How many buses do we have to take?

So, on Saturday it was Vaida's birthday :) Juste, Andi and I thought that it would be fun to make her lunch, because, like me, the girl loves food. (who doesn't though? seriously.)

Juste suggested Spaghetti Bolognese, something that I was comfortable making, and I found a good recipe on www.epicurious.com, so we were rollin. We also bought some tulips, because its almost spring, so colors are necessary to brighten up our badly painted dormitory.

Cooking was so much fun, and she didn't suspect a thing. We split up the duties, and came out with a delicious product. I introduced the girls to whole wheat pasta as well...yum. We obviously had to have cake as well, so we bought 2 different types that were supposed to be typical of Slovakia. I had no issues indulging in that.

Later that day, Vaida and I went to the Yamato concert, which is a performance of Japanese percussionists. The show was PHENOMENAL. There were 10 people, and everything from the costumes to scene changes were well chosen, effortless and well sequenced (can you tell I used to be a performer?)

It is amazing what people can do with musical instruments that are so simple in their conception. I've seen documentaries on the construction of drums, and it is truly fascinating. What is even more fascinating is the depth of sound that they create when you use different types in the same composition. I was enthralled. There were 5 men and 5 women, and the women held their own with the men...chiseled deltoids and all. There were even elements of humor to the show, and audience participation opportunities. The sheer athleticism of the performers was enough to be entertained. All in all, time VERY well spent here in Slovakia.

After the concert, Vaida and I found our way to the other side of Bratislava (aka: the middle of nowhere) to Coyote Ugly where the rest of our Aiesec group was waiting for us to celebrate her birthday, and to engage in some "thank God it's finally the weekend" festivities. It took us about 1/2 mile of walking, one trolley, a bus, and some more walking to get there. It was the hardest bar to find as well, because it's tucked into a plaza that doesn't face the street, so you have to have a keen eye to make sure you can spot the sign that only faces one direction, and is the size of a mousepad.

The party was a good time. We gave Vaida her presents, and proceeded to get her slightly inebriated. We had this really delicious pear liquor. I'm not sure what kind of alcohol it was, but it was the kind that burned a little on the way down. That means it packs a punch. There was also a good spread of music being played, and we were some of the only people in the bar, so we ruled the dancefloor. My friend Dominic even got up onto the bar to dance with one of the waitresses. Very entertaining, I don't think she saw it coming.

I decided to head back to the dorm early (early for Europeans is 2:30am) because I was going to Budapest the next day...which happens to be the next installment of this blog! WOO!

I'll add some pictures to this entry soon, they're on my other camera card :)