Matt Meyer, January 23, 2026, Pamplona Spain

It’s no small order to recollect a stand-alone beautiful moment. But what a blessing for such an ask to be so tall an order, no? Though it might be fitting for an avid musician such as myself to recollect moments regarding music, those of which are surely bountiful, I would rather recall a moment that stems for a non-musical root. Instead, a strong lasting root of friendship.

Two years ago I studied a semester in Pamplona, Spain at the University of Navarre. Lucky enough to have been granted a room in a men’s Spanish residence on campus, I was adamant on leaving with at least one spanish friend. Not one acquaintance – one friend. Although it wasn’t my intention to attain my ambition in the following manner, it just so happened to be a single, beautiful moment. 

Among other ambitions was that of actually learning Castillian, and in order to maximize the results, I asked a fellow resident to point me in the right to direction towards a Spanish-to-English dictionary. Instead of a mere “pointing” on a map, he took it upon himself to say, “Let me show you after breakfast”. 

So that morning, Fede and I took a purposeful and yet leisurely walk through Pamplona’s humble cityscape. Only a small portion of our time that morning was actually spent on purchasing the dictionary (which took us a few stops to eventually come across). The rest was simply becoming acquainted with each other, befriending each other. I learned of the astounding linguistic accomplishments and various homes of one Federico, and with him said my first Spanish Rosary, sitting at the foot of Our Lady, under the guidance of my new friend. 

From the outside, it was two young international friends catching up and reminiscing of times passed. From the inside, it was the beginning of a new and beautiful friendship.