Restaurante Santo Mauro

(courtesy: AC Marriott)

28.06.2013- Restaurante Santo Mauro

Today, after two fun-filled and highly educational weeks, our time working at the AC Santo Mauro Hotel has come to an end. I thoroughly enjoyed working in the six departments of the hotel, but for me, the best of all was working in the restaurant.
Located on the terrace behind the hotel, the "Restaurante Santo Mauro" serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to guests from around the world. With the help of Raul, Janet, Esther,Enrique and Ruben, I learned to efficiently  serve guests and bus tables .Tasks of my day included taking orders in very fast Spanish, running an industrial-grade  dishwasher and un-loading it myself, serving guests( the most fun, but slightly nerve-racking), and busing tables. While serving guests, many were surprised to hear how good my English was! I loved interacting with guests from all over the world, as well as my fellow co-workers! I will never forget my days as a Santo Mauro waitress!
Ciacitos,
-Ito O.

La Llegada (The Arrival)

*Pictures from the departure of America and arrival in Madrid.*

We left in the late afternoon but after a six hour flight, we arrived in Madrid, Spain. Although it was dark when we arrived, it was not nighttime… It was six in the morning and jet lag ensued. Of course, I brought the biggest suit case because I like to be prepared, you know? And, of course, my bag barely managed to fit into the small European car that MaCar (Maria Carmen) our host mother was driving. But, all was well and we were on our way to Madrid. After a quick drive, we arrived and got settled into what was our new home for the next three weeks. Then, I caught some quick Zzzzz…
After a three hour ciesta (nap), we were off to explore the heart of Madrid. No one can explore a city in only one day so we started out slowly. We took the Metro to the center of the city, Sol (or frequently pronounced Thol) and saw that it was packed with street performers, tourists, and Madrileños alike. We moved through the crowd, walking down Calle Arenal to our first destination, La Plaza de Oriente. Here, we could see the outside of the Palacio Real and the various statues and fountains that lined the Plaza. We also had our first of many Cafecitos (coffee breaks) at the nearby café, La Taberna del Alabardero. We did some more walking, saw some more sites, but the first day was only the beginning of the beautiful Madrid.

*Exploring the city on our first day and our first "Cafecita"*

Throughout the three weeks of our fantastic trip we saw some beautiful and amazing places in Spain. Some of them are:

*El Parque de Buen Retiro is the largest park in Madrid. It has a manmade pond, many restaurants, street vendors, and playgrounds. It is a very fun and exciting place to visit.*

*The ancient city of Toledo is one of Spain's oldest cities. It was essentially an easily defendable fortress surrounded on three sides by river. It is located outside of Madrid and was our first weekend trip outside of the city.*

*Many fantastic museums.*

We also got to see the city of Segovia, the interior of El Palacio Real (which was absolutely amazing), Los Toros (the famous and infamous bull fights of Spain), and many other traditional Spanish restaurants and sights. 

This trip is a memory I will never forget. 

Viva Madrid!

A taste of Madrid, literally

It's hard to imagine that I have been able to stomach the terrific quantities of amazing food here in Madrid. Although I am very sad to be leaving so soon, I think my poor stomach could use a rest. My eyes and taste-buds have filled it up day by day with uncountable dishes of phenomenal Spanish food. Just to demonstrate, even now, I am filled to the brim with paella made by my host mother. Another example: for lunch I had some cafeteria Spanish tortilla at the university, which hardly to my surprise, is one of the most amazing things I have ever tasted.
You could say I have really gotten used to the diet here, and because I believe pictures say a lot more than words where food is concerned, below are a number of pictures I've snapped in the process of devouring plate after plate of outstanding food.

This is Marge and I at the Gabinoteca.... also known as, the most amazing tapas restaurant ever. I don't think I have ever had a better lunch. 

Cochinillo!! The skin is the best part. This was in Segovia. 

This is my Solomillo and Marge's chorizo soup at Cafe Gijon. As Hemingway fans, we felt an obligation to dine at the restaurant, but as foodies, we soon discovered the real reason why people, including Hemingway, choose to eat here. The food is amazing!

What would a day be without an afternoon "snack"? Quirky-named frozen yogurt stands have become our favorite meeting place with the group, whether its smöoy, Ö!MyGood, or llaollao. 

Cafe con Leche. And I don't even drink coffee!

Just some dim sum. Not really a Spanish dish, but still amazing. 

perrito caliente!

My personal favorite is pulpo, or octopus. It is a kind of specialty. I have to eat the little octopi quickly, otherwise I start giving them names and talking to them. 

Another one of my favorites, and a common among the crew. Churros with some warm chocolate made in one of the most famous churro restaurants in Madrid. 

Some fresh potato chips in the covered market San Miguel. This stand also has fruto seca (dried fruit) that we would quite obligingly take tasters from. 

Sandia! One of Marge's and mine favorite postres (desserts) was fresh fruit. Watermelon like this one was a beautiful way to end a delicious meal. Fresh fruit, like cherries, and grapes, were quite popular among our group, mostly because they are amazing when bought at the markets. 

Although this post barley documents even half of the food we ate in Spain, it provides a good sampling of the kinds of things we got to enjoy. I think one reason why everyone in Spain loves that they are in Spain is because they love that they can eat the food. I know that is one reason we love being here! There is such pride in serving any sort of food, its almost hard to want to leave the restaurants after we finish. Sometimes I have the desire to run into the kitchen and give every cook a huge hug and say thank you. However, our usual form of thanks is given in the form of empty dishes and happy stomachs. 

El Parque del Buen Retiro

One of the group's favorite spots to hang out, relax, eat, and enjoy the outdoors is the Buen Retiro park. At the part, we've gotten lunch at outdoor cafes several times, enjoying the casual, recreational atmosphere (and the natural shade) that the park provides on a hot summer day. The park itself is gorgeous and well-maintained. Retiro is home to countless gardens, playgrounds, edifices, monuments, fountains, and labyrinths. Each trip to the park brings with it a discovery of something we never knew existed before. In the afternoons and especially on the weekends, the park is filled with people: runners, walkers, bikers, street performers, vendors, families, couples (sometimes a little too affectionate), clowns, musicians, policemen on horseback, stray cats, tai chi classes, etc. Retiro has it all.
One day, we decided to be especially adventurous and rent the paddle boats on the lake (yes, the lake) in the park. Although some of us (namely myself) had a little trouble actually maneuvering the boat via paddle, it was great fun. Afterwards, we boasted sunburns and (maybe) bigger shoulders.
Almost every morning or afternoon that we can, Hannah and I run in Retiro. It's about a 10 minute run from our house (and a two-stop metro ride when we are feeling especially lazy), so the park makes for a perfect and enjoyable circuit. It's also much shadier than the rest of the city, which somewhat eases the heat of Madrid's summer days. Yes, we've gotten a few odd looks and "locas" from the locals while running at midday (I can imagine the sight they were seeing and sympathize), but for us, a run in the park is both a way to get some exercise and to have an adventure every day. Once, we happened to run while there was a parade in Retiro, and we happened upon the Crystal Palace. At the beginning of our running routine, we got lost quite often, as the park is quite large and labyrinth-like. After earning it the hard way, we now have (somewhat) of a feel of the park and its secret gardens, palaces, etc... And just in time to go home! I'm surely going to miss Retiro when I leave Madrid.
Here are some photos:

Hannah and I after lunch in the park, lakeside (this was post-run and shower)

Hannah and Katherine pose by the lake

The Crystal Palace

View of Monument to Alfonso XII from a paddleboat on the lake

Hannah and I "stumbled" on the same monument on our first run (we were quite lost at this point)

Juan putting in some hard work. This was before the bumper boat game began. Luckily, no one ended up in the water.

-Margaret

Hotel Santo Mauro

          Ito, John, and I have been working as interns in the Hotel Santo Mauro, located on the calle de Zurbano. This hotel is the second most expensive hotel in Madrid- I have attached pictures of the hotel (from google). The past two weeks at the hotel have flown by, and I have learned so much about the way a hotel runs. The three of us have been rotating around departments including: reception, reservations, sales and conference, food and beverage, housekeeping, and accounting. Each department in the hotel offers us a different perspective of life in a hotel, and we are able to get to know behind the scenes in a way we never would have been able to before. I have never realized how many employees put in tremendous work to make sure that every client´s stay is as welcoming as possible. From working in the hotel, I realized that every employee puts the needs of the client before themselves, and whenever asked to do a specific job, they will drop what they are doing to help a client with anything they need. There are many positions in the hotel that I didn´t even know existed. For example, I had no idea that there is a seperate worker whose job is to inspect the rooms that have already been thoroughly cleaned. In fact, this was my job for a day.
          I was in the housekeeping department on both Friday and Monday, and my job both days was completely different. Although being in housekeeping was the hardest I have worked in a long time, it was certainly the most entertaining, and the most satisfying. On Friday, I was doing the dirty work: vacuuming, taking out the trash, making beds, restocking the mini bar (sneaking chocolates), and I even had to (help) clean the bathrooms. I was paired with a housekeeper named Anabel for most of the day, and she taught me the ins and outs of cleaning. I learned many tips about cleaning, but those probably won´t come in handy very often in my life. Anabel and I cleaned eight rooms, some with clients, and some without. The time flew by, and we were talking the entire time, while listening to music on the giant speakers in every room we entered. Although I was exhausted by the end of the day, I truly did have a lot of fun cleaning. I was able to see how carefully the housekeepers work, and it really made me appreciate the hardwork that they put in to ensuring that clients are satisfied with their rooms.
          On Monday, I was in the Housekeeping department again. This time I wasn´t cleaning, I wasn´t doing the dirty work, but rather, I was inspecting. Sonia and I made sure that the other housekeepers had cleaned every room thoroughly. We went into every cleaned room with a white cloth, and we checked every little nook for dust. We also tested to make sure everything was functioning including the lights, tv, air conditioner, and we made sure that the mini bar was full. This was my main job on Monday, however I only found one that wasn´t full. Basically, our job was rechecking the other housekeepers work. We didn´t really find anything interesting, as the housekeepers always clean very thoroughly and don´t leave anything behind. It was interesting to see most of the 50 rooms in the hotel over the course of the two days, and I emjoyed exploring the larger rooms with two floors. Every department that I have worked in has been very different. However, housekeeping was certainly the most hands on, and the most busying of all the departments that I was in.

This is the outside of the hotel. 

This is one of the simple rooms in the hotel. Most of the rooms are very different, 

differing in the beds, orientation, and some of the suites even have two floors.

                             

This is the presidential suite. It is the nicest room in the hotel, and 

consists of a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom, a porch, and 

a view of the garden. 

This is the hotel from the gardin of the hotel. I cleaned these windows at the

beginning of my job as a cleaner. 

 -Katherine

ICMM internship: Group of Bioinspired Materials

Prior to my arrival in Spain, and my arrival at the Universidad Autónoma of Madrid, the only information I had about my practice for the next two weeks was this (quoted from an email from the coordinator of our internships at the Instituto de Ciencias Materiales de Madrid):
"Group of Bioinspired Materials
Responsible: Francisco del Monte

The student will be  at the laboratory preparing, with the phd students new materials.  He/she will be involved in the preparation  and characterization of eutectic mixtures.

Study of phase segregation processes in eutectics mixtures

Use of eutectic mixtures in polycondensation reactions."

Although I have learned a lot in my Biology and Chemistry classes at St. George's, I had little idea what any of this meant (in English, much less in Spanish). Therefore, I went into my internship at the ICMM with an open mind, contented with my high-school level of preparation but fully aware that I was not going to completely understand the advanced concepts that the PhDs were toying with. Indeed, I was correct. My first day on the job, I received basic explanations of the lab processes and the work that the group does--which for me, were far from basic. When I was asked, in Spanish, of course, if I was familiar with the different types of "enlaces"and shook my head, members of the group went wide-eyed. I guess it would have helped to learn some basic Spanish science vocab beforehand, particularly "enlace," the word for chemical bond.

Amongst many other things, I have learned many lab vocab words, some of which I'm not even sure how to translate to English, and some of which are cognates. Here are a few: "Compuesto" is compound, "células" are cells (another essential), "campaña" is hood (for experiments that are dangerous or require a sterile environment), "congelador" is freezer, "pipeta" for pipette, "cultivo" for culture, "muestra" for slide/sample, and "tripsina" for "trypsin."

From what I've gathered, there are two parts to the Bioinspired Materials group. The larger part, which works in the bigger lab, experiments with and creates the actual bioinspired materials (I guess these would be the "eutectic mixtures"mentioned above). In simpler terms, it looks a lot like cooking plastic-looking substances. The basic process I have observed is: chemicals are mixed, usually in liquid form, then placed in an oven or a burner to cook, or solidify. Sometimes they are also frozen. The materials made in the lab are potentially used in both biomedical and energy-efficiency applications. The other part of the group, deals more with biology, using live cells in a much smaller lab. 

The majority of the work I've observed in the big lab has been with "Grafeno," or Graphene. Julian, the scientists who works with Graphene, has explained to me the basics of what the material does and how it's made. Graphene is a form of carbon that can form a layer of hexagonal carbon atoms just one atom thick. As a material, is also very strong and a good conductor, giving it the potential to make several products and devices, such as airplanes and solar panels, lighter and more efficient. Graphene might also facilitate the growth of cells, giving it the potential to be used in processes like tissue regeneration in biomedical fields (to read more about Graphene, click here: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/2010/press.html). The process of making the Graphene is quite interesting, and surprisingly resembles baking a cake, with a recipe to follow and everything. The process starts with an oxidation reaction. First, Julian combines carbon and sulfuric acid in this funky-shaped vial. Slowly, purple permanganate is added, and then water. While the water is being added, purple permanganate fumes are emitted (my favorite part- it resembles a witches' brew). During the whole reaction process, Julian is careful to keep the temperature controlled (at times high, at times low), because the reaction can be dangerous. After this reaction, the liquid is "cleaned" with acid and placed in a centrifuge to separate the desired carbon from other liquids. The Graphene is later frozen with a mechanical arm using liquid nitrogen, creating the desired spaces between the layers of Graphene. Later, the ice in between the layers is converted straight into gas in a process of sublimation, and a spongy-looking solid remains. The whole process takes about two days. Julian has given me two vials of "my" Graphene to take home (one liquid, one solid)! We'll see how the TSA feels about this.

In the smaller lab, I have worked with Maria Conception (Conchi, for short), a biologist who works with cell cultures in order to test the synthetic materials on living cells. Conchi's lab is sterile, to prevent contamination, complete with a hood that prevents air exchange and creates a sterile environment to work with the cels, and my favorite part: a biohazard trash can. This, combined with my lab coat, face mask, glasses, and gloves, fulfilled my nerdy dreams of working in a real-life science lab. I'll admit, I got a thrill out of working "under the hood" to prevent contamination. Conchi works with mostly rat and pig cells, and keeps them in an incubator or a freezer. During my days with Conchi, I helped (hands on) transfer, plant, freeze, and unfreeze cell cultures. To test synthetic materials on cells, Conchi places a drop of cells into the material (which looks like a white powder), and then freezes the tiny droplet. Later, we unfreeze and view the cells under the microscope to see how they are doing. Conchi records everything in her notebook.

In the past two weeks, I have learned a lot of material, received almost completely in Spanish. Though at times my brain is overloaded, Bioninspired Materials is fascinating and engaging. Every day, I come away satisfied that I have learned something new (and that I have dressed the part of a scientist). I am extremely grateful to all of my mentors for taking the time to pause and explain every step of the process, answering my questions, and for being patient with me and my level of knowledge (in both Spanish and science). After each day and each project, my mentor for that day almost always showed me photos to explain what we had done that day, or a publication to give me a bigger picture. I have discovered that the experimental work done in the lab, however small it might seem, is part of a larger process with an important goal. I hope one day I will be able to read about the developments resulting from the use of bioinspired materials (and maybe understand all of the jargon, too).

Here are some photos from the lab:

Oxidation reaction, making Graphene

Here you can really see the purple color of the permanganate vapors

The "recipe" for Graphene. Easy as pie?

My Graphene!

-Margaret

ICMM and Magnetic Nano-Particles -Hannah

Its hard to imagine that I have only spent two weeks at the ICMM with my group in their lab. The amount I have learned is inconceivable. The science I have been able to witness is fascinating, and the team I observe and help each day is awesome. My boss, Maria del Puerta, is extremely nice and also extremely intelligent and well-known in the science world. She was the first person to attempt an explain what she and her team does to me, a recent high-school chemistry student who, as well as trying to grasp nano-particle theory, is simultaneously trying to understand Spanish. However, by the end of these two weeks I feel I have a good conception of the biological application of these magnetic nanoparticles as well as how they are created. And  I learned a few new vocabulary words along the way.

To start, I was introduced to the whole team and got to see what they were up to in the lab. I met Lucia, who I spent most of my time with working with the electron microscope. I met Irene, who's working on her thesis. She showed me how to make the magnetic nano-particles. There's also Watson, from Brasil. He spent most of his time examining muestras, or samples/slides of concentrations of particles. I also spent some time with Amelia, who is the link between this team of chemists and the biological applications of their work, with real-live cells. There are many more in the team, too many to list, who all take part in a key role in the lab.
After introductions, I immediately began my learning experience.
In this lab, they work on the creation and experimentation of magnetic nano-particles, that have several very important biological applications. MNPs (magentic nano-particles) are particles based on the various metal oxides. Most of the samples I worked with were iron. MNPs are extremely small, but open up worlds of technological advances, especially in medicine. Modern MRIs use MNP for their display properties. However, due to their supermagnatismic qualities, the greatest and possibly, in the future, most common known use is their drug delivery application within the body. For example, when injected in the blood stream within red blood cells, the body does not recognize them as foreign. therefore these cells behave like normal human cells, but are magnetized. For a cancer patient, as an example, these nano-particles can be driven straight to the location of the tumor and eradicate it, without harm to surrounding healthy tissue. The technology I got to witness was insane. It is hard to imagine I was in the lab that is behind all the chemistry needed for these biological applications.

Above is a picture of the electron microscope, where I first spent my time. It is a very tedious process to prepare the equipment, and it is also very sensitive, because the slides were were preparing it to look at hold particles that are about that same width as the amount your fingernail grows each second. Preparing the slide was also a lengthy process, for because the particles are so small they can't be seen by the human eye. I felt I was preparing a slide of pure water.

My favorite part was pouring the liquid nitrogen into the microscope. Lucia let me play with it, of course very safely and very productively.

In the photo above, I am placing the long rod that hold the small disc of a slide at the very tip. The slide itself is a disc about the size of a pimple. But even smaller are the particles within that slide! It was important to do this part carefully, otherwise the microscope will not be completely empty of all air on the inside. Lucia took these photos so I could send them to my father, a pathologist, who was jealous of the fancy microscopes I got to use. 

Above is our final result, the image that reflects on a surface within the microscope that we can observe and see the particles themselves. I felt they look like millions of constellations, little tiny stars that somehow fit into that minuscule slide. 

After getting to physically see the MNP's, I observed the creation of them in the lab. It seemed so simple, like following a recipe. However, the experiment itself has to be done carefully to get the correct radius of particles. The size of the particles very greatly, and a certain size is desired in each synthesis. 

In the photo above, although it is not great quality, it can be seen how the experiment is done, behind glass in a completely sealed box with only two long black gloves that the chemist uses to perform chemical experiments. Also in the picture is the "recipe" that Irene was following. Although appearing simple to follow, many controls had to constantly be monitored. As a recent chemistry student it was so interesting to observe a chemical reaction occur and watch as two clear solutions join, and immediately make a black liquid that signifies the creation of fresh new iron-based magnetic nano-particles. 

Tomorrow I am going to watch as Amelia puts these particles into HeLa cells. 

Above is a video of me playing with the MNP's in a vile of other solution. Hopefully the quality is good enough that the shapes of the clump of the particles can be seen. I can also be heard saying something along the lines of "que mono" which means "how cute" because the magnetic poles forced the particles to take on a spiky shape. I thought it looked furry..... but in reality it is a very toxic substance if exposed directly to human tissue. 

-Hannah 

Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza

Although critics say that The Museum Thyssen-Bornemisza hosts some of the master's worsts and the unknown's best I think we would all beg to differ that this museum is just, if not more amazing than all the other unbelievable museums in Madrid.
The history of the Museum dates back to the donation of works by Lord Thyssen-Bornemisza himself, and this collection is now referred to as the permanent collection of the museum. The rest of the collection was donated by his wife. For more history and light reading, the museum website is very insightful: http://www.museothyssen.org/en/thyssen/historia

We spent a wonderful afternoon among the works of great masters, admiring all from Van Gogh to Joan Miró.

John.

one of my personal favorites: Van Gogh 

The collection is amazing. I don't think any of us could imagine housing that amount of amazing works.
Before our museum experience ended, we couldn't leave without first stopping for some cafe con leche and a couple postres... so we chose to relax a bit in the museum's very swish restaurant.

Though the food was spectacular, I think the ambiance made it satisfying. We were happy to rest in such a cool place after strolling among the works of very famous artists. We almost fit right in, with our fabulous Spanish conversation and all the cafe con leche. :)


-Hannah

Segovia (22/6/13)

Segovia (22/6/13)

Our journey to Segovia was far from our first adventure. However, Margaret, Katherine, Ito, Tim, John, and I have not yet posted about our previous adventures, but will soon. Because I dutifully carried my large, bulky camera all around Segovia, I have chosen to indulge in the recounting of our excursion, mostly for the reason that I have many pictures that can accompany.

Early in the morning we all arrived at Chamartín from the metro prepared for a day of adventure. The following train-ride brought us there promptly, and before we knew it, we were standing below Segovia's commonly known aqueduct that marks the entrance to the antiquated and beautiful part of the city. At this point, I whipped out my Nikon fully prepared for a day of sight-seeing, and very suddenly became aware that I had left my memory card in my computer. Yet, due to our mastery of problem-solving in the Spanish language, Margaret and I successfully hunted down a small tienda where I was able to obtain a replacement card. Crisis averted. Pictures follow:

in this picture you can see the rest of the group!

From here, we continued on in the small winding streets of a city bustling with many workers and residents, but mostly with tourists like us, trying to find our way around the old street corners. Thankfully we had Mr. Dt (and Luca) as navigators, and we never had to pull out a map (and give away our identities as tourists). We saw almost the entirety of the old city on foot. At almost every street corner we were struck by both the beauty and history that exists on the hillside! 

cochinillo

perrito muy mono

We then came upon the greatest feat of the day, The Torre Alcazar. 

Though the climb seemed ominous, all of us successfully conquered the 152 stairs to reach the top, where we were able to have a spectacular view of the city. 

el equipo

A while after, when we successfully touched back down on earth, it seemed a common thought was on our mind.... food, or for some, Cochinillo. It appeared that our adventure would soon lead us to one of Segovia's most famous restaurants, where we all would witness a long-lasting tradition of the ceremonial roasted suckling pig.

the traditional form of cutting the pig... the ceremony is completed when the plate is tossed to the ground and is shattered into many pieces 

Some of us even got the opportunity to eat that tradition........ and it was delicious!!!!

Soon after lunch, with our stomachs completely full, we had to leave for the train station. Although only a day trip, we were able to see much of the city. It is truly an amazing place! The combination of old aqueducts and castles along with longstanding traditions keeps Segovia the magical place it is, seemingly untouched  in the beautiful countryside. On top of that, we got to witness the entire place through our own eyes, completely on foot. The train ride home to Madrid provided a perfect siesta to end a perfect adventure!

- Hannah