Welcome, Baby Gregory!

My adorable baby nephew, Gregory Wei-Ming, was born last Friday, October 18 at 6:53am with a weight of 6 lb 15 oz and a height of 19 inches long. Wei (蔚) means "aspiring to greatness", and Ming (明) means "clarity, understanding, brightness". Mark 10:43 reads "But whoever would be great among you must be your servant."

From the pictures, skypes and videos I have seen of Gregory, he is one of the calmest and most beautiful babies I have ever seen, all bias aside. I am so so happy for the brother, Greg, and sister-in-law, Joann. I have no doubt whatsoever that they are making incredible, God-loving parents. I am praying for Gregory as he grows and for the wisdom and patience that comes in raising a child. Congratulations to the both of you. 

The most beautiful baby yet:

I am very sad and sorry that I cannot be there during these first couple of months, but I look forward to meeting you in December, baby Gregory, and babysitting you every opportunity I get (and that your lovely parents allow!). 

Con cariño,
Tia Megan 

Glen is here!!!

I guess more appropriately, Glen was here, but that's just too depressing.

Glen came to visit me during his fall break (plus some) and was here for a total of 8 days. He toured Spain before his trip to China 2 summers ago, so we were able to do some less-touristy things this time around. Our week together was filled with lots of activities and plans, but below are some of the numerous highlights of our time together.

Glen's first stop after getting in from the airport was to meet my host family. We had lunch with my host-family (Glen had fresh figs for the first time! yum!!) and then I showed him around my neighborhood, Malasaña, a bit. We then walked around central Madrid, stopped by a terrace café, and made a quick pass through Plaza de España before he headed home for the night.

Fábrica Maravillas: microbrewery in Malasaña 

Plaza de España at night 

Sunday morning we went to Casa de Campo, the largest park in Madrid which stretches across the west coast of the city. We took a cable car from one side to the other and were able to see a bit of Madrid and the huge park from above. It was a great way to see a different, much more relaxing, part of Madrid.

El teleférico 

Casa de Campo

chocolate con churros 

On Monday after class, I came back and met Glen in Madrid. He had a picnic ready for us to take to Retiro and enjoy the lovely sunny weather (it ended up being the only non-rainy day in Madrid that week, so it was perfect!) Retiro is a very special place to me, so after our picnic I got to show Glen all of the different treasures the park has to offer (rose gardens, mazes, crystal palace, fountains, monuments, art exhibits, etc). Over the course of the week will filled some of our extra time with stops to a few of the big museums: Reina Sofia, El Prado, y Caixa Forum. Yes, I know I said we were being less touristy, but sometimes a bit of tourism is worth it.

picnic in Retiro 

Retiro

Tuesday was our day trip to Alcalá and our tapa feast. I met Glen in the city again Wednesday afternoon after my classes and we decided to go out for paella for lunch. I had researched restaurants before he got here and found "El Caldero" had excellent reviews, so we checked it out. It was absolutely incredible: amazing service, delicious paella, and a great atmosphere. We got a paella, paella abanda,that was served with mariscos and fish on the side and cooked in the juice. It was the best meal we ate out the entire trip. After our paella lunch, we walked around Madrid's botanic garden to try to digest a bit. In all honesty, the gardens were quite underwhelming and a lot of the areas were bare. But, the parts that were lush were decorated with beautiful vegetation, and either way it was a relaxing visit.

Paella abanda at "El Caldero"

Botanic Gardens 

On Thursday I took Glen to one of my favorite cafés in Malasaña for breakfast/coffee: Bicicleta. I had an art history exam that afternoon, so I studied a bit and then we headed to campus and Glen finally got to see where I have been studying. After the exam, we took the train back to Madrid and went to a tapas event that one of the barrios, Lavapies, was hosting: Tapapies--1 euro featured tapas inspired from cuisines around the world at ~50 participating cafés. We went with a few of my friends and got to taste about 8 different tapas, ranging from Indian-inspired to Italian to classic Spanish.

We left Madrid early Friday morning for our trip to Palma de Mallorca to finish off our time in Spain together. It was the perfect tropical getaway and a relaxing, fun trip. It was a bit short, but definitely worth it.

Saying goodbye at the airport made me so much more home-sick than I had been before. We had an incredible time together and I am so so thankful he had the chance to visit. So thank you, Yale, for starting fall break last year.

Beggars can be Choosers

Glen and I took a 2-day weekend trip to the island of Mallorca off the east coast of Spain. We ran away from a chilly and dreary Madrid and landed in a tropical island with 80^OF sunshine. We spent our time wandering through the winding streets of Palma (the main city in Mallorca), touring La Catedral de La Seu—which was constructed from 1229-1601 and restored in 1901 under Antoni Gaudí—tasting local cuisine, and soaking up the sunshine.

 

La Catedral de La Seu

Glen and I on Platja Palicana 

On our last day in Palma, just before heading back to the airport, we decided to check out Palma’s market, Mercat de Santa Catalina. The market is similar to a smaller version of Barcelona’s Boquería: various fresh fruit and veggies stands interweaved with bakeries, fish markets, tapas bars, and sushi restaurants. We stopped by one of the tapas stands for one euro tostada tapas and then tried a salmon, mango, avocado roll from one of the sushi areas, the sushi was incredibly fresh and innovative, definitely worth the stop! Still, the highlight of this island get-away was yet to come. 

The weather was beautiful and we had a bit of time before we needed to head to the airport, so we decided to buy some cheese—queso bleu d’Auvergne and queso de cabra—and fresh bread from two other stands in the market. We moved to a park nearby and finished our lunch with a mallorcan picnic. We found a nice bench in the center of the park in front of a fountain and began our cheese and bread. As we were eating, a homeless man came over to ask for money, we thought. But, instead of asking for money, he said hello and noticed our picnic. He asked if he could have some bread, so Glen broke off a piece to give to him. Then, he noticed our cheese and asked, “Is that blue cheese or goat? Can I have some blue cheese, too?” Surprised, and quite amused by his preferences, he got some blue cheese to go with his bread, too.

Apparently, beggars can be choosers. 

Tapas. Tapas. Everywhere.

 My amazing boyfriend, Glen, came to visit last week. He arrived Saturday morning and left yesterday morning—the best 8 days I have had in Europe since my parents came to visit.

Glen meets Miguel de Cervantes

On my Tuesday off, we decided to take a short day trip to Alcalá de Henares, a small pueblo 35 minutes outside of the center of Madrid. Alcalá is the birthplace of Cervantes; Glen and I started off our visit to one of the Cervantes-themed museums and followed up with a visit of his original birth-house. We then toured a 17^th century playhouse, which, to each of our surprises, was extremely interesting and worth the tour: the building is built and structured as a square, but the seats and stage are built in a circle. Despite minor restoration and upkeep, the playhouse still boasts its original design.

barrels!

However, apart from the historic sites in this UNESCO World Heritage site, Alcalá’s tapa-culture was a large influence in Glen and my decision to visit the town. Most towns in Spain offer tapas, instead of bread, when you sit down and order a drink. Unfortunately, big cities like Barcelona and Madrid do not follow this rule; however, Alcalá, being a tiny pueblo, does indeed! The tapas at each restaurant vary and can either be the daily tapa of the house or there will be a menu of a few classic tapas from which you can choose. Our desire to café hop was further encouraged by the weather: Tuesday was the second day I had seen rain in dry Madrid since I had arrived, and the rain was a non-stop drizzle, so the idea of moving from shelter to shelter was quite enticing.

Our first stop was Gringo Viejo (c/ Ramon y Cajal, 8). The café was tucked away in a side street and clearly a local site. They had a huge awning outside, so we were able to sit on the patio and still be protected from the rain. For our tapas, we were served two pieces of garlic and oil marinated chorizo with roasted potatoes and chips. The tapa was small, but the two bites we did have were really delicious. The next stop, Los Balcones de Alcalá (Calle Cervantes, 2), was right off the main street in Alcalá and had a great atmosphere: a quiet café with Sinatra playing in the background. We were served to skewered tapas consisting of different hams, sausages and potatoes. The relaxed jazz environment and reminders of sleepless New York definitely made this our favorite stop.

We then made our way to La Taberna de Rusty (c/ Tinte, 1): a rustic café with wooden barrels for tables. There were ~10 different tapas for us to chose from: we ate a chicken empanada and tostadas. We then went up a side street for our next stop and found another café to hide from the rain. This place also had a list of tapas to choose from; Glen and I each, independently, chose the exact same two tapas from the 15 options: mushroom croquettas and a cheese plate. On our way out of Alcalá we decided to stop for one last tapa at a place I had read about: Indalo Tapas (c/ Libreros, 9) which was extremely underwhelming after our other four stops.

Our tapa excursion was the perfect, relaxing and fun activity for a rainy day, or any day for that matter. We left Alcalá with thanksgiving-full stomachs and only slightly damp. 

Fall, where did you go?

Madrid is temperamental. Especially its weather. One day you will be walking around and everyone will be complaining about the heat (well, almost everyone--I would never complain about gorgeous sunshine) and the next you wake up and can't throw enough layers on. A drastic change. Overnight. Getting out of bed the past few days has been extra difficult: staying in a warm bed with a comfortable comforter seems infinitely better than stepping onto the chilled tile floor and walking outside to darkness (sunrise is 8:25am). Summer left and winter [quickly] creeped in. Where did fall go?

But what do I miss most about fall? Fall flavors! I always crave pumpkin and ginger, but this years these cravings cannot be quenched. Warm pumpkin soup and roasted butternut squash. Roasted root vegetables of all varieties and caramelized onions. Pumpkin cupcakes with goat cheese frosting. Chewy pumpkin cookies with dark chocolate chips. Pumpkin patches, jack-o-lantern carving contests, apple picking (or apple-stuffing-your-mouth-to-try-them-all), berry picking, squash blossoms, Yale Farm tours, and, of course, fall leaves. You are all severely missed.

Fall, you are my favorite season--can't you just stop by for a bit?

Un Fin de Semana en Paraíso

Bienvenidos a Tenerife

Para el gran viaje de nuestro programa, fuimos a las Islas Canarias—a la isla  de Tenerife. Fue increíble, como un paraíso. Tenerife es la más grande de todas las siete Islas Canarias. En el centro, hay un volcán inactivo, el Teide. Alrededor de la isla hay  acantilados muy altos que se levantan sobre el agua tan azul como el zafiro. 

Llegamos  el jueves por la tarde y fuimos a un restaurante típico de la isla. Me encanta probar comida de cada lugar que visito; por eso, era perfecto para mí. En las islas, las comidas típicas incluyen papas arrugás con mojo (papas hervidas con su propia piel y servidas con salsa mojo), gofio (un tipo de harina que puede servir para abrir una comida), morcilla, y plátanos fritos.  Los plátanos son muy populares a la isla: ¡tienen una talla pequeñita, pero una gran sabor dulce!

Taylor y yo en el barco

los delfines

Nos despertamos temprano el viernes para tomar un travesía en barco al ‘Acantilado de los Gigantes’. Vimos delfines y ballenas y pudimos nadar en el mar al lado de los acantilados. Fue muy impresionante. Descansamos en la playa y disfrutamos del sol. Las playas de Tenerife tienen arena negra por la lava y piedras del volcán. Después de la playa, fuimos a dar una vuelta por la ciudad Garachico. Allí, nos fijamos en una piscina natural en que el agua del mar estaba en una sección rectangular hecho por los acantilados. Podíamos nadar en la “piscina,” disfrutar su belleza, y cuidar de la fuerza de sus olas. Había cangrejos rojos y grises que cubrían las paredes, añadiendo aún más a la belleza natural. La piscina natural era una sorpresa cuando estaba paseando por la ciudad, pero fue una de los mejores partes del día. 

¡nadamos en el mar a lado del barco!

la playa

la piscina natural
nota: el chico haciendo un backflip al agua

Después, cenamos en una pizzería—pero, no era cualquier pizzería, esta pizzería es muy famosa entre los locales por sus buenas pizzas. Su pizza estrella tiene rúcula, queso parmesano, y tomates secos. Una desventaja de vivir en España es que las verduras no son tan comunes en las comidas. Todos los jamones, carnes y quesos son muy ricos, pero, después de un tiempo, ¡quieres verduras también! Por eso, la pizza con esas verduras fue exactamente lo que quería. 

"El Rugantino" pizza

El mar al anochecer

Una piscina (¡hecho por mano!) al ocaso

El Sábado, subimos al Parque Nacional del Teide. Montamos en un teleférico a la cima del volcán y andamos a pie el resto hasta la cima. Había una vista espectacular de toda la isla. Además, pudimos ver dos de las otras islas canarias desde allí. No puedo explicar la grandiosidad de esa vista, pero no se parecía a nada que haya visto antes. Para continuar la excursión, paseamos por los Roques de Garcia abajo del volcán donde puede verse todo del volcán. El volcán fue mi parte favorita de mi viaje porque mostró la diversidad de la isla: tiene playas bonitas y un clima tropical, pero también tiene montañas y un volcán. Soy de Miami, un lugar sub-tropical, y voy a la playa con bastante frecuencia cuando estoy allí, pero la tierra allí es muy plana con ninguna altitud. En Tenerife, ¡disfrutamos la playa y una montaña volcánica en el mismo día!

Paco (el director), Taylor, yo, Sonia (otra directora) y
Erin durante la excursión

Yo después del teleférico, antes de la excursión de pie

la vista desde arriba Mt. Teide 

Los Roques de Garcia

Taylor y yo encima del volcán

Visitamos un pueblo típico canario que se llama La Orotava. Paseamos por el pueblo y su plaza, los jardines Victoria y la casa de los balcones (un edificio muy famoso en la isla). Cenamos en un restaurante en el pueblo (un guachinche) y comimos carnes a la plancha, cocinado y servido todo en un estilo típico de la isla.

la casa de balcones 

La vista de Oratava desde arriba

Después de cenar, algunos de nosotros decidimos salir a cantar en un karaoke. Fue muy divertido porque todos nosotros nos lo pasamos muy bien y siempre es muy divertido pasar tiempo juntos. También, aunque el karaoke es un poco tonto, es muy divertido cuando se hace con buenos amigos.

Tuvimos la mañana libre el domingo para descansar y relajarnos. Fui a la playa en el Puerto de la Cruz. con algunos de mis amigos. Nuestro hotel tenía vistas a la playa y solo había como quince minutos andando. Salimos del aeropuerto de Tenerife a Madrid por la tarde.

Tenerife durante el ocaso

Fue el número perfecto de días para vacacionar y un viaje que disfruté muchísimo. Era la mezcla perfecta entre visitar los sitios, conocer la cultura y la naturaleza de la isla, y relajarnos. Pero, ahora estoy lista para seguir mi vida como una madrileña.