonus for them, I'm sure). LindsayRolls and Cara from Sevilla. Sarah from Italy. SeanJohnsonBice from Prague. Libby from London. And Lindsey Hoffman from down the street here in Barcelona. Needless to say, my Spanish roommates are officially confused how I could possibly have so many friends around Europe, and how they have all managed to visit me on my birthday weekend. My response? Pff, you're tellin' me! Unbelievable. But what can I say? Us VIP Badgers are very worldly and lead fabulous lives.

Coincidentally, my roommate Laura's Mom was also visiting for the weekend with some of her friends. A ladies' weekend out on the town, if you will. They came to visit Laura and to go to a football game (and also to help celebrate my birthday). It's always great to have moms in the house, especially on a holiday. They brought pastries and asked me lots of questions about my life. They helped me correct my Spanish and asked me how to say various swear words in English. They were a hoot.

The festivities officially began on Thursday night. We gathered at my apartment for a late dinner and lots of catching up. We put our game faces on and started preparations for the weekend.

Unfortunately, I had to wake up early the next morning for class (I'm a workin' girl now, ya know). So I went quickly to bed after our late night chat ("You did what? You went to bed early because you had class in the morning? You ARE getting old.") Yes, it is true that in my college glory days a little class in the morning wouldn't have scared me away from a night out. But hey--it's much harder to TEACH on no sleep than to sit in the back of a lecture hall and drift in and out of consciousness or stare at a computer at a desk while eating a breakfast sandwich. So yes, I did the responsible thing (How very 'twenty-three' of me). And besides, we had the whole weekend to celebrate!

On Friday I had a rather long day of class. I took a much needed birthday siesta and waited for my visitors to arrive. We all gathered at my apartment again for some pizza and socializing before heading out to the streets, as Spaniards like to say.

VIP in Europe

But as we were counting down the minutes until midnight, my roommate Alex came to the door of the dining room and told me that our neighbor was at the door and wanted to talk to me. I naturally was confused and worried that my birthday party had been too loud, and that I now was going to have to avoid some trouble (and in Spanish, at that). I entered the hallway to open the front door, prepared to apologize. But instead I found my roommate Laura and her Mom and friends, grinning at me. At once they began singing 'Happy Birthday,' accompanied by Laura on the violin and Alex on the tambourine. Surprised and excited, I sank into my new year of life here in Barcelona, enjoying my extra special midnight celebration and feeling extremely grateful for all the love in my life.

And so began my first day of 23 years of age. That has to be a good sign of things to come, don't ya think?

The next morning we woke up early to start a [birth]day of tourism in the sunshine. I took my friends on a tour of the old part of the city, including the famous Boqueria market and the Gothic Quarter.

La Boqueria

SJB and I

While wandering the streets, we ran into one of my friends, Mario (because, you know, I'm a real Spaniard now, so I can do things like run into Spanish friends on the street). By a stroke of birthday luck, he asked if my friends from Wisconsin and I were hungry and took us to a great seafood restaurant for some birthday paella.

LindsayRoels

After our tummies were full and happy, we finally ended up on the beach to watch the sun set on the sea. 

My Mom told me to have someone take my picture on my special day.
How's that, Mom?

I came home exhausted from the day (being a tourist and a tour guide on your birthday is sure tiring). But there was no time for rest! I entered my room to find a lovely birthday note from my roommate Sabela. I went to the kitchen to thank her, and she asked me if I had seen the package. Confused, I ran into my room to see what it was (and how the heck could I have missed a package sitting on my bed?!). I finally found a bouquet of flowers which had been delivered while I was out (as if this birthday could get any better!). I rather knowingly asked Sabela who sent them. She rather impatiently replied, "Well who do you think sent them?!"

"Enjoy this special day that is all about you."

Thanks, Jon. =)

My head buzzing with birthday excitement, I fit in a few Skype sessions with my family (including my brother, Jake!) before my friend Mark from Liverpool and I went to meet my friends for some tapas.

At one of my favorite tapas bars

Another birthday girl picture for Mom

So many to choose from!

After our stomachs were stuffed, we headed to a bar for some socializing, and yet another birthday surprise: My birthday ice cream treat, compliments of SJB.

My 3rd Annual 21st Birthday Treat

It was yummy.

After that, we headed to the main birthday event: Razzmatazz, one of the biggest and most popular clubs in Barcelona. It was my first time going there, and actually my first time in a club of that magnitude. It was very exciting.

We spent the night dancing and exploring (seriously--we spent a good amount of time literally EXPLORING this club. That's how big it is. Okay, can you tell I'm from Wisconsin?). I came home feeling exhausted and utterly content. But not a day older.

After a whirlwind of a weekend, I said goodbye to my good friends as they departed to continue their semesters abroad. I was sad to see them go, but I will see them again soon enough.

So I sat in my room, finally able to relax and reflect, which I think everyone should have a chance to do on their birthday.

The truth is, I was really worried about my birthday abroad. While preparing for my move to Europe, far
away from my bubble of love and familiarity in Madison, I was seriously concerned about the potential of spending my birthday alone, all dressed up, and nowhere to go. For me (and in my humble opinion) my birthday is a big deal, and I love celebrating it, maybe even more than any other holiday (except Arbor Day. That's always a riot).

But instead, I was surrounded by more friends than I could handle. Some old, some new, and all good. And with so many Badgers in the house, I could have almost confused it for a standard night in Madison. (Although I suppose the giant clubs, tapas bars, and Sagrada Familia in the background gave away the illusion.) But really, I feel so lucky to have been able to spend my birthday among such great people, and VIP at that! I don't know if you know VIP people, but they are some of my best friends, and definitely know how to celebrate. Sigh. All I can say is, thanks to the wonderful people in my life, it was a great birthday.

One year ago, I never could have imagined that my next birthday would be so fantastic. And today, I can't imagine what my next birthday will be like either. My friend Mark from Liverpool asked me what I hope to accomplish in the next year of my life. I struggled at first, but then a couple things became clear. First, I don't picture myself to still be living in Barcelona. So I hope that within this next year, I will successfully finish my start as a teacher, and will be completely satisfied with my experience living abroad in Spain. Second, I now officially have an itch to go to graduate school. So I plan to have my school and area of study chosen by this time next year.

Pleased with my response and future goals, Mark from Liverpool and I clinked our glasses to the year to come, and to the next Magnificent Month of Molly.