Sergio, one of our "Spanish brothers", turned 24 last Thursday, so of course we threw him a surprise party. He leaves for class on Thursday nights at 7:30 and returns at 9:30, so we had 2 hours to transform the common room upstairs. We hung signs (both homemade and store-bought) all over the windows and walls, and strung streamers from the ceilings.
Alberto and Roman had organized the party planning committee like this: Alberto was responsible for providing the cake, Roman was responsible for getting Sergi to and from class without ruining the surprise (Roman is in the same Thursday night class), and Caroline and I were responsible for the decorations. I was pretty happy with those assignments, mostly because, while all 3 boys are excellent in the kitchen, Alberto is by far the best chef. I'm talking semi-professional; I have watched him spend up to 4 hours preparing one meal. And, since his kitchen neighbors ours, Caroline and I have partaken in more than our fair share of complimentary meals -- he's the best.
Since Roman and Alberto wanted a traditional Spanish vibe, Alberto decided to prepare a traditional Spanish cake: a giant, double-layered Spanish omelet, which he made using 36 eggs and 5 kilos of potatoes, placing ham and cheese in between both layers. And in true Spanish style, when the omelet (cake) ran out, paella was served.
To say the least, Sergi loved his surprise and quickly declared it his "best. birthday. ever."
All credit to Alberto! And I suppose to me and Caroline, for providing the plates, napkins, banners, signs, cups, etc., which we either made out of scrap paper or found in the euro aisle of Merkur (which is why the signs are homemade, the napkins are Edelweiss, the banners are fairy princesses, and the paper plates are kittens).
Best birthday ever, if I do say so myself.
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