Day 68: Saint Albert the Great

Today is Saint Albert's Day, the patron saint of science students. Without a doubt, this is the day of the year when I miss Salamanca the most.

Students celebrate San Alberto with a massive outdoor party by the banks of the Tormes River. But the drinking itself isn't what matters (in fact, last year, I didn't even have a single drink). The real significance of San Alberto lies in the connections that are made during this celebration.

Freshmen meet older students who will help them throughout the year (it's a day of advice, like: "That professor is an idiot… switch groups now!"). The shy ones start flirting, senior students beg for notes from anyone they can, and overall, people just get to know each other. It's the kind of day where you finally talk to that guy who's always sitting alone in the corner of the classroom, and by the end of it, he's part of your group.

It's also a chance to build bridges between different degrees, especially among science students—biologists, computer scientists, physicists—though, in the end, people from all fields join in (humanities students can afford to skip class, after all…).

In short, it's a massive celebration. That's why I don't understand why the university rector wants to ban these kinds of events. Getting rid of them will only make the campus feel less human—the number of friendships, rivalries, and even relationships that have started at these gatherings is endless.

For a touch of nostalgia, I'm adding some photos from past San Alberto celebrations.

Oh! How I wish I could be there this year!

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