San Jose

It was our last day in Costa Rica and I'd saved the capital, San Jose, for last. That morning, we woke up, grabbed some McDonald's for breakfast and wifi, and caught the bus into downtown.

The whole experience was trippy for me. I don't know if my sister really caught on to how many memories I was reliving just while riding the bus. I was definitely in my own little world.

The bus stopped at its usual spot by la caja which is just a big, boxy, concrete government building that has lots of bus stops around it. From there I oriented myself and we headed for the national theater. 

I'd been to the cafe inside the theater only once in my time in Costa Rica. Funny enough, my first visit there was also towards the end of my time living in San Jose, when it felt necessary to go do something with the one roommate you got along with because you both knew this would be the functional end of your friendship.

I ordered some latté and Andrea got a white hot chocolate or something. The coffee was good but our server was so not about indulging us. I ended up getting out of my seat to ask what the pastry options were. If I remember, we got some sort of delicious cake (which should not be a surprise since we're Pinedas).

Do you ever feel like you don't look like yourself in a photo? That's what this is for me.

We took a tour of the theater shortly after our mid morning treat. Fun fact: the theater is a to-scale smaller replica of the national opera in Paris. At least the inside is. I'm going to majorly plonk* right now and tell you that I love that I saw the original theater one summer and sat in a concert in the replica not three months later.

But I digress.

Auditions for something were happening as we were taking our tour so we got to sit in the dark and watch dancers be amazing. We reminisced about high school theater auditions and rehearsals and how we miss it all (OK not all of it).

I know this photo is pretentious. I don't care.

I was antsy to show Andrea my neighborhood and host home, so we jumped on the bus my expired instinct told me to take. Sadly, my instincts had us take the express bus which meant we got off pretty far away from where we should have. Andrea was a total trooper. It was hot, there was a World Cup game about to start, and here I was forcing her to walk all over an area even I hardly remembered when we could have just taken the correct bus or a taxi!

We eventually reached my host university, Universidad Veritas. A bit had changed around the campus, but I took Andrea all the way up the stairs to where I took my Spanish class and explained to her the details of what the food court area used to look like (did I mention she was a trooper?) and then took her to see where I learned how to Latin dance.

All the furniture would be pushed aside and we'd get to dancing. I miss those days and what it did for my waist.

My host home is literally around the corner from the university, so I took Andrea to go see it. I hadn't contacted my host mom, who I'll now refer to as my mama tica, so she had no idea I was coming over. I had no idea if she was home or on vacation. I knocked on the door and...she was there!

Outside my bedroom window!

I had to jog her memory a little bit about who I was. It's completely understandable: she hosts one to four students each semester, so she has lots of names to remember and forget.

Anyway, I showed Andrea my room, which looked almost the same. She saw the kitchen where my roommate Devin and I once ate cold leftover lasagna after a night out at the bar. I'll never forget that she called my pairing of lasagna and orange juice "gnarly."

I knew I had totally interrupted her day, so I took a quick photo with her and said goodbye. It was time to go back to the home bar of study abroad: Los Pros.

The bar's technically named Los Profesionales but us milens (translation: millennials) dialed it back to Los Pros. Now, the place has changed significantly over the last three years, but luckily, Edgar, the owner has not. He comes across tons of people, loads of students every semester, that I was sure he wouldn't remember me. Maybe he didn't. As I remember it, I don't think he knew my name, but he remembered my face thanks to -- wait for it -- Facebook. So did the main bartender, Monica, who is now all sleeved out and fab as ever.

I ordered my study abroad usual: rum with pineapple juice and Andrea finally got to try the Costa Rican beer. I'm talking about Imperial. I'm not a beer girl so I won't pretend to know how to describe the taste, but Andrea said it was like a Corona, but better.

I'm getting off topic! The point was to tell you that my drink was basically rum with a splash of juice.

Edgar had hooked it up as usual.

We needed to go souvenir shopping before sundown, so we sadly said our goodbyes to Edgar and jumped on the bus back into the city. We got to the mercado artesanal and had a ball picking out all the things. I bought huaraches as a consolation for not being able to replace my beloved purse. Andrea bought herself a backpack and we spent all our colones except for enough to buy airport food the next day.

The dark came too quickly and we headed back by bus to our friend Monika's for dinner. She took us to see her parents, who knew Andrea and I before we had memories. We picked up Monika's daughter Dani from school and grabbed a final dinner at a local spot with awesome fried food and a cool environment. (Legit almost just typed in Spanish...what is my brain?!)

Before I knew it, the trip had come and gone and it was time to give back all the joys vacation lends you. We turned the car in, ate a ridiculously overpriced lunch, and sat in the terminal to watch Costa Rica play the Netherlands in the World Cup. The game went to a shoot out that CR just wasn't able to win. That part was sad. It helped distract me from the sadness of leaving.

I'm trying so hard not to get all philosophical and lofty so I'll just say this: I felt like I got to go home for a little bit, and I'm thankful I was able to share it with Andrea. Study abroad can feel unreal. It can feel like you fell asleep for a semester and only dreamed you saw and ate and did what you did. Going back and sharing it with someone who only interacted with my experience via Facebook photos solidified that I did do this. It was real.

And that is cool.

♥ A

*Plonk: the travel equivalent of name dropping. Origin: Barbara Gausewitz

Miserable Magical Monday || 3-9-15

It's Monday. Are you miserable? Maybe some of this will make it magical.

1. I'm watching the Sharks play the Penguins as I type this. So if at some point there's a random typo or if I sound randomly flustered it's because something exciting is happening. Something intense enough to make me say "Come on, boys." That's my personal cheer. I never shout it, but whisper it like they'll be able to hear me through the TV or something. Like there's something magical about a whisper. Or a point, for that matter.

//

2. We celebrated my dad-in-law's birthday on Saturday with lots of good barbecue, apple pie, and the Live Aid DVD. I guess the Queen performance there was frickin legendary, but I'd never had the pleasure of watching it until then. Brandon and I later marveled at how commanding Freddie Mercury was. The clip below is still relatively early in the 20 minute performance, but the fact that Freddie doesn't at any point ask the audience to chant with him is amazing enough. They just listen! It was amazing and I'm pissed I never got to see Queen live.

3. I read this article on NPR. It's short and just a nice story, but sometimes a nice story is all you need on the mediocre days!

4. I listen to the Coffee Break French podcast and this week's episode was soooo good. There was even a Friends (FRIENDS? What's the consensus on the formatting?) reference made by one of the hosts. I blurted out a "HAAA" when I heard it. Besides that, the vocab was stellar and the grammar was intense. Which is great because my French has taken a huge hit thanks to all the Spanish I speak and write at work.

Did that sound as annoying as I'm reading it? I swear I'm not trying to be impressive or cool.

//

Alright, that's all I've got for today. I hope your Monday (or Tuesday) is a good one.

♥ A

12 Things: Results

It's been a few months since my 12 Things deadlines came and went. Here's a quick overview of how I did.

Done

1. Perfect the tiramisu cupcake

7. Bake a cake/cupcakes from scratch - I made an apple crumb cake for Thanksgiving (along with my cappuccino cookies). I completely spaced and didn't take a photo, but according to my sister it was pretty delicious. I (of course) didn't have a bite because I was too nervous it would be disgusting.

9. Complete 5 of my pins on my Learn/Make/Do board on Pinterest. 1 2 3 4 5

Half Done

2. Read 6 books - Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Mindy Kaling and Divergent, Victoria Roth are as far as I got before my birthday. BUT! Since then, I started and finished A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans and I've moved on to Gone Girl. Also, The Shining is still sitting on my side table, half read, but I feel like it's so dark it might be better to store it in the freezer (newbie Friends reference, anyone?) for a while.

3. Explore a part of San Francisco I've spent little time in. - This did not happen to the extent I wanted it to, but I did get to spend a surprise afternoon in the city to get my passport. I was totally unprepared for it clothing-wise. I realized this once I was at the BART station. All I had to keep my lizard self warm was a light blazer. But I made the best of my procrastination by finding a hidden Blue Bottle Coffee near the processing office. I sat there and enjoyed my pretty latte, wrote in my journal, then moseyed on outside to sit in the sun. Not a bad way to kill time!

6. Make coffee art - Honestly, I've just uploaded lots of photos of coffee art. Maybe we can make that count. At the very least I should get credit for rediscovering my french press. Kona coffee made in a french press...now that's a work of art!

Attempted

4. Finish organizing/uploading my Project 365 - It turns out working on a project you know you never finished is too much of a hassle for not enough pay off.

5. Practice French everyday for a month. - I know I said April, but it turns out April had other ideas.

8. Watch 10 classic movies I've never seen before. - I added nothing to the list of movies I've seen after the two from last update. I've realized that movies are not my thing. I like to think they're my thing, but when push comes to shove, I'm gonna sit at home and watch HIMYM or New Girl or Gilmore or Friends before I pop in a movie.

10. Hand letter something. Turn that something into art. - I'd like to actually know what I'm doing before I commit to the creation of art. But this is definitely on my radar.

Completely Missed

11. Volunteer at Coastal Cleanup Day - It's hard to be in two places at once, and I ended up volunteering my time at a debate tournament that weekend.
12. Decorate the apartment - Curtains. I need to buy some darn curtains.

Ok, so I didn't do as well as I'd planned. But I'm not stressing about it. I mean, I definitely was stressed about completing my things on time. Then one day, I realized that I created the list because I needed a push. I didn't want to lose the motivation that kept me growing and learning. And you know something? The list did exactly that. I might not have been able to cross everything off the list, but I did do some other cool things like:

learned to make a soup other than chicken noodle (no shade)

styled a bookshelf

started learning to play ukulele

traveled abroad

practiced yoga

experimented with makeup and hairstyles

went back to San Diego

enjoyed living in Davis

hung out with Brandon

turned 25

I think that's a fine list.

♥ A

Still Living

Even though I don't post everyday, I always take pictures of what I'm doing. This is my first photo dump of random things I've documented during January and some of February, which I'm dubbing Still Living. Get it? Like still life photography?

Enjoy, friends.

Our church changed it's service times, which means Brandon and I have to be in Fairfield at 8am every Sunday for him to practice with the band. I've made a nice routine out of it. I drop him off and then hang out at the Starbucks nearby for about an hour before I have to head in to help with the babies. It's given me a chance to slow down, reflect, read, or write. It's nice to have a forced alone time.

One random Friday we decided to branch out and try a new restaurant. We landed at Bistro 33, the classy restaurant attached to City Hall tavern in downtown Davis. The prices were less expensive than expected and the food was fabulous. I ordered the kobe beef sliders and loved them. I think Barbara ordered a spicy marinara pasta and Brandon ordered the French dip sandwich. We were all satisfied with our food and really dug the housemade potato chips.

Brandon and I went to our first San Jose Sharks game in years. We got to hang out with Nick and Seth and snack on pretzels and hot dogs. We were seated next to some Maple Leaf fans who kept trying to start chants. My favorite part (besides the fact the Sharks picked up) was how Nick would instantly start his own Sharks chant and we'd all join in and drown out the Maple Leaf guys -- whose face paint, by the way, looked more teal than blue. Sometimes it's all about those moments of blind loyalty.

What an artsy photo of...bananas? Yes. I'm including it because I love Rainforest Alliance and the cool work they do. And I saw their Follow the Frog sticker on some bananas last month so I picked those over another brand. Plus these bananas were less expensive than the other ones! Being a conscious consumer doesn't need to be difficult.

I had a good makeup and hair day and I showed it off to my friends with a cliche car selfie complete with  a gratuitous limp hand.

I worked late one night to help host the employee 5 and 10 year anniversary reception. It was a great example of the perks of working for a resort. I rode in the golf cart enjoying the views of the property, got to sip on champagne and eat haute cuisine tater tots I could never afford on my own. I had a great time and I think the honored employees did too.

I was really proud of my dinner resourcefulness. We made eggs with turkey and I threw in some zucchini for color and veggies. It was delicious and easy. Does this count as clean eating or paleo or something? I don't know. All I know is I'd like some more. 

I'd bet that the majority of girls not only have group texts with their girl friends, but use it as a way to share their outfits every day. I know I have two group texts where it's normal for us to selfie each other or send our OOTD's. I was particularly happy with this outfit, plus I pulled out my old black oxfords from college. They're totally plastic and not super comfortable, but they look good.

One of my coworkers suggested I put strawberries and blueberries in my water instead of lemon. It was a total game changer. I've been trying to up my water intake because I'm pretty sure I'm perpetually dehydrated. I even use an app to track how much water I've had each day. This was the first day I reached my goal.

Brandon had a Friday night gig with his band which left me on my own for the night. Luckily, I headed straight to Barbara's apartment where we whipped up some stir fry. We added extra broccoli since she and I really like it and paired it with some brown rice. Seriously, I don't know how it ended up so healthy. We usually struggle to make healthy food.

After spending an afternoon downtown, Brandon and I decided we wanted to have some Japanese food for dinner. The trouble was the place we originally picked was busy. So busy that there were three couples all waiting just to put their name down. We waited about five minutes before I suggested a less fancy option closer to our apartment. The food there is good, the prices are reasonable, and how pretty is the food?! I ate all of it.

These cupcakes were from my cousin Lily's bridal shower! I had an awesome time playing games and eating good food, even if one of the games entailed passing a wooden spoon using only knees. It was hilarious. The I Love Lucy theme was so perfect for Lily. My highlight was getting to chat with my cousins, especially since we don't get to see each other too often anymore. Oh, and these cupcakes. Strawberry and whipped cream goodness.

I have no explanation for this photo. I was done with my solo Starbucks date, saw a stump, got on top of it, and took a photo. Tadaaa!

Brandon got sick pretty much on his birthday, so I made some comforting chicken noodle soup for us one night. It fed us for almost a week! Soup seems like the only thing I can eat leftovers of over and over again. Maybe because once you warm it up, it still feels like you've just made it?

I asked for flowers for Valentine's Day. Brandon delivered. They're beautiful and they smell lovely. He even went as far as buying me socks with hearts on them and chocolate covered espresso beans! Once I kick this cough I'll be all over those.

We spent the gorgeous Sunday afternoon at Davis' Central Park. There was a craft fair happening (not sure if it's a weekly thing) and a live jazz band playing. We took a seat in the wicker chairs of the Comfort Cafe where I read my book while Brandon soaked in the music. It was a relaxing way to enjoy the gorgeous weather together!

This is from this morning. I woke up with a gnarly cough yesterday and a worse sore throat this morning. I've been miraculously enjoying the taste of my echinacea tea with a lemon slice, a bit of honey, and maple syrup to hide the honey taste. I don't know if you're supposed to put maple syrup in your tea, but it's the only way I like it. 

See you guys soon! Hopefully not this sick.

♥ A

Sarchi

One of my professors from study abroad, we just called him Milton, once mentioned this awesome place called Sarchi. He told me of a place where traditionally painted ox carts packed the roads and where you could really experience traditional Costa Rican coffee culture.

His description of this place sounded like something Disneyland would want to replicate and something I needed to see. 

But I didn't. I totally missed it when I was living in San Jose. 

So with day trips becoming plan A for the last part of our trip, I convinced Andrea that this would be a good idea. 

I'm gonna burst everyone's excited bubble quickly: Sarchi was not that exciting. Did I see a few cool ox carts? Yes. But is Sarchi really a destination worthy of a full day? I'd say no. 

I foolishly expected something straight out of Disneyland and was unimpressed when I didn't get it.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, as usual. Our previous attempt to visit Volcan Poas being unsuccessful, we decided to try again before driving out to Sarchi. This time, we started our trip up the mountain much earlier since I'd read that the morning tends to yield the best chance of a view.

There were a few clouds in the sky, but nothing too daunting. Of course, until we reached the gate. The sun and fluffy white puffs gave way to cold, overcast, misty skies. The same gentleman from the day before warned us that the volcano wasn't visible, so he didn't recommend we use our money to see nothing. By this point, we were already determined to make the hike out to the crater viewing point, so we paid our foreigner entrance fees (even though he totally thought we were nationals) and entered the park.

The hike looked like something out of Into the Woods or Sleeping Beauty. I felt like I was going to encounter an evil dragon around one of the bends, but we only passed up a woman prancing through the mist in high heeled sneakers.

The concerned park ranger was right. The volcano's iconic crater was nowhere to been seen. The fog was thick and revealed nothing. Regardless, we snapped a tourist photo before heading off on our way to Sarchi.

After driving through many more residential streets than I'd mentally prepared myself for, we finally found ourselves near the town square. True to my professor Milton's lore, in the center of the plaza, right in front of the church, was the world's largest ox cart. We walked around it and mildly judged a dozen or so tourist teenagers who were posing for an instagram photo.

The cart is fenced in so you can't really go up to it and see the insane hand painted details, which is a bit of a bummer. So we wandered around the plaza and stared at the church's pretty intricacies. Andrea picked up some pansito (just a cutesy way of saying bread in Spanish) from a bakery across the street for us to enjoy after lunch.

We made a joke that when lost (in Costa Rica), always orient yourself by where the church is.

We'd passed by a big souvenir market on our way into the center of town. It seemed like the best place to ask where we could get a piece of the Sarchi experience. I ended up just asking where I could find some decent food since it was nearing lunch time and we were getting hungry. It turned out that there was a restaurant right behind the souvenir shop called Restaurante La Finca. I drove down a steep hill and parked in a patch of grass near a butterfly garden that we had no intention of visiting, even if we did have time to kill (see previous butterfly-induced fright here). We walked up, and even though we were the only patrons in the middle of the day, we sat down because there was free wifi. Luckily, the food was delectable, the portions were large, and the strawberry lemonade was yummy.

We scarfed our food until we couldn't scarf anymore.

Growing up, my parents routinely, almost obsessively, had coffee after every meal. In fact, the eating time isn't over until everyone who drinks coffee has a mug of it in their hand. They do this to this day. Whenever Brandon and I have lunch or dinner at my parents' house, I'm guaranteed to be offered coffee within five minutes of finishing the food on my plate.

La Finca was no different. Our server came by and offered me some coffee, which I happily accepted. He disappeared for a moment and returned with an old school pour over system. You know, the kind that use cloth as a filter instead of paper? It was so cool...I'm totally kicking myself six months later for not taking a picture of it. But geez if that coffee wasn't delicious. I sat there, sipped my coffee, and soaked in the moment with my sister.

On our way back to the main highway, I made an impulse decision to stop at a furniture store with an ornate front. It ended up paying off because we got to see some real life antique ox cart wheels!

We also got to witness an artisan hand paint a tray.

I asked for his name before we left and I told myself to remember it, but I wouldn't be able to tell you what letter his name started with. I don't actually think we were supposed to be walking around watching them, but no one said anything to us, so we watched intently as this interesting mute man gestured to me as if he was teaching me how to paint traditional designs.

In a nutshell, if you want to experience coffee culture, take a tour of a plantation. But if you do find yourself in Sarchi, visit Restaurante La Finca, you won't be disappointed.