So I know I said I would write evey week and I did for a while. But that was before the end of the semester decided to devour my time, money and energy. But now its over, the semester has closed and after 3 intense days and 2 consecutive, sleepless nights I find myself on a train cruising through france at about 10o mph.

I suppose I should update a bit on what went on since my last entries. Well, since then Ab and I have started a weekly tradition of webcam dates where we cook the same meals and dress up according to the theme. It is something I look forward to every week and its been a great lesson about making the best of every situation. Unfortunately we wont be able to do it for a while since I'll be somewhat of a vagabond inhabiting trains between Portugal and Greece, but I guess I just have to look forward to seen my beautiful fiance in person.

Also as many of you know I had a birthday on the 16th of February. All I have to say is that it was really incredible. I really didnt expect anything. I just sent an email out on a monday inviting a coule of people out to celebrate my birthday. I expected what we would just go to a restaurant and then somethign afterwards. And that is what we did , but I did not expect to get any presents or people to treat my any different than normal.

So when we met, they told me that my gift was somewhere in the room. So I walked around picking things up, looking in drawers, and behind the bikes that were near the door. Like a tenative and mischevious child pushing the limit of their parent, I was gauging the response of my friends to each move that I made. After quite a while of looking around unsuccessfully we slipped into the warmer colder method which led me right to the bike that I had been looking behind and around. It had never even occured to me that this bike could be my present and it was still hard to imagine even as I was grasping the handlebars. I just kept repeating the phrase "no way...No way" like a crazy person violently agreeing with himself. It was truly incredible to get such a gift. Now some of you may be thinking, big deal, its just a bike. But to me it was one of the best examples of gifting I have ever experienced. Everyone knew that I wrecked my last bike and didn't have the money to buy a new one. They knew that I loved riding my bike to class and to the grocery store and had become notoriously late without one. And they went way out of their way to give me a gift that they knew would fit and surprise me. Furthermore and perhaps more importantly, the gift als made me feel special. It was the first time I had been completly away from my family and friends and I didn't expect a big celebration or even gifts. I knew I could get people to come out, Who doesn't want to go out for a birthday? but I didnt know it would be special. And my friends here really made it special. After we met at the church, we went to what I have found to be the only good place to eat mexican food in all of europe, and then to my favorite brewery in town.