who wants to buy me a drink when I get back?!

I, Hannah Kinzelmann, am officially 21. I cannot believe it! The legal drinking part doesn't excite me that much, it's more the part where I am officially an adult. I may not act like one sometimes, BUT I AM! Woooo!

So my day started off with waking up and having my roommate forget to say Happy Birthday to me. It was totally ok because she was incredibly sick. Plus, I'm used to people forgetting to say happy birthday at monumental ages...achemdadachemm! :) Anyway, I got up and went to my 5 hours of classes. It was relatively depressing because nobody knew it was my birthday. At home, everyone is telling you "Happy Birthday!" all day. Here? Not at all. It was expected though because these people don't even really know me at all, let alone my day of birth.

My religion class had a field trip. Yes, a field trip. My first one since probably middle school. We had to navigate the metro system and find our way to what is considered "Old Spain". We walked around for an hour or so. It was absolutely gorgeous! All the old buildings were still in relatively good condition. This sounds corny but ever since I have been here, I have a new appreciation for architecture. The stuff I've seen here is incredible. So I loved just walking around this part of Barcelona and looking at all the old buildings and their intricate stone carvings. Wow I sound like a nerd, but I'm totally ok with that! :)

Now for the birthday festivities. I get out of class @ 3:45 and usually walk right back to the residencia. I get out, walk home, and walk into my room to see it decorated with these little party decorations. My dear roommate, Steeter Maghee as I call her, went out and bought them for my birthday. She also made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which sat so nicely on a birthday party plate. I wasn't having the greatest start to my day so this definitely helped! Further adding to my relative happiness was my package from my wonderful boyfriend, Jamie. He shipped out my birthday gift to me so I could open it here in Spain. I loved the gifts and they certainly brought a huge smile to my face...and some bling to my neck. I'm a lucky girl right? Believe me, I know! :)

I originally didn't want to go out for my birthday because it was a school night (yes, I know, I'm a huge loser). Buuuuutttt, you only turn 21 once and my roommates pretty much forced me to. So we all got spiffed up and went to this mexican place for dinner. I had my first legal drink (had I been in the U.S), a margarita, and it was disgusting! After that we went back to our residencia to "pre-game" a little before we went out. All of my friends surprised me with little random gifts that ranged from: earrings, a necklace, chocolate 21 candles, and croissants. After that, my friends Mike and Dylan brought out a cake! I was really surprised and I also felt really bad. I hate it when people spend money on me, especially when they don't have to. Carly also had purchased these little mini cakes that were served too. Mike and Dylan's cake was probably the best one I've ever had my 21 years on this earth. You all should be jealous! I mean, who doesn't want a Winnie the Pooh cake with a giant "4" candle, for their 21st birthday? I loved it! :)

After presents and cake it was around 12:30am, which is prime go-out time in Spain. We all decided to go to this karaoke bar for the evening. We took some cabs over there and walked in. The place only had about 15-20 people in it, mostly couples, and wasn't the most visually pleasing place ever. But let me tell you..it was a BLAST! We ordered some drinks when we got there and started to look through the song books. The spanish locals who were there were so fun to listen to and watch. They would pick these American songs and they knew the words PERFECTLY! We also got to hear some spanish music too. Mike and Sara were the first in our group to go up to sing. They went with a personal fave: The Backstreet Boys. The crowd loved it! Then there was Jess who went up for a solo act. Before she sang her song she told the crowd, in spanish, that it was my birthday and dedicated this song to me. She did great and from then on a few people would say "Feliz Cumpleanos" to me before they sang. After a few fantastic hours at this place, I was feeling...confident enough to go up on stage and sing. Me and four others belted out LeAnne Rimes' How Do I Live? It was almost 3am so most of the crowd had dispersed, but those who were still there loved us. I had a great time! :)

So here I am, the day after my birthday, running on 4 hours of sleep. How did the day go? Not to shabby. I would have much rather been home for my birthday so I could have spent it with all my family and friends. I really do miss everyone a great deal and that made parts of the birthday a little difficult. However, my friends here were able to make it pretty special! Thank God for them! :)

I'll post some pictures of the day! I love and miss you all<3 Thank you for your birthday wishes throughout the day.