A weekend of firsts

This weekend was my first...

Carnival in the Rio

Ferris Wheel ride at night

noche de San Juan

time staying on the beach all night

bonfire on the beach

time to witness a legitimate fight

ride in an ambulance

time in an ER waiting room

time at the Spanish hospital

Friday June 22 - This was one of the fridays we had class, so I went to class in the afternoon:( After I took a siesta I met up with Genna, Sam and Anna to shop at a few stores around our houses. I got a new shirt for only seven euro! I headed to Portland to watch part of the Greece vs Germany game. Germany beat Greece 4 to 2. I was planning on going to a jazz festival with a group of people but on the way there we heard there was a carnival in the Rio so we decided to check it out. We arrived at the carnival around 1145pm, so it was fairly empty still. we rode the ferris wheel first. The city was beautiful from the top of the Ferris wheel especially at night. Below is Sam, Genna and I on the ferris wheel.

We rode a couple more rides and headed home around 1am. As we were leaving people were just getting to the fair. The night life here is so much later than back at home. 

Saturday June 23 - I slept in until noon which was really nice. I had to be productive in the afternoon and finish an essay for class. Saturday was the La Noche de San Juan which is a huge fiesta here in Spain. The beaches fill with people who stay there all night long. The tradition is to have a bonfire and at midnight jump over the fire to cleanse yourself from your past. It is also said to write down a wish and put it in the first or let it go in the Mediterranean sea. So around 5 we headed to the beach ready to stay there until sunrise at 635 am. On the bus to the beach we met a guy from South Carolina who was traveling alone in Valencia. He latched on to our group real quick because he knew no spanish so doing anything was very hard for him. The beach was not too crowded when we got there so we stalked out our area. Spain provides free firewood so we got some wood and dug our fire pit in the sand. The guys next to us were clearly experts at this, they brought their own wood and kindling and laughed as they watched us beginners. Below are three of the boys digging the hole for the fire. I was a very good supervisor of the job haha.

   

Before sunset we soaked up the last of the sun rays. I walked the twenty five minute walk down to the port to check it out. The Mediterranean Sea just doesn't get old. It is so beautiful! Below is Genna, Anna and I!

At midnight I jumped over the fire and ran into the water. I let my wish go into the sea, hopefully it comes true! It was crazy the amount of people that were there including people of all ages. I warmed up by the fire after my midnight swim. Our group began to multiple as we made more friends. We met people from all over the world. I took the chill path and sat by the fire most of the night. Around 2am things started to get weird and I could see why everyone warned us to guard our things while on the beach. Sam, Genna and I brought all of our stuff in one backpack so we wouldn't have as much to worry about and we did not bring anything of too much value. One of us was always with the backpack all night. Unfortunately other people in our group were not as careful. A handful of bags and shoes were a bit further from the group with no owners nearby. A guy in our group noticed someone walking and looking around our stuff. He went over to confront him and prevent him from taking our things. 

   This confrontation resulted in a fight and one of our guys in the ER. There were four guys that were fighting 6-8 South Americans that were stealing our things. The fight was worse because it was right next to the fire. As soon as I saw the first punch I immediately grabbed our backpack and stepped away. There was yelling in spanish and english. Our boys were quite intoxicated at this point and very very angry. A kid from our group got kicked in the face while he was down. His face immediately was swollen and bloody. The fight settled as the South Americans ran away. The instant shock of what just happened set in to the group. Two girls realized their backpacks were no where to be found. We tended to the kid who got kicked and we called 112 which is equivalent to 911 in the US. Sam, Genna and I were the ones who were there so we went with him to the police. The police were on the edge of the beach and directed us to the medics. We walked him to medics where it was determined he needed to go to the hospital. I was the lucky friend that rode in the ambulance with him to the hospital. The EMTS were very nice and spoke slowly so I could understand them.

     Ambulance rules are different here than at home though. At home cars pull to the side of the roade and stop when they hear sirens. Here they sow down a little but do not really move that much. We arrived at the hospital. They moved friend from stretcher to a hospital bed. I then had to check him in. This seems like an easy task but it has its challenges. The first challenge is that this friend I have only known for four weeks and all I know about him is that his name is Eddie. This is clearly a nickname for Edgar or Edward, I guessed correctly with Edgar. But his last name I had no idea. So I had no idea his address in spain nor his birthday either. I was a wealth of information. Second challenge was that the front desk was behind glass so it was hard to hear the lady speaking. She spoke very fast spanish and mumbled a little. I managed to get him checked in and then I headed to the waiting room. 

         I found a seat and sat. The room was freezing cold due to the air conditioner and I was wearing a damp swimsuit with a sundress. There were announcements that I could not understand so I just hoped they weren't pertaining to me. After about an hour of sitting there watching tv in spanish, Genna and Sam came. They took a trolley over to meet me. We waited together for another hour and half until finally we recognized one of the announcements. They said his name! We went down and picked him up. He walked away with nothing broken and just a really bad looking face. We grabbed a cab and took him home. 

    So then I found myself walking home carrying an empty cooler and my wallet. The sun had risen and it was already very warm. The streets were empty and the city was quiet. As I unlocked my door my watch read 8:31 am. What a night! I set out the day before with intent of watching the sunrise from the beach of the Mediterranean Sea but instead I watched the sunrise from the emergency room waiting room at a clinic in Spain. After a long crazy night I came across this bible verse 

'What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?' Romans 8:31