It was the last night in Madrid, culminating an unforgettable first week. The first week in Spain. The first week of my exchange year. We were supposed to be packed and on the bus early the next morning to make the trek to Barcelona to settle into our new home for the next year. I wanted it to be a night to remember....an all night long night to remember. We returned to the place where we started the week which was a bar right across the street from our hostel. We had met the sweetest bartender there, I want to say Carlos? Maybe Jorge? In any case, a bunch of us headed over to the bar for cocktails and dancing. This incredible song came on and everyone hit the impromptu dance floor. Un dos tres! Un pasito pa' adelante Maria! Un dos tres! I really only understood "un dos tres" and "maria", but those parts of the song I sang with gusto. I moved my hips. I danced with abandon. I was 20, blonde, thin, and living it up in Espana!
At some point in the evening we ended up in another bar that had more of a nightclub vibe. The bartender was with us, along with some other guys from our hostel. Thinking back now I think it was actually a dorm and these were students. It doesn't really matter. We danced, drank, flirted, and practiced our Spanish until the bar closed and the sun was starting to come up. Yet I did not want the night to end. I remember going back to the dorm to quickly pack up all my things and hurry back to another's dorm room spend the last few minutes in Madrid with a beautiful Spanish boy. It was a night to remember.
