Birthday Weekend

So....it was truly a weekend of birthdays, my own and others. Thank you very much to all of you who sent me birthday greetings, much appreciated!!! Friday night, I went with a friend of mine to the birthday of a guy I had met. The other exchangee was there, and I actually knew quite a lot of people there. We got there around 9, ate dinner around 10 and were there until 3.....we had cake and danced a lot...I did some salsa (a tradition basically now) and it was pretty fun. Next day, I slept til around 11 or so, and woke being the only person in my house, so I cleaned some stuff up abit, and made myself a light breakfast. I have learned not to eat much when I wake up on weekends, cuz lunch is always within 2 hours or so. Then i cleaned up my room, and went to a friends house around 3. She was in a dance competition. It was pretty crazy, a lot of the schools here have dance teams. It was like 4 hours long (altho the announced probly talked for at least an hour and a half....) and the dancing was pretty amazing. After that, I went back to my house to get ready for a family get together for the birthday of my aunt. We headed there, and I rang in my birthday there!! (While eating delicious cake actually!!) After receiving birthday hugs and kisses from everyone, (including people who I didn´t know at all....i love South America for that) Johanna and i stopped at the house to change, then head to the disco, first time legally.....Some girls in my class were there, which was nice, cuz Julia was sick so couldn´t come. I also met Gonzalo there. Johanna didn´t particularly like that disco, and the friend she was with´s girlfriend came....so I told her she could head out to her fave disco if she wanted....so she left and I was to meet her at 4 30. So I had about 4 hours of dancing!! It was super fun!!!! I got home around 5, and then opened the card from my parents (I had opened the present and card from my sis, and the present from my parents around 12 15....) and then missed my parents alot....so cried myself to sleep. Don´t feel bad for me tho....it´s all good. The next day,my host dad called my cellphone around noon (he is in a different city right now) and woke me up. It was good tho, cuz I didn´t want to sleep away the day. Being the first one up again, I made myself some tea and read my cards again! Then had lunch, and after Johanna called me because Dirty Dancing was on TV (she knows its one of my fave movies) It was good that she did...cuz i was missing home again.....i have a feeling that´ll happen alot on holidays. We watched the movie, and then went to el centro to get the journal i had bought engraved. At my house later, some friends came over, and we ate cake. In the morning, a cake had arrived from my Exchange counselor...so in addition to the huge one Mema had bought..we had tons of cake!!!! Mema had to go visit her mom, because she was sick. So....it was just me and my friends in the house. At 7, my parents called. I had been waiting for this all day, and ran for the phone when it rang!! I talked to them for about an hour, and was super duper happy afterwards. A tradition here is to have your face put into the cake.....so we did the tradition (after we had eaten what we wanted of the cake..hehe) and then took some fun pics with icing on our faces. After the girls had left, my tio and tia and prima (aunt, uncle, and cousin) came over and enjoyed some cake. I of course had some too (i didn´t eat dinner that day..just cake....i figured it was my birthday....) Maxiel returned (she had come when my face was covered in cake...) with the movie when a stranger calls. I started to watch it...but being easily spooked, I stopped watching about 30 minutes in, and wrote about the days before in my journal, going to bed at 12 30 ish. The next morning, I walked to school where my classmates gave me a present for my bday..and sang feliz cumpleaños (same tune as happy birthday). Then I opened birthday emails, thanx again! The rest of the day was fairly standard...Maxiel and I were going to go to the gym, but she was pretty sick, so no dice. Today, I walked to school in the morning in the rain (que valiente in the words of Mema...) and had to jump over the rivers in the street...seriously, ti was craziness) and then walked back after my 2 morning classes(gorgeous weather by then) . In biology, we started photosynthesis. I was able to take down all the questions, only missing one word in the 13, and then do the same amount of work as my classmates. My teacher was very impressed when she looked at my notebook and had my read some of my answers out loud. After break, I talked for quite awhile with a guy in my class, and understood most everything....lots of exclamations from my classmates...it feels good to not always have to say ´no entiendo´so much anymore. Mema and I walked to school after lunch.... altho we had to wait for Johanna to come pick up the dog...cuz he was following us, and, hard to explain, but he couldn´t be. This one is actually a dog of the street...... Right now, I am in an internet cafe with Julia. We have quite a few weekend ideas of touristy things in the area. Should be good....Well, I think that´s all for now!! xoxo