A Delicious Weekend

This past weekend was filled with all sorts of interesting experiences. I got to attend Carmen, a ballet converted into a flamenco performance, and I experienced el día de San Frutos, a holiday here in Segovia.

On Saturday, I attended Carmen at a local theater here in Segovia. The basic premise of the show is that there is an alluring woman named Carmen who attracts two (well multiple, but two main) men. When she chooses one of the men, the other kills her in frustration and fury. Originally it was composed as a French ballet but was set in Sevilla, Spain. What this production did (as do other Spanish versions of the show) was made the show more Spanish by replacing the ballet with Flamenco and making much of the music Spanish (while retaining the most famous movements from the ballet). The dancers were amazingly talented and the flamenco was moving. One of the best scenes was a fight between two of the suitors of Carmen. The force behind the flamenco gave the scene the same intensity of a real fight with lives at stake. Something about the rhythm hooked me; I really can't imagine the show as a classical ballet.

The Plaza at midnight

This Monday was the celebration of San Frutos (Saint Fructus) in Segovia. The day seems to center on a legend about the statue of San Frutos that stands above the entrance of La Catedral. It is said that every year, San Frutos turns a page of the book he is holding and that when he finishes the book, the world will end. Sunday night, much of Segovia turned out to the Plaza Mayor to watch the turning of the page and to have a share of sopa de ajo (garlic soup). Two other girls from the program and I went and stood in line for about an hour to get soup. Unfortunately, that meant we didn't get to see the page turn, though I was able to see it later on the local news. It turns out there is another, mechanical book that is brought out in front of la Catedral and a page is turned at the stroke of midnight.

Sopa de ajo

The soup was quite delicious and certainly more potent than anything else I've eaten here. It was basically a garlic broth with chorizo (sausage), bread, and eggs (made like egg drop soup). It was filling and warming, the perfect thing for a chilly night in the Plaza. There was a bit of a fiasco when we realized that we needed to purchase tickets to get the soup, but thanks to the nice old ladies standing in line behind us, we got it figured out. We also learned later that we were allowed to keep the clay bowls in which the soup was served as souvenirs.

hueso de santo

postre de San Frutos

On Monday, I purchased the dessert unique to San Frutos. It was a pastry shell filled with egg cream and topped with a sugar syrup and almonds, and to top it off, it was decorated with a little bird (because San Frutos lived as a hermit in the mountains and it is said he had an affinity with birds). I also tried a dessert called hueso de santo (saint's bone) which was a marzipan (almond paste) sweet in the shape of a bone (kind of).

Something interesting that I have observed in our family that our site director here has confirmed is that children in Segovia are rather mimados (spoiled). My host mom does absolutely everything for me and all my host siblings (and a lot for my host dad as well). She cooks all the meals and I'm not allowed to help cook. She also serves all the food out when we sit down for a meal. I'm pretty used to doing my own laundry; I've been doing it at least since middle school, if not before (correct me if I'm wrong, Mom) so it's hard for me to get used to having my host mom do all my laundry for me (which includes her ironing all my clothing as well). My oldest host brother, who is 30 and lives in Madrid, still brings laundry home for my host mom to do. Our site director has told us not to resist it, because we probably won't get the chance to be so mimados ever again, and that our host moms like to mimar (spoil). It's a very different thing to see, especially since I feel like I've been taught from a pretty young age how to take care of myself and be independent. But I will try to enjoy it while I am here (it probably won't be too hard).

Friendly Faces

This past week, I was lucky enough to host my good friend Amy in Segovia. She is currently teaching English in Germany and for her fall vacations, she decided to come visit me in Spain. We took a few Spanish classes together at UAA, so it was seemed rather fitting to reunite in a Spanish speaking country.

Amy and I! (taken by Amy)

The first full day that Amy was here, I got to show her around Segovia. We visited the three main monuments of the city; the aqueduct, Alcázar, the castle, and the cathedral. The aqueduct is of course a stunning monument, and scaled the stairs where the aqueduct meets la muralla (the defensive wall surrounding the city) from which we could see the aqueduct from above, as well as parts of the city. At the castle, we bought tickets so that we could explore more thoroughly that fairy tale like edifice, and we climbed the 152 (very large) steps to the tower, from which we could see Segovia. Later in the evening, we attended an organ concert in the cathedral, which not only allowed us free entry into the cathedral, but also was rather thrilling to hear.

El Rastro

The next day we took the bus from Segovia to Madrid. I cannot describe how tiring a city Madrid is. Something perhaps about it's largeness in comparison to Segovia seemed overwhelming. Nonetheless we persevered and found el rastro, a gigantic market in the center of Madrid. Although we did not do much do shopping, it was incredible to see just how much there was. At first, Amy and I were worried that we wouldn't be able to find the market, since the information she had found merely have the cross streets that enclosed the market. But once we got there, we realized that we need not have worried; there were streets and streets packed with booths and tables of every conceivable type of goods, and hundreds of people were bustling from booth to booth. In the time we were there, we probably did not get to see more than one-tenth of the market.

In Segovia, Amy decided to attend classes with me. I enjoyed having her there, and I hope that she found the classes interesting. When we weren't in class, we wandered the streets of Segovia looking at the different buildings and encountering various nooks and crannies of the city. For Amy's birthday we went on a walk to a park from which there a beautiful views of Alcázar. I thought it would be something like a forty-five minute walk, and it ended up being a terrifying two and a half hours. Poor Amy, what a birthday present!

The night before Amy left, we went to see a tango performance at a local theater in Segovia. It was fantastic, and we both wanted to start taking ballroom dance lessons after seeing the performance. Yesterday, along with another girl from the program, Chelsea, we went to Madrid again where we spent most of the time wandering through a famous park called el Retiro. Afterward, we saw Amy off. I was super sad to see her go, but I was glad that she had the opportunity to come visit me.

When I was on my way to Spain in September, I met another college student in the Washington D.C. airport (who was waiting for the same flight to Madrid) who was also studying abroad, in Madrid. We chatted a little bit about our prospective programs, and after we got on the plane parted ways. I didn't think that I would ever see him again. Today when I was working in the tourism office, he came in with a bunch of kids from his program to get some information about Segovia. I couldn't believe it! Sometimes it is incredible how small the world really is.

'Ta Luego!

Back to the Grindstone

Classes started again today, after my week of vacations. Although I was a little sad to be giving up most of my free time, I was rather happy to start back on what I came here to do. I may have been imagining it, but I felt more comfortable speaking up in class, and I think that it is due to the fact that I've been speaking a lot of Spanish over the past week. Also, and I don't know if this is a good thing or not, I have been mixing up my English and my Spanish. I am having trouble thinking in both languages, and I try to think primarily in Spanish, but every so often, (like when I am talking to my host mom) an English word slips in, and I feel absolutely ridiculous.

Over the break, I did a language exchange with a woman named Eva. She's a super nice, wonderful person (muy maja as a Spaniard would say) and we chatted about a lot of things, switching between English and Spanish. She told me about her experience when she was a young college student studying abroad in London. Apparently her host family was the stereotypical English family, very prim and proper and not very welcoming or emotional. She told me that she felt really alone while she was there, and thus knew what I was going through, being in a brand new place all by myself. She told me that if I'm ever feeling lonely or bored, that I could call her up and come join her wherever she was, whether she was with her kids or at her job (she leads tour groups through Segovia, so she knows a lot about Segovia history). I was so struck by her generosity and kindness! I feel so lucky to have met her, and I'm sure I will take her up on her offer.

One thing that is really different about Spanish culture is that as one walks down the street, one does not smile at people one does not know in passing. I am very much used to smiling at everyone I see, and I have had to work very hard to train my face to stay serious as I walk down the street. Of course when I see people I do know, I have to remember to smile, and that sometimes throws me off. I've noticed that when one does smile at strangers, they seem to think they might know you from somewhere and do a little double take to see if they recognize you. It's just a little something I need to keep working on.

Roasted Chestnuts (castañas asadas)

In the nude

I've been able to try a few more interesting things food wise since I last wrote. During this past week, there have been food and craft booths set up in the street facing the aqueduct and I got some roasted chestnuts (castañas asadas) at one of the booths. When I went to China on the study tour, we saw a man selling roasted chestnuts (at the Forbidden City? I can't remember now) but we didn't get any, and we never saw roasted chestnuts again, so I took this opportunity to try them. I had never had them before! At first I tried to eat them one-handed while walking to the Plaza Mayor, but that was a huge disaster, so I finally had to sit down and peel the shells off to eat them. It was an interesting sensation of the mouth; eating a warm and soft nut, with a really subtle flavor with staccatos from the blackened parts of the nut.

I also tried morcilla with my host family. Basically it is a black sausage made of rice and blood. I would love to say that I hated, that it was terrible, but that would be dishonest. Because, in reality, it was delicious. I think my host family expected me to not like it because I'm sure it puts off many Americans. But I think my past experience with bloody tofu prepared me to accept morcilla wholeheartedly (thought I won't be sad about becoming a vegetarian again upon returning home either).

This evening, I tried some membrillo. Membrillo is a jelly that is eaten in slices with bread and sometimes cheese. It was a really interesting contrast with the cheese (I'm not sure I liked it like that) but with just bread, one can taste the membrillo and it has a really unique flavor, sweet and bitter. It is made out of this fruit that my host mom showed me, and I have never seen anything like it before. It looks like a really big lumpy pear or apple and it is rock hard. Apparently people don't generally eat it raw (because it's so hard and acidic), but make it into this jam (which is called carne de membrillo). It was a little bit of an acquired taste, but on the second try, I found that I rather liked it.

This Friday, my good friend Amy (from UAA!), who is currently teaching English in Germany, will be coming to Segovia to visit. I'm very excited to see a fellow Alaskan and to explore Spain with her!

'Ta Luego!

Culinary Adventures!

I could write/talk about the food in Spain forever. I certainly miss my favorite foods in Alaska (a Moose's Tooth pizza sounds fantastic right now), but I am reveling in the new food territory that surrounds me. It doesn't hurt that my host mom is a fantastic cook. She has been making all sorts of foods that are typical of Spain, partly to give me a chance to try them all.

My favorite by far has been paella. I have only had my host mom's paella (a rice and seafood dish), and I have no desire to try any other. It is rich and super hearty. Her paella is filled with all sorts of seafood (some of which I wouldn't have touched at home), fish, and sometimes chicken. It is a beautiful red color that comes from the tomatoes and the red peppers (and someone told me that some people put saffron in paella). Something I find interesting about it is that I don't think my host mom cooks the rice before making the paella, so although the rice is cooked in the paella, it retains a little firmness, which gives it a lot of contrasting textures.  I am determined to learn how to make it before I return home.

I also tried croquetas, which are fresh cheese covered in bread crumbs and fried. They are delectable! I don't know if I can get this type of cheese in the U.S. but I will definitely try to find a way to make them. They are crispy on the outside, and the inside is viscous, between liquid and solid. The cheese itself doesn't have a strong flavor, but it tastes something like fresh milk.

My host mom also makes a bizcocho (cake) that she flavors with either lemon or orange. She gave me the recipe and I am super excited to try it out. The other day, she put some of the orange bizcocho in a custard (which if you know me well, you know I absolutely love) and topped it with cinnamon (she called it natilla). This cinnamon was nothing like the cinnamon I've had in the states, and I finally truly believe what I've heard about cinnamon on cooking shows. Basically, the cinnamon in the states is not really authentic cinnamon, and to get real cinnamon your only option is to order online (so the cooking shows told me). I was a skeptic, but I have now tasted what real cinnamon is, and I don't think there is any turning back for me.

This week, I have been on vacation, and I have been making it a priority to visit all the different pastelerías (pastry shops) in Segovia and try all the different sweets. I will break down all the things I have tried so far.

Tejas: Melted sugar and nuts (I think they might be hazelnuts but I'm not sure), that have been molded into a curved shape (like curved roof tiles). Crunchy, sweet, and delicious.

Coca de piñones: A cracker with no sweetening or flavoring topped with caramelized sugar and pine nuts. I never really thought about making something sweet with pine nuts, but it was fantastic, and I will definitely have to try it when I return home.

Lemon cake: This one didn't have a specific name, I asked. It was a lemon flavored cake with a creamy topping. I expected it to be unbearably sweet, the way frosting is in the U.S., but it was pleasantly light.

Pastelillo de manzana: My host dad asked me one day at lunch if I knew how to make "American Pie," by which he meant apple pie. He told me that there was a version of apple pie that was made in Spain and wanted to know if it was different. I have now tried the Spanish version of apple pie and it is indeed different from American Pie. For one thing, there is only crust on the bottom (which is really tender), and it is square. Aside from these superficial differences though, the apple tart here doesn't features spices like cinnamon and allspice. The filling is just apples and sugar (which isn't better or worse, just different-you can taste the apples themselves a little more).

Rosquilla de Anis: A crunchy cookie featuring anis seeds and coated in sugar. It was really good, and very much like a tea biscuit; flaky and it melted in my mouth. It went fabulously with my cup of coffee (The coffee here is delicious! Except at the fast food restaurants).

Chuches: Candy from a chuchería (a candy shop). They look the same as the candy in the shops in the U.S. There are things that could be Swedish Fish but are really men; there are licorice strands, and things that look like jelly beans. But everything tastes different. Most of the candies that I tried are gummies and I thought I was grabbing the sour ones but it seems that sour candy is as popular here are it is in the U.S. Nevertheless, they were quite sugary and very much like candy everywhere.

That is an update of my food adventures so far. I will definitely keep posting more about the food in Spain; I am thrilled to be trying so many new things!

'Ta Luego!

A Working Vacation

I can't believe it, but we are already at our fall break. It seems pretty soon in the semester (well it is, really) but there we are. All the other students in my program are off traveling through Europe, to such places as Munich, Paris, London, Glasgow, and Bilbao. I, however, opted to stay in Segovia. I really wanted to opportunity to practice my Spanish, and I was afraid to take myself out of a Spanish speaking environment so early in my study abroad experience.

Alcázar in Segovia

To keep myself busy over the next 11 days of break, I am doing an internship at the Office of Tourism here in Segovia. Basically, my job is to stand behind a desk in the office and answer questions that people visiting Segovia have. Most of the time, I just show them a map, point out the most important monuments in Segovia, and they are on their way. Other times, they have questions about where specific churches or restaurants are, which is where I lack knowledge. But I am learning (quickly) a lot about Segovia, and the other people who work in the office are really helpful when I'm unsure of things.

Sometimes I end up speaking to people who are from other countries and thus speak English (all the tourists from English speaking countries joke that I have a really good English accent). But most of the tourists that come in are from different parts of Spain, and they speak incredibly fast. Usually I can figure out what they are asking for, but yesterday, my first day, I was totally thrown off by a question. A young man asked me something (in Spanish) about the aqueduct; at first I thought he was asking if he could walk on top of it, to which I said no. But that wasn't right, and then I thought he asked if there was water in the aqueduct now, and I said no not anymore. But apparently that was also not the question. Then, I thought he was asking if there used to be water in it, and I said of course, that's what it was constructed for. And he looked at me like I was a crazy person. So I just chuckled, apologized, and he said not to worry about it.  I was just so confused, so thrown off, I did not know what to do with myself.

Today, my second day, was much better, communication wise. However, it being a Saturday, the office was busy almost non-stop during the four hours I was there. I probably sat down for a total of 10 minutes the entire time. Although I was busy, I enjoyed the fact that I got to use my Spanish intensively for good chunks of time. In class and at the dinner table, I don't always feel like I can contribute to the conversation, and thus don't get an opportunity to practice speaking. However in this environment, I am actively answering questions, and get lots of practice.

I am only working the mornings, so my plan is to explore more of Segovia during the afternoons, both in terms of architecture and gastronomy (I plan to try every cafe and bakery in the area of my house and the school). I can't wait to get started!