Bringing in the New Year in Sol!

Before Carolyn and I had plans, we said that whatever we do on New Years, it needed to be uniquely Spanish. The New Years custom here is to go to the heart of Madrid, in the half circle plaza at Sol and when the clock on the tower overlooking the plaza is in its final 48 seconds of the year you eat 12 grapes and make 12 wishes. Spraying champagne and throwing confetti are encouraged, jumping on monuments is frowned upon. I asked if we also kiss at midnight, the answer was no, not in Spain…people were getting kissed by me…

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The gang at Sol!

Like Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena, where I’ve spent majority of my New Years Eve’s as a child, nobody really knew when to start celebrating the new year, even though we were all watching the same clock. I think both Orange Grove and Plaza de Sol could afford a screen with a 12 second countdown. I had my grapes in my empty champagne cup to be able to hold both my grapes and my camera. Carolyn pointed out that our grapes had seeds, there is a legend that seedless grapes exist in Spain; I have yet to confirm this. It didn’t matter; the group was eating their grapes, seeds and all, I was practically swallowing mine from my cup.

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Rachel & Kevin Chu, and grapes

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Kyle, Dash, Megan & Anne, the Grant-Anderson Family Photo!

My 2011 Wishes:
1. Dream Job
2. Graduate from IE with an MBA
3. Enjoy one extra Spanish-speaking experience a week
4. Good ol’ – Join the gym (believe me, I know…)
5. Go out one night a week
6. Get Michael to come and visit
7. Master Quantitative Analysis
8. Love in Paris
9. Take advantage of 3 out of 5 opportunities to be unreasonable
10. Meditate every morning
11. Travel somewhere that I wouldn't normally think I would want to go
12. Make at least 3 google calls every week