Friday, had a phone call from my friend Lucy and it totally made my day sunny... I hate how my phone only works when it feels like I deserve a voice from home... AND I can't call out... but if you want to talk to me, try my phone and if you're worthy you will be connected.

So this Saturday was Sanmiguelada: the running of the bulls in San Miguel... I didn't go (A) because I dont really like to go to San Miguel where they accept U.S. dollars and I hear more English than Spanish and (B) I don't like to see people stabbed by bulls and then see the bulls slaughtered while people cheer... just ain't my cup o tea. Instead, I went to more museums in my home town of Guanajuato...these werealot better than the others, art oriented not death and destruction. We first went to the Iconografic Don Quijote Museum and it was really cool... I didnt know we weren't supposed to take pictures so I got some black market product for anyone who is interested... there was a work there by Salvador Dali (which turned out to be a sign for later in the day... read on). Then we went to this rock museum underneath the Basilica de San Diego... and not the music kinda rock... like the dirt kinda rock... it wasnt that bad, but it would have been better for one of my friends, Mia, who is studying to be a geologist (when we went to La Bufa, we asked her what kind of rock it was and she actually ate the rock...) she would have been into this place but she went to San Miguel and noone else really cared for it. From there we went to what was the highlight of my day... the Diego Rivera house/museum. The bottom floor is set up how it was when he lived there and then the upper 3 levels hold his art and other exhibitions that travel around. WELL, Rivera's art was, needless to say, astounding and I just was dumbfounded to see so many of his pieces there and the different techniques that he mastered all in the same area. But then I got the heartstopping moment of the place... there was an exhibit there of Salvador Dali's work of Dantes Divine Comedy... yeah, like 150 + of Dali's work... I could not believe it... kept asking if they were, really... honestly... no lie... his original work... and every time they said yes, so I had to snap to it and believe. I spent 2 hours (mas o menos) in there with two other girls who were just as in awe of his work as I was -the others went on to the Alhondiga... we went later and it was great, too, buta little overshadowed by Dali- just great...

Anyway, Sunday was the birthday of a friend... Arame, he teaches Caipoera at the gym... and we had a surprise party for him. Earlier in the day I went to Erin's house and she, Katie B and I made a heart shaped cake for him... and I had to go to like 4 different places to look for candles. None to be found in any normal store and I was getting frantic so I just went into this papeleria to ask and they had these ancient ones... luckily there were 24... perfect! I was scared that notall of them would be in there because the pack was so old that the glueon the box had completely disintengratedbut, luck was on my side and we were ready to roll... He was super surprised and gave this little speech... he doesn't have family and was just like "You all are not only my friends, but my family, too!" It was great, we all had a great time. Kitty, my friend Katie B's boyfriend (yes, Kitty is his real name) made food and we ate that and the cake, it was just so fun! Also, alot of Arame's students were there and they were too cute hanging around him, you could just tell he means the world to them.

So back to school today. Well, actually, I am skipping. Maybe I will go to Grammar, but I just didnt feel like sitting in a classroom with all this around me! Maybe I will just go back and talk to my Seora to count as my conversation class...

Love you all... xox CR