Funny how being in a foreign country can feel most like home

Hello friends,
I know I've been super terrible about updating, but one of my new years resolutions is to be more on top of it, so we'll see how that goes. So, what's been going on? Well, Alvaro and I spent about 3 weeks in my home state of California for Christmas, New Years and a bit more. The basic rundown goes as such:

I arrive home to Stanford; the next day Lindsey, Stephen (my siblings), Cinnamon (my fuzz ball dog) and I drive down to Los Angeles; we pass Christmas in LA with my cousins and extended relatives; siblings, Alvaro and I drive North up the 101, stay a night in Buellton and tourist it up in Solvang for 1/2 the day; Steve, Dad, Alv and I go to a Warriors-Celtics game (so good!!!!!!), we hit up SF a few times (walking the golden gate, taking the ferry over to the ferry building, fisherman's wharf, the mission, the castro, Emperor Norton's grave (check it out! - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Norton), and a ton of stuff in between :)


Warriors v. Celtics

Universal City Walk


So yeah, being home for the holidays was really nice, seeing family and eating far too much food (which factors into the "must-work-out-more" part of my new years resolution...hehe). It's funny to be back in California, because, as I realized, as much as it's my home, I haven't lived there for long enough for it to kinda be a bit of a "foreign territory" if you will. Taking Alvaro around San Francisco, for example, I've spent more time there coming back on visits than I ever did when I lived in California, and always hitting up the touristy spots I never took advantage of before I left. Interesting, I think Eric might know more of the city than I do at this point, hehe. (Ps- ERIC OEUR is the bestest for coming to visit!!!!! I love you :))

Driving North up the 101 with Stephen, Lindsey and Alvaro was great. We started off at Tommy's Burger's (famous for it's chilly cheese burgers...I ate some fries by the way, haha) before fully heading out of LA. Then took a nice drive up the 101 soaking in the gorgeous coastline before stopping in Buellton. Got a nice, cheap (repeat, cheap!) hotel with a jacuzzi right outside our patio door and Pea Soup Andersen's (delicious!) right across the street. Had a fun night watching Dumb and Dumber and Tropic Thunder before passing out to prepare for full-time-tourism the next day. Got to have a HUGE breakfast in downtown Solvang (Alvaro had his first Country Fried Steak, a good ol' American breakfast, hehe), wander around, buy Danish pastries and tinker around trinket shops owned by some quite grumpy locals.


Hit up a pro and college basketball game while at home too! The aforementioned Warriors-Celtics game was brilliant, aside from the fact that the Celtics lost, and a Stanford vs. Cal Women's game, where under the guidance of the infamous Stanford Women's coach Tara Vanderveer, the Cardinals ripped Cal apart (as it should always be).


Lindsey, Alvaro and I spent a day out in Half Moon Bay, which was so beautiful, and, as always, reminds me of why I need to live by a coast! Once West Coast, always West Coast (I suppose Lima, too, counts as West Coast, but without the gorgeous greenery, it's hard to compare, hehe, no offense Lima)



One highlight was the midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show ! Lindsey and Vivy were the resident non-virgins to the experience while Stephen (who happened to turn 20 that night), Alvaro, Kelly and I were the virgins awaiting to be exposed to the audacious performance of the Bawdy Cast. If you've never seen the movie, there's no way to explain, but for those who have, you know precisely what I'm talking about :)



Well folks, I've been avoiding doing my homework (I'm working on getting a Diploma for teaching English, will take about a year to do, and I'm starting now. yay!) for far too long, I suppose I should be on my way, much love to all, please come to Lima! Un abrazo fuerte :)