21

Hola! 

As of today, you will be reading a blog written by a 21 year old! That's right, today is my birthday! It has been a fabulous day filled with spending time (albeit sometimes over Skype) with close friends and family - I could not have asked for a better day. 

This morning, I woke up early to study for my first midterm of the semester. Specifically, I had an exam for my class called Español Avanzado (Advanced Spanish). After, I had another class and then went home for la comida (lunch). I was able to invite a friend, so Maddie came with me. It was great! We ate in the dining room, which was decorated in festive Spanish colors. We had a feast - and I'm not using that word lightly. The meal consisted of five courses: stuffed pimientos, revueltos de gulas, ensalada, fish dish, and créme brulee with ice cream. Oh, and we also had high-quality red wine. We ate like kings! 

In the afternoon, I went back to the university for class and then stayed after to Skype family and friends. What a great way to end the day! 

Highlights of day

• Skyping my friends and family (Kristin, Lauren, Mom, Dad, and Grandma)
• Receiving thoughtful cards and gifts from friends 
• Lauren sent the most thoughtful gift in the mail, filled with inside jokes and a homemade card. 
• Maddie gave me lovely baked goods, a cute scarf, and a stylish statement necklace. They were all just my style - I loved them! 
• Erin gave me cute bobby pins, which was a great gift because she is a hair master! I always run to her to have my hair braided or styled.
• Cindy and Mike sent me money for STARBUCKS. Enough said.
• Marta gave me a beautiful bracelet! I love it.
• Watching Maddie attempt eat revueltos de gulas, otherwise known as eggs and worms. 
• BOOKING MY LONDON FLIGHT - See you on April 11, United Kingdom!
• Receiving a note written by my seven year old self (see below)

What I wanted to do on my birthday - 7 years old

Pictures from the day

Cheers,

Anna

PS. We are going to Andalucia (Granada, Sevilla, Córdoba) tomorrow at 6:30 AM (hence why we didn't go out tonight). Again, I am not bringing my computer, but I'll be back in Segovia on Tuesday night! 

¡Vamos a Lisboa!

Hola! 

As you know, this past weekend I went on an adventure to Lisbon, Portugal. Specifically, I went on this spontaneous trip with Rachel Kelzenberg, Joe Balder, and Ben Broos. They can attest to the fact that I was recording videos with my FlipCam the entire time - here is the result! 

Cheers,
Anna 

Mesón de Cándido

Hola! 

Today, Marta and I were chatting over dinner when I asked her, "Is there any food that is typical of Segovia?" She replied, "Yes- Cochinillo! It's famous!" 

I remembered hearing about this dish. The Segovia 2012 group told us all about it, and even included it on their "Bucket List" for us:

"Try cochinillo (Segovian famous dish)"
is on the bucket list!

Cochinillo 

I started to ask questions about it. What is it? Where do you eat it? Do you like it?

She graciously answered my questions, then commented "My grandfather invented it."

WHAT? I thought I misheard her! 

Marta proceeded to tell me about the history of her family. Apparently, her family has owned the restaurant Mesón de Cándido for multiple generations, and her grandparents made it famous by creating the dish cochinillo. Now, this may not seem like a big deal (I know I would have brushed it aside), but it became so famous that people started coming from around the world to try it. There are pictures of her family with U.S. presidents (e.g. John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon), members of Spanish royalty, and countless other celebrities. There are even three books written about her family! The pictures posted below are photos from one of the books:

Cary Grant in the Mesón de Cándido

Sophia Loren in the Mesón de Cándido

Salvador Dalí in the Mesón de Cándido 

The Mesón de Cándido is still famous today and continues to attract famous people. There are pictures around our house of Marta posing by royalty, such as the King and Queen of Spain. It's incredible. 

Also, I should note that her family also owns a five-star hotel and another restaurant. They also own a foundation called the Fundación Cándido. My friend recently informed me that my host family is part of the "richest family in Segovia" - and now it makes sense! She is so humble though, I would have never known this unless my friend told me. 

Monument dedicated to her grandfather located in central Segovia

If you want more information about her grandfather, feel free to check out his Wikipedia page and foundation page:

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A1ndido_L%C3%B3pez_(cocinero) 

http://www.mesondecandido.es/ingles.html

Oh, and here are just two of the YouTube videos about the Mesón de Cándido:

Segovia, Spain #7 Restaurant Meson de Candido

Homenaje Candido Mesonero Mayor de Castilla Parte 1

Cheers,

Anna

MOST EXCITING DAY YET

Hola!

Simply watch the video.

Cheers,
Anna

Harlem Shake - IE University

Hola! 

The following was taken from themy school, IE University:

"Students from IE University were the stars of today’s newest entry to the “Harlem Shake” craze, a new kind of group dance that is causing a sensation all over the internet.   The students from IE in Segovia now join the ranks of thousands of youths around the world who upload their particular version of the dance to Youtube, the platform of choice which receives up to four thousand “Harlem Shakes” a day. 

The requirements for the video to be valid are simple : they must not to be longer than 30 seconds long, the participants should be minimally dressed, and the same music as in all other videos of this type needs to be used (in particular, an electronica rhythm song by 23 year old New York DJ “Baauer”). 

The background selected by the Segovian students is one of the most frequented areas of the campus, the main entrance of IE University, next to the portico of the  old Convent of Santa Cruz la Real : an historic building remodeled by the Catholic Kings in the fifteenth century and declared a National Monument.   In this way, the students of IE have become part of this new global phenomenon in which thousands of people around the world participate. 

The origins of the “Harlem Shake” come from a first video starring four Japanese youths who, wearing masks, created this form of extreme dancing.   This ended up being so popular that it even now has a Wikipedia entry in both English and Spanish and have been mentioned in news casts around the world."

Cheers,

Anna

Barcelona Video - Guest Post

Hola! 

We got back from Barcelona late last night! It was a fabulous weekend, one that I know I will never forget. The only downfall to the vacation was that I returned to Segovia with "un montón" of work to do. Oh well - valió la pena! (It was worth it). Because of this, I do not have time to post about Barcelona. 

My friend Erin Jones*, however, posted a marvelous video on Facebook! I decided to copy the link and post it on my Tumblr page, and I included the video link below:

Barcelona Video - Guest Producer
You should really check out the video! It does a great job at capturing our trip! 

*Erin, if you are reading this, I hope you don't mind that I stole your video! 

Disfruta! 

Cheers,
Anna

¡Feliz Día de San Valentín!

Hola! 

¡Feliz Día de San Valentín! (Happy Valentine's Day) 

Tomorrow morning, we are going to BARCELONA! Specifically, we are leaving at 6:30 AM in order to arrive in the mid-afternoon. It's a seven hour bus ride, but I know it will be worth it! 

I am not bringing my laptop to Barcelona, so I won't be posting again until I get back on Tuesday night (if I have energy). 

Oh, and one more thing! Look what I received today: 

My parents are the best! 

Apparently I gave my parents the wrong address, but their Valentine's Day card still made it to Spain! Segovia is a small town, so the post-office workers recognized Marta's name. Hooray! 

THANKS MOM AND DAD! 

Cheers,
Anna