Run Wild!

Yesterday I participated in the California Academy of Sciences Run Wild! 5K. Man what a race. T, C and I all ran the race however, we didn't exactly run it together. T's a cross-country/marathon runner so there's no way I could ever keep up with him and C kept telling us how far behind us she would be. Regardless we were together at the start and met up to be together at the finish. The people-watcher in me loves races just to observe the different types/groups of people that show up. The athlete in me loves the sound of hundreds of pairs of shoes hitting the road and using that last bit of energy to get past five more people right at the end of the race. Then there's the runner's high that you experience as you cross the finish line before you expected to reach it.

 

This time I made my goal of placing in the top ten of my age group. Unfortunately I didn't beat my pre-injury race time from last christmas but I am definitley getting back to where I was and now I have a goal for my next race. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be in the top three for my age group.

 

Race Name	Date	Time	Pace	Age Group	Place	Overall
Run to the Far Side	11/27/05	28:35	9:11	20-29	26th	453/4000
Santa Monica Christmas Run	12/10/05	23:48	7:41	20-24	11th	149/1072
Run Wild!	11/26/06	25:53	8:21	20-29	10th	184/1667

Fried Parsley with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Cheese

I originally encountered this dish during the closing dinner in Mexico this summer. I'd never heard of fried parsley before but as soon as I had tasted it I knew I would finally have a use for any future left over parsley. Really simple to make this one is sure to be a crowd pleasure not only for it's taste combination but also for the texture combination.

1. You can buy preflavored cream cheese (the original dish was served with chipotle cream cheese) or you can flavor your own. For this recipe I added 2 teaspoons of sundried tomato paste to one tub of spreadable cream cheese. If you are flavoring your own cream cheese, make sure the flavor is subtle enough not to overpower the flavor of the parsley.


2. In a pot with high sides, preheat vegetable oil over medium heat. If the oil starts to smoke, it's too hot. Dry the parsley as much as possible before frying. Unfortunately no matter how dry you think your parsley is, it will still splatter when frying, so make sure to use a splatter screen or be ready for some cleanup afterwards. Remove parsley leaves from the stalks, throw into oil, and fry for approximately 45 seconds. Remove the parlsey from the oil and dry on a paper towel. You may place the fried parsley in the oven on warm while you fry the rest to prevent it from turning soggy.


3. Serve the fried parsley and cream cheese with slices of french bread. Spread the bread with a light coating of cream cheese and then smash the bread, cream cheese side down, into the parsley. Enjoy!

Couscous Stuffed Peppers

One of the food blogs that I often find myself perusing is that of smitten kitchen. If you haven't checked out the link on my page I suggest you do, but only if you have time to drool over her gorgeous pictures. I came across this recipe of hers in a post about how she doesn't always post pictures of the foods she cooks. Even though the picture didn't turn out to her liking, I was definitely hooked and now I can cross another food I want to make off of my list. This is the original Feta and Couscous Stuffed Peppers Recipe and below is my recipe with a few modifications.

• 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth


• 2/3 cup whole wheat couscous


• 2 tsp olive oil


• 1 cup chopped onion


• 3/4 tsp fennel seeds


• 3/4 tsp oregano


• 1 zuchinni quartered and sliced


• 2 yellow squash quartered and sliced


• 4 large bell peppers


• 3 tbsp tomato paste


• 15 oz canned chickpeas drained and rinsed


• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved

In a small pot, boil the vegetable broth and add the couscous. Bring back to a boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand. In a large skillet, or wok, combine olive oil, onion, fennel seeds, and oregano cook over medium heat until fragrant. Add zuchinni and yellow squash, cook until soft.

While onions, zuchinni, and squash are cooking wash the bell peppers. Cut the stems and the top 1/2 inch off the peppers, remove the seeds and membrances. When onion/zuchinni/squash mixture is soft add tomato paste and mix well. Add chickpeas and couscous and mix well. Add tomatoes and gently mix.

Fill each of the peppers with the vegetable couscous mixture. Place peppers in a baking dish, bake at 350F for 15 minutes. Serve immeadiately.

Easy Peasy Broccoli Quiche

This recipe comes from my cooking buddy, Kate. As usual this recipe is super simple to throw together and comes out absolutely delicious. Originally it was a crust-less quiche, but since there are so few ingredients I took the liberty of making a few modifications. It has now become a true eye-ball it recipe.



Ingredients

1/2 onion, finely chopped

minced garlic to taste

herbes de provence to taste

1 head broccoli, chopped

5 eggs

milk

salt and pepper to taste

frozen phyllo pastry, defrosted

Preheat your oven to 400F. Put a large pot of water on to boil. While you wait for the water to boil, sautee the onion, garlic, and herbes de provence in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat. When the onion/garlic/herb mixture is translucent/soft remove from heat and set aside. At this point your water should be boiling, blanch your broccoli (1 minute is enough), pour into a colander and rinse with cold water. Whisk together eggs, milk, pepper and salt.

Line a 9 inch pie dish (preferably glass) with thawed phyllo pastry or pastry of your choice. Spread the onions across the pastry, followed by the broccoli. Finish the quiche by pouring egg mixture over the top. Bake for 30 minutes at 400F. Remove quiche from the oven, let stand 10 minutes to set, slive and serve.



This is definitely a make again and again type of recipe. Next time I might try without the crust and with a pinch of nutmeg instead of herbes de provence. Or I could throw in a different combination of vegetables. Or try a different pastry base. Or add cheese. The possibilities are endless!

Blog Post # 50

Can you believe it?! Fifty posts ago it was the beginning of the summer and I was preparing for 3 months of vacation. Since then I have spent two months in Mexico, watched a friend get married, created a food blog, experienced a birth and a death, started (and almost finished) my clinical rotation, been to London and turned 25. Not bad for 5 months. The original intention of this blog was to document my two months of living in Mexico. It was a chance to combine scrapbooking with journalling, all the while keeping those important to me up to date on my adventures.

 

To be completely honest, I didn't think I would continue when I got back to the US. But due to the requests of a very important friend I have kept going and I guess you could say blogging has become a part of my life. If I don't post at least once a week, I feel bad. If something funny happens during my day, I think about when I'll have the chance to write about it. But most of all I find comfort knowing that my friends and family, those who really matter, know what's going on in my life.

 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner I thought I would take a moment to share some of my thanks. I may not always have a chance to call you, email you or write you a letter, but I do think about you daily and am glad that I have some kind of medium to keep in contact. So, thank you for reading the first 50 posts and I hope you continue to read because there will be many more to come!

 

8 Reasons Why Today is Fabulous

In no particular order here they are:

1. 90210 the complete first season is available on DVD.
2. It's 90 degrees outside and it's November 7th.
3. It's election day which means I get to walk to my local polling place and vote!
4. I presented my case study this morning to the hospital dietitians, the dietetic services director and my professor. They were very impressed.
5. Keith Urban's new cd is available at Target ($9.98). If you buy it there you also get access to advance purchase tickets for his upcoming tour.
6. Sugarland's new cd Enjoy the Ride is also available.
7. I ate breakfast with my Dad this morning.
8. I ran 2.2 miles this evening.

Only In LA

• It's November and today it is 83 degrees.
• It is difficult to get to the airport because the streets and freeways around the airport are closed due to filming of "Live Free or Die Hard" a movie starring Bruce Willis.
• There's a line to get into H&M in Pasadena.

Vegan Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup is one of my all time favorites besides my mom's leek and potatoe soup. I find canned soup a bit too salty so today I decided to make my own. The following recipe is a combination of internet recipes, the one from the back of the split pea bag, and just general messing around in the kitchen. I like to use lots of herbs instead of salt and by using minced garlic and a food processor this recipe is soup-er easy to make.

• 1 onion, diced


• 2 bay leaves


• 2 tsp minced garlic


• 2 cups split peas, dried


• 1/2 cup barley


• 8 cups water


• 2 cups carrots sliced


• 2 cups celery sliced


• ~2 tsp basil (to taste)


• ~2 tsp thyme (to taste)


• pepper to taste

Combine onion, bay leaves, minced garlice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large pot. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent, about five minutes.

Add peas and barley; stir well. Add water and let simmer over medium/medium low heat for 1 hour or until peas are soft. Keep an eye on the fluids, you may need to add more water.

Add carrots, celery, and seasonings. Let simmer for 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust flavorings as necessary. Enjoy!

What a Day

Every Tuesday is a challenge at the hospital. After a four day break I often find myself struggling to remember everything that seemed like second nature when I left the week before. Each week it takes less and less time to get back up to speed. But today I was thrown into the deep end from the word Go.

 

First surprise of the day, I was going to be seeing my own patients. Usually I arrive at the hospital, the patients we need to see that day are divided up between the four dietitians and I end up shadowing one dietitian, helping her with her patient load. This morning when I arrived I found out that the patients were going to be divided between the five of us. Not only would I have my own patients to see today, but I would go and see them all by myself. My charts would be signed-off by the registered dietitian in the afternoon, after I had completed my assessments. I knew this day was going to be coming, as I am scheduled to do staff relief the week of and the week after Thanksgiving. But it was quite a shock to find out that this would be happening today. I was responsible and apparently ready to be completely independent and of all the floors they could have given me, I was faced with the Coronary Care Unit (CCU)

 

The coronary care unit and the intensive care unit are referred to as "The Unit" by hospital staff. The Unit is located behind automatic doors that you must know the code to in order to enter. There's a security guard inside to escort all other guests in and out. It is also where you tend to see the sickest patients. Little did I know that today The Unit would be the location where I would experience my first Code Blue- Medical Emergency Adult. Luckily for me, we had discussed patients coding in debriefing yesterday. A few of my classmates had shared their first experiences, and how much it had impacted them. It got me to thinking that I had never seen a code and I think, in a way, it prepared me for what I saw today.

 

I saw the code being called, I saw the doctors run in, I saw a previously empty room become packed with medical staff doing everything possible to try to save the patient. I saw CPR, not the fake stuff you see on TV, but actual chest compressions. I saw them shock the patient and sadly, I saw them call the time of death. What felt like hours, actually occurred in only minutes, and I was completely motionless, just watching what was going on. It wasn't until the patient's family came in that the reality of the situation hit and I had to leave the area. Moments like these bring up so many emotions, so many thoughts.

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

Happy Halloween! Thanks to an old issue of Cooking Light I had a festive treat to share with my coworkers today. Easy to make, not to sweet, and completely fun to frost, these cookies are sure to be a halloween favorite.

For the Cookie Dough

• 1 cup all purpose flour


• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa


• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/8 teaspoon salt


• 1/3 cup butter or margarine


• 2/3 cup granulated sugar


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 1 large egg white

For the Frosting

• 1 cup powdered sugar


• 1 tablespoon milk

In a small bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Place butter/margarine into a large bowl. Beat with a mixer until soft and fluffy. Gradually add the granulated sugar until well blended. Add vanilla and egg white. Add flour mixture until well blended. The dough will be very dry. Turn dough out and form into a six inch log. Wrap in wax paper and freeze until solid.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut log into 24 slices, place slices on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until set. While cookies are baking, combine powdered sugar and milk. Spoon into a ziploc bag and set aside. When cookies are cool, snip the corner off of the ziploc bag, pipe frosting onto cookies in the shape of a spider web. Alternately you could also make ghosts.

My London Vacation

Wow! What a week! My trip to London was an absolute blast. Lots of friends, lots of family, lots of food and, in true Johnston fashion, a lot of alcohol. I spent the majority of the trip helping my mom unpack and settle into the new flat in London. Located in Pimlico it's a gorgeous two bedroom flat with views of big ben, the houses of parliament, westminster abbey, canary wharf, the BT phone tower, and the London Eye. Here's the video I took from the balcony of the panorama view:



Here are some shots taken around London during my tour guide day with my brother and his girlfriend.


Create Your Own!

In all honesty this week in London and especially the party was the best break from Los Angeles a girl could ask for. And the rarity of it all was having all my immediate family members in the same town for more than a day.

If you are interested in shots from the party, check out my flickr page by clicking the picture below (when you are taken to the photo at flickr.com click on "Dad's Set" on the right hand side, to see all the photos). I warn you there are a lot of people shots, but there are also some nice shots of the appetizers and the location. If you have photos to add to the collection don't feel shy about sending them my way or posting them on flickr. Enjoy!

www.flickr.com

Curried Couscous with Broccoli

This is one of my favorite uses of couscous, and the flavors only get better after a night in the fridge. If you buy prepackaged broccoli florets and shredded carrots it's simple a combine and mix salad. You can easily elimante the feta and onions or alternately throw in more ingredients. But however you make it, it's great to serve as a side salad on a warm day or to pack for a brown bag lunch. Enjoy!



1 ¾ CUPS WATER
1 CUP UNCOOKED COUSCOUS
1 ½ CUPS SMALL BROCCOLI FLORETS
½ CUP FINELY CHOPPED RED ONION
1/3 CUP SHREDDED CARROT
¼ CUP RAISINS
¼ CUP DRY ROASTED CASHEWS, CHOPPED
2 TABLESPOONS WHITE WINE VINEGAR
1 ½ TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
1 TABLESPOON SUGAR
1 ½ TEASPOONS CURRY POWDER
1 TEASPOON BOTTLED MINCED FRESH GINGER
¾ TEASPOON SALT
1 (15 OUNCE) CAN OF CHICKPEAS, DRAINED AND RINSED

Bring 1 ¾ cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

While couscous stands, steam broccoli florets, covered, for 3 minutes or until tender. In a large bowl combine white wine vinegar, olive oil, sugar, curry powder, minced ginger, and salt. Add couscous and mix thoroughly. Add onions, carrot, chickpeas, cashews, raisins and mix thoroughly. Add broccoli and toss. Sprinkle cheese over top and serve.

It's Time to Celebrate!

Once again I am taking off to travel the world. If you know me, you know this is what I live for. This time it's for a week and the destination is London. The last time I was there, Christmas 2004, it was a trip to say goodbye to my grandmother. This time it's a time for celebration, and boy do we have a lot to celebrate! 

• My dad turning 60. 
• 20 years of living in the United States.
• My brother joining my mother, father and I as a dual citizen.
• My sister completing ten years as an accountant.
• 15 years of my dad working as an independent consultant.
• 15 years as an American Pharmacist for my mother.
• 25 years of living outside of the United Kingdom.
• My 25th birthday.

The big party will be next Saturday on the bank of the Thames. I'm excited to spend time with my family, meet new significant others and catch up with both extended family and friends. I know a week isn't long enough for everything I want to do, but for now it will have to suffice. I just hope that I can sleep some on my flight tomorrow.

Portrait Plum Tart

As pretty as a portrait, this plum tart is easy to make and is perfect for the fall. From start to finish in under an hour this recipe from a friend is a winner for when you need to whip up a delicious dessert that will always impress.

• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 pound firm ripe red or purple skinned plums
• 1 to 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Cut butter into small pieces and put in a bowl. Add granulated sugar and stir to combine, then beat with a mixer on high speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add orange peel, almond extract, salt and eggs. Stir to mix, then beat on high speed until well blended and smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup flour and stir to mix, then beat on high speed to blend.

Butter and flour an 11 to 11 ½ inch tart pan with removable bottom. Scrape batter into pan and spread level.

Rinse plums, cut in half, and pit; cut fruit into ¼ inch thick slices. Overlap all the slices on the batter; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar.

Bake on the middle rack of a 375˚ regular or convection oven until the batter that pops up around fruit is lightly browned and tart begins to pull away from pan sides, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar (on the cut fruit, the sugar melts quickly). Serve hot, warm or cool.

Patient Interviews

Part of being a dietitian is doing patient interviews. During the initial assessment the interview allows us to find out about eating habits, appetite and special diets of the patient before they were admitted to the hospital. We also find out about food allergies, weight changes, and problems with chewing or swallowing. In the follow-up assessments we focus on the patients tolerance of their diet in the hospital, i.e. whether they are experiencing nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or abdominal pain. We also are responsible for nutrition education, whether it is explaining what they are getting in the hospital or preparing them for when they leave. Interviews are my favorite part of the job because each patient is a different story. Some interviews are frustrating, some are very rewarding. Below are some examples of the characters that I meet during my interviews:

1. After a patient education session on a low sodium diet, I asked the patient whether she had any questions. To which she responded, "When they lower me into the ground, I am going to lift the lid and ask, 'Can I have some salt now?'"
2. Often times when entering a patient room, you find that that patient is sleeping. Sometimes we let them rest, sometimes we wake them up. Last week I interviewed a patient who was determined to sleep through the interview. After "waking him up" by calling his name, he answered my question and then would return to his snoring/sleeping state. After calling his name again, he would answer the next question and then return to sleep. It made me wonder whether he was just talking in his sleep or actually answering my questions.
3. When you do get patients awake and alert and ready to talk, it is important to not take their answers for truth. For example, today I asked a patient whether they followed any special type of diet at home to which they responded, "Yes a low sodium diet." I then asked, "What types of foods do you eat at home?" To which I was informed the patients low sodium diet consisted of cup of noodle for lunch and TV dinners.
4. Today I also learned that heavy exercise isn't necessarily defined the same for every person. The cardiac patient I was educating about a low sodium diet informed me that he didn't watch his sodium as he exercised and therefore lost a lot of sweat. For clarification I asked him how often he exercised to which he responded, "Right now, about once a week." I then asked, "What does your normal exercise routine consist of?" To which he responded, "I play golf." Hmmm.

The rewarding part of interviewing is when you get a patient who is really interested in what you have to tell them. They ask loads of questions, give examples of what they eat and suggestions for making their diet healthier. They want the handouts you provide, they read them with you and they ask questions to increase their understanding. It's when you get these patients that you feel like your education interventions might actually make a difference. As long as I keep getting one of these patients a week, I will be happy.

Roommates

Wikipedia says, "A roommate is a person with whom one shares a room or rooms. Affectionately known as a roomie."

 

My roommate and I share rooms . . . the kitchen, the living room, and the bathroom. However, we don't share bedrooms. In England you would call this person a housemate or flatmate. Why don't we, as Americans, differentiate between a roommate and a housemate. Wouldn't it eliminate confusion? And what exactly are the right words for this relationship in other languages? Consider this example:

 

While I was in Mexico I had the good fortune of having my roommate/housemate come visit me. I was very excited that she was coming to visit and therefore told everyone as many times as I could. When talking with my host family I wasn't exactly sure what term to use to describe our relationship. The dictionary told me companera de cuarto, but companera means companion, mate or partner. So, in order to avoid confusion, I decided to take it back to the basics and referred to my roommate as the girl I live with. I only realized that this was a mistake when my host mother asked me whether my roommate was my pair. Unsure of whether I understood her completely, I asked her to repeat herself. To which she responded, "Your pair, are you a lesbian?" Taken aback I realized I did understand her and had to figure out how to explain that no, in fact my roommate was not my partner, but rather a friend that I shared an apartment with to make rent cheaper. In the end we got it all sorted out, nothing like a little embarrassment to cement the bond between host mother and student.

 

So why am I writing about roommates? Because I have been living with mine for two years and 10 months and she's amazing.

Reaching a Quarter Century

When you're a kid birthdays are so exciting. Your parents make a special day of "your day". There's the anticipation for the birthday party where you get to invite all your friends over, play pass the parcel, swim, drive around go-karts or do whatever your favorite activity of the year is. Not to mention the presents, the cake, balloons, and sometimes even flowers. I have noticed that as you get older, birthdays become a little less special. No longer living with my parents and not having all of my friends in close proximity, it takes a little more effort to arrange something truly spectacular. So to celebrate my 25th birthday, I decided that I would have as many celebrations as possible to invovle as many friends as possible thorughout this month.

 

 

First of all there was the Dixie Chicks Concert. A huge fan of their music I was so excited when I found out I could buy presale tickets by purchasing their newest cd. Unfortunately the concert, which was originally scheduled for September 9th, has been moved until November. So this birthday celebration will have to wait for a little bit.

 

The next part of my celebration was taking a weekend trip to Veracruz while I was in Mexico this summer. It was my last weekend in Puebla and I decided that I should go out with a bang, enjoying good food, hot weather, and the beach on the gulf of mexico. I have to say it was awesome.

 

The official big celebration of my birthday was a hot air balloon ride. Somehow I was able to convince 9 of my closest friends to join me at 6am on a saturday morning to fly over wine country. It was an amazing experience and definitely the best way to remember my 25th birthday. It was a gorgeous, clear, sunny day, perfect for flying and when we got back to the ground we celebrated with an almond champagne toast and then continued the party with an afternoon of wine tasting.

 

Last weekend I was able to spend some time rocking it on the dance floor. Probably the best night I have ever had at my favorite line dancing bar. Unfortunately I don't get many opportunities to go line dancing nowadays and I really do miss it. The best part of this evening was that I was able to convince some of my non-country friends to join me AND got them out on the dance floor. They picked it up so easily, I think they might even be willing to go again. Or at least I hope they will.

 

My actual birthday was a mellow day, but definitely special. Phone calls, emails, cards and flowers seemed to fill my day. And in the evening I was treated to a wonderful dinner and dessert.

 

Tonight I am off to the Snow Patrol concert. Then in October I have one more party to look forward to and then I'll officially have to call it the end of my 25th birthday celebrations. I am so blessed to have amazing friends and family whom always seem to make my birthday special no matter how close or far apart we are. Thank you for your cards, emails, phonecalls and most of all friendship. Shall we do it again next year?

Ten Reasons Why My Dad is the Best!

1. During my childhood he made me chocolate chip pancakes on weekend mornings and took me for bike rides around our neighborhood.


2. He has great taste in music and introduces me to all types of new artists.


3. Not only does he give me furniture for my apartment but he rents a Uhaul, helps me load it, and spends five hours on the freeway with me as we bring it to my apartment. And then he helps me arrange it in my apartment in the 90 degree heat.


4. He helps educate me about wine.


5. He is capable of "dancing like Christina" and is not afraid to share those talents with my friends.


6. He is a traveler by nature and has provided me opportunities throughout my life to experience new cultures.


7. He is always available for career advice. Knows when to give it and when to just let me figure it out on my own.


8. He makes a mean beef stew, roast lamb, and kier royale.


9. He used to let me stand on his feet as we danced around the living room and made the father-daughter dances in high school unforgettable.


10. He's everything that a girl could wish for in a father and I'm so blessed that he's mine.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

In celebration of 25th birthdays everywhere I decided to make cookie dough cupcakes today. I found the recipe on 52 cupcakes Blog. Cupcakes are better than cakes for celebrations because you don't need a knife to cut them and you don't need a plate and fork to serve them. Plus they remind everyone of their childhood days, something especially important as you get older and also when the birthday girl is a kid at heart.


For The Cupcakes

• 1 package of plain yellow cake mix
  
• 1 package (3.4) of instant vanilla pudding mix
  
• 1 cup milk
  
• 1 cup vegetable oil
  
• 4 large eggs
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• 1 pound frozen cookie dough

Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Put the cake mix, pudding, milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract into a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing with mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Fill each lined cupcake cup two thirds of the way full, approximately 1/4 cup of batter. Place a frozen piece of cookie dough on top of each cupcake.

Bake 23-27 minutes or until golden and spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from cupcake tin and place on wire rack to cool. Optional: Remove each cupcake from its cupcake liner. Cool thoroughly before frosting keeping in mind that they may sink a little.



For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter at room temperature
  
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 3 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
  
• 3 to 5 tbsp milk
  
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Place the butter and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Mix until combined. Add sugar, 3 tbsp of milk and vanilla extract. Blend with an electric mixer on low until combined. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy. Add one to two tablespoons milk if the frosting is too thick.

End of week one and still no Dr. McDreamy

I've made it through the first week. Here are the highlights:

1. Getting to work for 7am means leaving my house at 6:15, which means getting up at 5, which means going to bed at 9pm.
2. During my first day on the floor, I did the new admit paperwork for my very own patient. For those of you in the know that means I did the SOAP note all by myself after reviewing the patients chart.
3. I'm so professional I already have people referring to me as Dr.
4. I get to wander around the hospital wearing a white coat looking important. Plus I get a name badge that opens locked doors.
5. One of the registered dietitians graduated from Cal State LA two years ago and we were in the Student Nutrition Association together.
6. During my second day on the floor, my supervisor not only let me fill out the paperwork for a new admit but I actually got to do the patient interview as well. A little nerve wracking entering the room and being the responsible one but it went really well.
7. We have already had two codes at the hospital, a false code red (fire) yesterday and a false code blue (Adult Medical Emergency) today.
8. Getting off of work at 3 is not early enough to get everything done in the afternoon, i.e. driving home, reviewing information that I didn't know that day, reading news articles about dietetics, keeping up on emails, cooking myself dinner and eating it, packing a lunch for the next day, and preparing information for the next day.

First Day Of Rotation

Today I started my clinical rotation for my coordinated dietetics program. If you had talked to me yesterday you would have had a conversation with a very nervous dietetics student. Part of the problem was that I had no idea what to expect. Should I review my notes, make sure I knew my equations, or should I just expect that the first day was going to be easy? But just like every first day at a new job, today was orientation day. I spent the morning reviewing the policies of the hospital and meeting a few key people. The entire dietetics office eats lunch together in the cafeteria. Then in the afternoon I recieved a tour of the hospital and reviewed some of the paperwork- chart papers, diet handouts, etc.

 

Here are some of the things I like so far:

1. The location. It takes about 30 minutes to get there from my house and I am driving in reverese traffic. Not an easy thing to accomplish in Los Angeles.
2. The people in the dietetics office. One of the women there graduated from Cal State LA two years ago and the other four are really open and friendly.
3. I have a schedule. I know who I will be working with for the entire ten weeks, I know when my vacations are and I know when my case study presentation is.

Watch out patients ... tomorrow I actually get to go out on the floor, shadowing  another RD of course. I also am going to observe this RD teach an outpatient class. Needless to say I am looking forward to actually getting my feet wet!

Photographs from Mexico

Definitely not all my photographs but here are some of my favorites.


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Oat Bran Muffins

I'm finally back from Mexico but I have yet to make it home. I've been making the most of my summer break by trying to visit as many people as possible. So for the past two weeks I have been staying with my parents. Unfortunately, their oven is on the blink and we've been having a few difficulties with the water, so I haven't been able to cook all those delicious dishes I have been waiting to try out. Luckily, the oven will behave for just long enough to make these delicious oat bran muffins. They are the ultimate in comfort food. Few ingredients, easy to throw together, moist and delicious to enjoy at elevenses or midafternoon. The recipe can be found on the back of the Quaker Oat Bran hot cereal box or right here:

2 cups Quaker Oat Bran Hot Cereal uncooked
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup fat free milk
2 egg whites
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
raisins and currants to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F. Throw all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, mix them up and then put them into 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Runner's High

So in case you didn't know, I run. The addiction started last year around October when T invited me and some other high school buddies to do the Run to The Far Side in San Francisco the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was awesome. There was nothing like seeing the sun rise over the San Francisco Bay and being able to hit the road with a group of your best buds. I had run before, mainly in college, but nothing was like the high I got after completing this 5K.

Shortly thereafter, I decided this would be my year to run the San Francisco Bay to Breakers. I was intimidated by the length, a 12K was a little bit more than the 5K that I had just completed, but I was determined. A and I have been running the Bay to Breakers every year since 2000, it's our thing. And as our thing we often talk about how each year we should run it differently; costume, walking, drinking, running, naked . . . you know, keep it interesting.

So the training began. Unfortunately, I suffered from an overuse injury in the spring and was basically out of commision . . . until now. This past week I have finally laced up my running shoes and gotten the high I have been missing for so long. Today I ran 2.5 miles, pain free. I'm not sure if my body can handle a 12K but I am definitely going to be signing up for those 5Ks. Anyone up for the Run Wild 5K at Thanksgiving?

I'm Back!

So I'm back in the United States but haven't exactly made it "home" yet. Since returning I have spent a total of three days in Los Angeles. So what have I been doing to keep myself busy? Glad you asked!

1. I visited my parents and had the pleasure of renting a UHaul truck. Said truck allowed me not only five hours of driving pleasure but also allowed me to remove a sofa bed, loveseat recliner, bookcases, and a kitchen table from their storage locker to be placed into my apartment. So anyone who used to think my apartment was a little uncomfortable to hang out in, you better see it now. Still no cable but we have comfortable couches and a new tv that will allow us to play ALL dvds, not just the ones from Sony. Although we know those are the best ones.
2. I spent a long weekend in the midwest for one of my long time girl-friends wedding. We've been friends since fourth grade and never in a million years would I have expected her to be the first to tie the knot. But the guy she's found is wonderful and I truly believe they will be happy together. Needless to say we had a wicked time in St. Louis for her bachelorette party. The wedding involved a lot of running around but in the end it was a beautiful ceremony and I believe a good time was had by all. The highlight of the whole weekend was the reception, after all of my maid of honor duties were completed and I could fully enjoy the open bar.
3. Last week I experienced the miracle of life and since then have decided I will never ever go through labor myself. Instead I think it is in my best interest to pay for a surrogate mother to have my child for me. That way I can avoid the morning sickness, the swollen ankles, the cravings and most importantly the labor. Either that or adoption is the way to go.
4. This past weekend my parents and I spent some time down in beautiful Monterey. There was a huge greek festival going on all weekend so we got to enjoy the food and the dancing. It reminded me of all the festivals they have in Santa Barbara during the summer. I also was able to get back into running. There's nothing like getting up early and listening to the sounds of the harbor seals as you breathe in the fresh ocean air. It felt so wonderful to be back in the running groove that it was a struggle to make sure I didn't overdo it. 

I guess that about sums up my two and half weeks back in the US. I will be returning to LA this weekend and start my hospital rotations a week from today. It's hard to imagine returning to my "normal" routine now that I have been away for almost three months. But I guess my "normal" routine is changing this year now that I am starting my dietetic rotations. What an adventurous year it will be!

Wrapping It Up

So there we were, three American women and a German man, standing on the corner in the pouring rain looking for a taxi. Unfortunately, due to the rain, all the taxis that passed us were occupied. And then he showed up. His name was Angel, kinda ironic now that I think about it, and out of the kindness of his heart he offered all four of us a ride to the restaurant for our closing dinner.

 

This isn't the first time that something like this has happened in Puebla. Maybe it's because we're foreigners, more likely it's because we were young women, but whatever the reason I am constantly surprised by the hospitality of the people here. During our ride we started talking about our program here in Puebla, and Angel actually asked whether I was a teacher in the school. For all of you who keep asking how much my Spanish skills have improved and whether I am fluent yet, I guess this shows that I can handle talking with a native. What a great compliment for one of my last nights here. Little did I know that I was going to receive another surprise that would be the icing on the cake of my learning experience.

 

During the closing dinner there are two awards to be won. The first is an onyx elephant from the excursion to Tecali. The director of the program writes a number and then all the students who went on the excursion pick numbers. Last month, I won the elephant by choosing the correct number, my lucky number 19. The second award is an award for the person who speaks the most Spanish throughout the month. All of the students get one vote and write down the name of the person they thought spoke the most Spanish throughout the month. Last month, I told one of my friends that I wanted to win the award in the following month, and this month I did.

 

I can't think of a better way to end the program, confident in my skills and ready to return to the US.

Es pan comido

The Top Ten Things I Am Going To Miss About Puebla

1. Having an Italian Coffee Company on every street corner where they actually encourage you to sit down with your friends and chat for hours in their comfortable chairs. They will only deliver the bill once you ask for it, even if it is three hours later.
2. Taxis. Is there anywhere else in the world where you can bargain your fare, have it only cost $3 to get to the other side of town, and have a chat with a friendly native?
3. The Virgin of Guadalupe. That girl is everywhere!
   
4. The gas trucks, because everytime they drive by it's like a party on the street dancing to their jingle.
   
5. Oxxo. If you thought 7-Eleven was everywhere you haven't seen the amount of Oxxos in Puebla.
   
6. Los Vendedores (the vendors) on the street corner, on the bus, inside restaurants, inside churches, literally everywhere. And they sell everything from batteries to toilet paper. Hot churros to seeds.
   
7. The rain everyday at 4:30, it's like clockwork.
   
8. Agua Mexicana- jamaica, pepino, piña, guayaba, sandia, zanahoria, naranja, betabel, papaya, etc. Why don't we have things like this in the US?
   
9. Having time in the afternoon to visit museums, shops, parks, local sites with a native and not having to think about any responsibilities. However, constantly thinking about how to phrase my next statement or question is work enough.
   
10. ¿Tienes cambio? Apparently you need a lot of change to get by in Puebla, but good luck in trying to find a store that can actually give you change.
    

It's hard to believe that my two months here are actually coming to an end. No more subjects to learn in class only two more afternoons with my conversation guide and sometime between now and five o'clock Saturday morning I have to sit down and actually pack. It's been an unbelievable two months here and anyone who is thinking of going somewhere to learn Spanish should consider this program. It's been a great learning experience and another adventure that has changed my life forever.

1600 miles away . . .

. . . but Hollywood has still found me. Today in the zocalo they are filming Vantage Point a Sony Pictures Film to be released in 2007 starring Mathew Fox, Denis Quaid, Sigourney Weaver and Forest Whitaker amongst others. The premise of the movie is an attempted assassination of the president told from five different perspectives. Today they were filming the car chase after the attempted assassination. Without even knowing it I spent the afternoon in Salamanca, Spain. All of the street names have been changed for the movie, the zocalo is now known as the Plaza Mayor and is decorated with Spanish posters and signs advertising bull fights and the like. So far I haven't seen any famous actors but I hear they are in town. They will be filming here until Thursday in multiple locations around town, hopefully I'll catch a glimpse of Matthew Fox. But most likely, not.

 

Other films with scenes in Puebla include Man on Fire and Frida.

Dichos

Here are some sayings that I learned from my family. Some are translated exactly and some are connected with the sayings we have in the United States. Enjoy!

 

Del dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho.

Actions speak louder than words.

 

Hablando del rey de roma y el que se asoma.

Speak of the devil.

 

El que a buen arbol se arima, buena sombre le cobija.

 

El que con lobos anda a aullar se enseña.

If you walk with wolves, they'll teach you to howl.

 

Camaron que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente.

A shrimp that sleeps gets taken away by the current.

 

Al que madruga dios lo ayuda.

Early to be, early to rise, keeps a man healthy wealthy and wise.

 

Mas vale pajaro en mano que ciento volando.

It's more valuable to have a bird in hand then two in the bush.

 

Mas vale maña que fuerza.

Brains over braun.

 

Mas vale sola que mal acompañada.

It's better to be alone then in bad company.

 

Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda.

You can dress a monkey up in silk, but a monkey it remains.

A Game of Tag

So I was tagged by my friend L to answer my top five, I had to make a few changes (underlined) in order to answer but here goes!

 

Five Things in My Host Family's Freezer

**This one's really tough because I'm not actually allowed in the kitchen. But the one time they were out of the house and I took a peak this is what I saw.**
1. Yogurt
2. Chocolate cake

3. Bread
4. Lots of empty space
5. Lots of empty space

Five Things in My Closet
1. pillow
2. comforter
3. rain coat for every afternoon at 4:30
4. a skirt that I've only worn once since I've been here
5. an onyx elephant named Bozo 74

Five Things in the bus
1. sheep foot for good luck or the horn (depends on the bus)
2. someone selling something (toilet paper, churros, or seeds depends on the stop and the size of the bus)
3. a child sleeping in the most unique position possible
4. the Virgin of Guadalupe

5. Shakira's song "My Hips Don't Lie"

Five Things in My Backpack
1. my notebook and pen for writing down new words

2. my translator for understanding the aformentioned new words

3. hand sanitizer, since the bathrooms don't always have soap

4. toilet paper since it's even more rare than the soap 

5. my Spanish Institute of Puebla student ID card, ¡don't leave home without it!
 

A Tourist in Mexico

After coming across this article today I thought I might write a little bit to let you know that if you are worried about my safety here in Mexico, you don't need to be. Luckily Puebla is a very calm town and everything here is continuing like it always does. We don't have any protestors here, no marches, no rallies. The only impact that the rallies and protests have had on us are changing our plans for the excursion this weekend to Teotihuacan. Normally we go to Teotihuacan and then to the castle of Chapultepec and the town square, both in Mexico City. Unfortunately, due to the masses of people in the city, this weekend we will not be going to Mexico City but instead will be visiting another town. I'll have to tell you on Monday what town it is but I have been promised that it is very beautiful and worth visiting. I hope you all have some exciting plans for the weekend, I will be here this weekend so we will be busy, busy, busy!

 

Until Monday!

Las Cuentas

Cuando yo llegué a Puebla todo parecía perfecto. La escuela, mi familia, mi casa, el clima, etcetera. Pero después de la segunda o tercera semana empezaron ocurir pequeños problemas en mi casa.

 

Todo empezo cuando un día encendí la tele y ¡sorpresa! no había señal de cable, solo tele nacional. Entonces corrí a preguntarle a mi madre que había ocorrido con el cable. Ella, amablemente y con una gran sonriza, me contestó "olvidé pagar la cuenta del cable y ya lo cortaron." Yo pensé no era un gran problemo porque you no tengo cable en los estados unidos.

 

Todo transcurría normal hasta que otra día me metía a bañar como todos los días pero esta vez no había agua caliente. Entonces preocupada salí y me pregunté a mi madre que paso con el baño. Otra vez, amablemente con su gran sonriza, me contestó "lo siento pero olvidé comprar el gas y tendras que bañarte con agua fria."

 

Esta fin de semana pasado ya tenía gas lo que hacía falt era telefono. Yo tenía que recibir una llamada muy importante de California . . . eran mis padres que querrían saludarme. Tambien otra llamada importante de mi amiga Joline. No fue posible. Entonces una vez mas me dirije a mi madre y pregunté por tercera vez que pasaba con el telefono. Yo espero una respuesta diferente a las anteriores. Sin embargo, ella me contestó con la misma manera aquella sonriza y ese tono amable que la caracterisa . . . lo siento pero olvidé pagar la cuenta del telefono y ya lo cortaron pero ya tienes gas.

 

Espero que esta semana mi madre no olvide pagar la renta de mi casa. Si no creo que voy a tener algunas problemitas con mi estancia. Tendre que buscar ascilo en algun lugar seguro o posiblemente que dormi en una caja en la calle en frente de la escuela. Otra vez esconderme en algun rincón del escuela y podré alimentarme de las golosinas que hay en la pequeña cafeteria de la escuela.

 

***TRANSLATION***

When I arrived in Puebla everything appeared to be perfect. The school, my family, my house, the climate, etc. However, after the second or third week little problems began to arise in my house.

 

Everything began one day when I turned on the television and surprise, there was no cable only network television. I turned to my mother and asked her what happened with the cable. She turned to me, friendly and smiling, and said "I'm sorry, I forgot to pay the bill and therefore they have cut the cable to the house." I thought to myself, okay not a big problem, I don't even have cable in my house in the United States.

 

Everything was normal until another day when I went to take a shower, just like all the other days, but this day there was no hot water. Worried, I left the bathroom and asked my mother what happened with the shower. Once again, friendly and smiling, she responded "I'm sorry but I forgot to buy gas and you'll have to bathe yourself with cold water."

 

This past weekend, we had gas but what we were lacking was the telephone. I needed to receive an important phonecall from california . . . my parents calling to say hello, and also another phonecall from my friend Joline. But it wasn't possible. Therefore, one more time, I turned to my mother and asked her, for the third time, what happened with the telephone. I was hoping for a different response this time but once again she turned to me, smiling, and said in a friendly tone, "I'm sorry but I forgot to pay the bill for the telephone and they have cut our service. However, we do have gas.

 

I hope that this week my mother doesn't forget to pay the rent for our apartment! If she does I think I'll have some small problems. I'll have to find asylum in a secure location or possibly sleep in a box on the street in front of the school. Or I could hide myself inside the school and nourish myself off of the snacks and candies they have in the kitchenette. I don't believe it will get this far but if I stop posting Blogs you will know why. Unfortunately boxes don't have internet.

Parque Loro

El sabado pasado you fui al parque loro con mi familia y mi amiga Joline. Fue la primera vez que salí con mi familia de Puebla. Las entradas fueron gratis por que Andrea trabaja en el parque. Cuando nosotros llegamos al Parque, Andrea estaba trabajando en la caja registradora y dijó "Bienvenidas señoritas". Nosotros nos sorprendimos dijimos "Aqui estas." Ella nos acompañó durante el recorrido. El parque no es muy grande es muy pequeño en realidad. El parque me recuerdo a mi trabajo que tuve antes de llegar aquí in Mexico.

 

Primero nosotros vimos un animal muy grande y raro ... ¡un oso de California! Después vimos muchas aves de diferentes tipos. Tercera tuvimos la oportunidad de tocar diferentes animales. Por ejemplo yo toqué una guacamaya y ella se paro sobre mi mano. Tambien yo agarré una serpiente blanca con manchas amarillas. Lo siguiente fue que encontramos una amiga de Andrea con su bebe Joe. Joe es un mono de un año con un pañal. Joe querría jugar con nosotros. Primero se subió a mi brazo y mordió con sus pequeños dientes mi codo. Después trepó a mi hombro y se sento amorderme el cuello. Después trepó la pierna de Joline y empezo a comerse la funda de su camera. Después de veinte minutos, y muchas fotografías, nosotros fuimos a ver los otros animales- monos, un antilope, tigres, kanguros, cocodrillos, mas aves, babuinos, y iguanas.

 

Después que vimos todos los animales tuvimos tiempo para sentarnos y comer y platicar un poco. Cuando Andrea terminó de trabajar nosotros regresamos juntos a casa.

 

***TRANSLATION***

This past saturday I went to Parque Loro with my family and my friend Joline. It was the first time I have been out with my family. The tickets to the park were free because this is where Andrea, my sister here, works. When we arrived at the park, Andrea was working in the ticket booth and greeted us by saying "Welcome Ladies!" This surprised us a little but realized that we had arrived where we needed to be. Andrea then gave us a guided tour around the park. The park isn't very big, it's actually quite small but it reminded me of Kidspace, where I used to work before I came to Mexico.

 

First of all, we saw a very large and rare animal . . . the california black bear. Afterwards, we saw lots of birds of different species. Next we had the oppotunity to touch some of the animals. For example I got to touch a macaw while it sat on my hand. Also I held a yellow and white snake. Next, we ran into a friend of Andrea´s with her baby, whose name was Joe. Joe is a monkey of one year who wore a diaper. Joe wanted to play with us. First he climbed my arm and beging to bite, with his small teeth, my elbow. Next he climbed up to my shoulder to sit. Afterwards, he climbed up the leg of my friend Joline and then began to eat her camera case. After 20 minutes and lots of pictures we left joe to see the other animals- monkeys, antelope, tigers, kangaroos, crocodiles, more birds, baboons and iguanas.

 

After we had seen all the animals we had time to sit, eat and talk a little. When Andrea had finished her work we returned to the house together.

¡Casi-Muerta!

Ayer, como una buena estudiante you hice mi tarea temprano porque iba a salir en la noche. Yo regresé a mi casa para esperar a mis amigos. Cuando ellos llegaron empezo a llover. Pero, no fue una simple llovizna. ¡Fue una enorme tormenta! Había truenos, relampagos y muchisima agua. ¡Llovió a cantaros!

 

El problem fue que mi hermana me estaba esperanda en un bar que esta del otro lado de la ciudad y yo no tenía el numero de su celular. Entonces, you pensé en caminar hacía la esquina de la calle para pedirle a mi mamá el numero de mi hermana. Me acordé que tenía un impermeable (chamarra y pantalones) en mi maleta, así que me lo puse para no mojarme. En el momento que salía de mi casa justo al abrir la puerta un raya cayó en frente de mi y hubó una gran chispa que me asustó mucho. Yo exlamé, "¡No quiero morir en Mexico! ¡No es mi tiempo!"

 

Despues de cinco minutos yo salí de mi casa para hablar con mi mamá. No usé mi paraguas porque yo se que los rayos caen en los puntos mas altos. Pero cuando yo caminaba recordé que yo soy la mas alta en Puebla.

 

El reste de la noche me quedé en la casa y no salí a ningún lugar. Pensé que los rayos eran una señal para no salir esa noche.

 

***TRANSLATION***

Yesterday, like a good student I finished my homework early because I was going to go out in the evening. I returned to my house to wait for my friends. When my friends arrived it began to rain. But it wasn't a little sprinkle. It was an enormous storm! There was lightning, thunder and lots of water. It was raining cats and dogs!

 

The problem was that my sister was waiting for me in a bar on the other side of the city and I didn't have her cell phone number. So, I thought about walking to the corner of the street, where my mother works, to ask her for my sister's phone number. I remembered that I had a rain suit in my suitcase, so I put it on to avoid getting wet. As I was leaving the house, about to open the front door (made of metal) lightning struck the ground in front of me causing a big spark. Startled I jumped back and exclaimed, "I don't want to die in Mexico! It's not my time!"

 

After five minutes, not wanting to leave my sister waiting for me, I decided to leave the house to talk to my mother. I decided not to use my umbrella because I know that lightning strikes the highest point. However, as I was walking I realized that, in Puebla, I am the highest point!

 

The rest of the night I stayed in my house and didn't go anywhere. I figured that the lightning was a sign that I shouldn't go out for the evening.

La Historia del Baño

Primer Acto

La primera vez que me bañé aqui en Puebla tuve agua caliente durante cinco minutos. Después el agua se enfrió. Yo pensé que había hecho algo mal. Pero, no. Es normal en mi casa.

Segundo Acto

Ayer cuando me iba a bañar no había agua caliente. Entonces yo le pregunté a mi mamá porque no había agua caliente. Ella me dijo que no había gas así que no me pude bañar. Mi mamá me dijo que mas tarde compraría gas.

Tercer Acto

Mi mamá olvidó comprar el gas.

Cuarto Acto

Hoy, mi baño fue muy diferente. Primero tuve que calentar agua en la estufa electrica. Después puse el agua caliente en un bote de basura y la mezclé con un poco de agua fría. Tambien necesité una taza para hecharme el agua. Desafortunadamente el agua estaba un poquito fría pero yo tenía que bañarme y lo hice.

 

 

Mi guía me dijo que en su casa ella tiene un calentador solar. Si no hace sol, no hay agua caliente y que tiene que hacer lo mismo.

 

**TRANSLATION**

First Act

The first time I showered here in Puebla I had hot water for five minutes. After that, the water went cold. I thought that I had done something wrong. But, no. This is normal in my house.

Second Act

Yesterday when I went to take my shower there was no hot water. So I went and asked my mother why there was no hot water. She told me that there was no gas and therefore I couldn't take a shower. She also told me that later that day she would buy gas.

Third Act

My mom forgot to buy gas.

Fourth Act

Today my shower was quite different. First I had to heat water on the electric stove. Afterwards I put the hot water in a trash can in the shower and mixed it with a little bit of cold water. Also I needed a cup in order to pour the water over myself. Unfortunately, I added a little too much cold water but at least I had a shower.

 

 

When I told my guide about this today she informed me that in her house she has a solar powered water heater. Therefore, when there is no sun there's no hot water and she has to do the same that I did this morning.

Los Deportes

El Futbol
Last Sunday I saw Cruz Azul play against Boca Juniors in the Copa 475 in Puebla. What an experience that was! I arrived at the stadium early with one of my classmates in order to purchase tickets. We had conflicting information about whether or not we would be able to purchase tickets but we figured it was worth the risk. Turns out that luck was on our side and shortly after arriving we found the ticket counter and purchased our tickets.

After purchasing our tickets and making our way past all the vendors we walked up the east ramp to the tippy top of the stadium. The seats were only 120 pesos ($10 usd) and we got to sit in seats with backs and as you can see we also had a roof over our head. Very important when it started to rain and the rest of the stadium ran from their seats to find shelter. Plus, being up so high we had a birds eye view of the action.

Even though Cruz Azul lost it was interesting to watch the people in the stadium. It sounded as though every single person in the stadium had a horn, although it was probably only about half of them. I also learned a few more cheers, mainly just chants of Cruz Azul. The funny part was when people started throwing toilet paper rolls onto the field. Honestly, who does that?! All in all it was pretty entertaining. I wish I could say the team played really well but it wasn't all that exciting. It was tied until the end when Boca Junios won in overtime. This game was a lot more calm than the game I saw in Milan, however there was definitely a lot more noise. Hopefully I'll get to see a game in England sometime and will be able to compare the three different countries.



Lucha Libre
You haven't seen wrestling until you have been to a WWF-style wrestling match in Mexico. I had been warned that it was going to be a learning experience but nothing can prepare you to be seated amongst hundreds of Mexican families cursing and yelling at each other. By families I mean mothers, children, infants, grandparents, everyone. Hand gestures, swear words, songs and taunts . . . you name it, I experienced it last night. And I definitely have a few choice words to use the next time someone won't leave me alone at the clubs.

But honestly it's something I think everyone should experience once in their life. I was suprised at how many young children there were, 8 year olds, that were chanting right alongside with their parents. Words that normally an eight year old probably shouldn't know. I can only assume that they are permitted to use these words in this situation and not in other situations outside of the arena, but who knows. The most entertaining part of the evening was watching a competitor conversate with a grandmother. And by conversate I mean she was throwing hand gestures and swearing up a storm as the competitor stood in front of her and swore right back.

We stayed long enough to watch three fights, but after watching one of the competitors in the third fight start to bleed and listening to the crowd chant "Sangre! Sangre!" I decided I had had enough. It was definitely an experience but not one that I plan to repeat anytime soon.

New Friends

So today was the start of a new session here at the Institute. Doesn't that make it sound like a mental institute of sorts? Anyway, it seems as though we have about 20 new students this month. A much smaller group than last month, much younger group and the majority are females. But regardless it looks like it's going to be a good month.

 

I am in the same classroom as I was in last month so I get the comfort of having the same desk. Not that it really matters but I did find the room quite comfortable last month. As of today there are three of us in my class: Brandon from Whittier, Bianca from Canada, and me from Monterey Park. Our teacher thinks that we might be getting more students but we have yet to find out. Unfortunately I haven't really had a chance to meet or get to know many of the new students. I got to see them all in the zocalo this afternoon when we met up with our guías but besides that I haven't had a chance to talk to many of them.

 

This month is going to be a challenge because I really want to get the most out of this program. So that means pushing myself to work really hard. I am going to take Wednesday afternoons to focus specifically on nutrition terminology which should be quite the challenge. I want to try to find some resources in spanish while I am here because, ideally, I want to do my master's project in both english and spanish. So we'll see how that turns out. I also need to work on my speaking abilities. Last month was all about the grammar and verb conjugations this month I need to focus on making sure I am talking correctly. I may be talking slow but at least people will understand what I am saying. So much to do and so little time left in which to accomplish it all!

 

It's weird to think that as of today I only have three weekends left here. This weekend I am going to visit my sister here at her work, she works at a local zoo. The following weekend Irene will be here and we'll be doing all sorts of fun stuff. And then for the third and final weekend I am planning a trip to the beach. Then it will be time to return to California, hopefully confident in my Spanish abilities.

Activities

So this week has been full of fun new activities. Monday we tried to go to Luchas Libre- WWF mexican style. Apparently a lot of Mexicans were interested in Monday's fight because the tickets were sold out. Not a big deal for me because I have another month. So that means I have four more Mondays to see Las Luchas.

 

Tuesday night I finally took a dancing class with one of the other students. We showed up at 6 and got a private cumbia (Mexican Salsa) lesson for the first twenty minutes. As a woman, it's a very easy dance. Basic step and easy to follow. As a guy I have no idea whether it is hard or easy. But I am thinking about adding this to the dance lessons for my rehearsal dinner at my wedding, you know 15 years from now. During this lesson other people showed up and eventually the real dance class started or should I say aerobics class started. The music was turned on and we danced everything from disco to marengue to salsa to chacha to hustle to who knows what! Definitely not what I was expecting but definitely fun. Plus it was the first time since being here I have actually worked up a sweat and got some exercise. Maybe I should do this more often so I make sure to fit into the bridesmaid dress.

 

Wednesday was my final excursion here and we headed off to Tecali. The name derives from two words: teti or piedra which means rock and calli or casa which means house (Rock House or House of Rocks). The city is known for its marble and onyx. We first visited a Franciscan convent circa 1540 and then the fabrica de marmol y onyx. It was amazing to watch the craftsmen turn a rock into a beautifully carved elephant. It gives you a whole new appreciation for marble and craftsmanship. Do you know how to tell the difference between marble and onyx? Onyx is translucent, marble isn't.

 

Today, thursday we have our final dinner with all the students of this month. It's hard to believe that come this weekend, everyone but four students will be leaving the institute. It's sad to see so many of my friends leave but I am excited to meet new people and be reenergized by their enthusiasm to be here. Apparently there will be about 25 new students. Less people than this month due in part to a warning put out by the American Government due to political unrest. It's too bad because Puebla is a city of Calderon supporters so there really isn't much going on here. No big protests or marches.

 

And, saving the best for last . . .  my roommate from Los Angeles is coming to visit next weekend! That means I have one week from today to plan out everything I want to show her. It also means we get to stay in a hotel and I will finally have a hot shower for more than 5 minutes and it will be hot enough to actually use the cold water. I can't wait to show her all the exciting things here and to finally, after four years, travel together again.

 

I guess that's all for now. I am going to run home and get all gussied up for tonights dinner. It starts at 8:30 and rumor has it that it will go until 12. Then afterwards a group of my friends and I are going out to Cafe Rumba, a disco. Tomorrow for class we are watching the movie Madagascar (in spanish of course!) because my teacher already expects us to be very tired from tonights outing. Therefore I probably won't post tomorrow but look forward to hearing about the new students next week! Have a great weekend!

The Streets of Puebla

At times, being a pedestrian in Puebla can be quite dangerous. It seems as though the taxi drivers have a death wish for anyone who would even consider walking across the street. It's especially interesting since most of the streets are one way and thus only have two traffic lights and no crosswalks. At night it's even more exhilarating . . . with practically no one on the streets the taxi drivers often disregard the traffic lights, choosing instead to use their horn to warn others that they are about to fly through the intersection without even thinking about taking their foot off the gas. Speaking of horns, Mexicans love them. Sometimes I think they just honk them because they haven´t used it in 30 seconds. But most of the time they honk their horn because the person in front of the traffic light actually waited for the light to turn green instead of going once the opposing traffic's light had turned yellow. Below are some other observations:

• Traffic lights in the US go from green, to yellow, to red. Here, in Puebla, they go from green to blinking green to yellow to red. The opposing traffic starts to go when the light turns yellow instead of waiting for their light to turn green.
• Pedestrians do not have the right of way in the crosswalks. If you go to cross the street and a car is trying to turn across the crosswalk one of two things will happen: if they are nice they will slow down (not stop) and honk their horn really loudly so you have a chance to get out of the way or they will just run you over.
• Two important verbs to know in Spanish: Atropellar- to be run over by a car. Salpicar- to splash like when a car drives through a huge puddle and gets you soaked as you walk on the sidewalk.
• Crosswalks are rare, even more rare are the crosswalk signals. Although the ones that do exist are quite entertaining. In the US we have a white man and a red hand. The white man is illuminated for a few moments then it switches the blinking red hand and eventually the red hand. Here we have a walking green man. When the countdown clock shows 20 seconds he begins to walk. As the countdown clock reaches 10 seconds he begins to jog. When the countdown clock reaches 5 seconds he breaks into a run. Then at 0 it switches the red hand. How awesome is that?!
• When I was riding the bus to go horseback riding this past weekend, I noticed the driver had a goat foot hanging from the ceiling. Definitely not rare here as animal feet seem to bring good luck. However this goat leg was a multitasker. As well as being good luck, it sounded the horn when it was pulled on. Brings a whole new meaning to "Are you pulling my leg?"

Los Caballos

So this past weekend a friend and I decided to take a trip up into the mountains to go horseback riding. We got a recommendation from students who had been last month and what an adventure it turned out to be!! It was the best horseback ride I have ever been on in my life. Plus it was the first time I had to figure out a trip all on my own. Usually I just tag along with other people's trips.

 

We had a little help from the director of the school to figure out how to get up to the mountains, but once there it was unbelievable. The most wonderful part about being here is the generosity and kindness of the people. The family that owned the horses were in the middle of washing them from their morning work, so they invited us into their house to wait until they were ready. We used the toilet and waited in their living room perusing photographs of the trip we were about to go on. We were even offered refrescos before our ride.

 

The ride started off on the streets of Calpan. As we got out into nature we followed a path, that wasn't unlike hiking trails I have been on in California. Next we descended into the valley and followed the path of the river. After about an hour we came to an opening in the valley that contained loads of corn plants. We got off of our horses, took a few pictures and then followed our guide through the corn plants. He proceeded to tell us about all the different types of fruits and vegetables that grew in the valley throughout the year. We then got to sample three different varieties of organically grown pears and three different varieties of organically grown plums. They were the juiciest and most delicious pieces of fruit I have probably ever eaten. It's amazing how many fruits grow out in the middle of nowhere. After our snack we got back on our horses and climbed the nearby mountain. From the top we had a panoramic view of the volcanos and the entire area around Calpan. We could even see all the way back to Puebla. It was gorgeous.

 

The best part of the trip was when we returned to the family's house. They offered us food and drink and then, once they found out we had taken the bus into town, they drove us back to Puebla in their minivan; Mom, Dad, three kids, my friend and I. Unbelievably the whole trip only cost 200 pesos. I don't think there exists a place in the United States where you can even touch a horse for $18 let alone go on a two hour ride in the most beautiful location.

 

So for those of you who were worried it would be a dangerous ride or we would get lost in Mexico or attacked by drug lords, everything turned out ok. I would definitely go back next month if any of the new students wanted to go.

Muchas Fotografías

Here are some pictures from last weekend's trip. The first two are of the pyramids in Teotihuacan.






This is a picture of the church in the zocalo of Mexico city. We first climbed up into the bell tower on the right, then walked across the roof and finally up the bell tower on the left. From the roof there was an amazing view of the city. In the second bell tower we actually got to stand next to the bell as our guide rang it. It was so loud I could feel it in my heart. Definitely the highlight of the weekend trip.





The following two pictures are from our wednesday trip to Cacaxtla. The first picture is la pyramide de la serpiente (pyramid of the snake) and the second is an original mural found in the ruins at Cacaxtla. It amazes me how well the color holds when you use natural pigment from plants, minerals and insects.

Slip of the Tongue

So yesterday the lightbulb in my bedroom burnt out. Before my family went to the store, I thought it was important to let them know I needed a new one. So I carefully looked up the words and created a sentence in spanish to express what had happened. This is how the dialogue went:

 

Yo: La foca en mi recamara se descompuesto.

Mi familia: ¡¿Que?!

Yo: La foca (pointing to the lightbulb in the ceiling) en mi recamara se descompuesto.

Mi familia: (laughing hysterically) Ah, el foco.

 

So apparently my carefully researched phrase had turned from the lightbulb (el foco) in my room burnt out to the seal (la foca), as in seal you find on the pier in monterey, in my room broke itself. Oops.

Bebidas

"Quiero agua, por favor." Say this sentence here and you have no idea what you are going to end up with. Agua here refers to a very watered down version of juice in the strangest of flavors. There's cucumber with lemon, cucumber with alfalfa, and beet. Then there's the normal ones like watermelon, mango, pineapple, and papaya. I actualy like the strange ones better than the normal ones because I am used to juice of mango, pineapple and papaya. The other good drinks here are horchata (rice milk) and jamaica (tastes like cranberry but is hibiscus).

 

The other interesting beverage here is the "milk" I get for breakfast. I say "milk" because it is dried milk with water. At first I thought I was just getting warm milk with my cereal, but then I heard my mom adding water to the powder in the glass, stirring it and presenting it to me at the table. It does the job for cereal but I am definitely not drinking it on its own anymore. Oh, how I long for a glass of real milk.

 

And lastly there's the chocolate caliente. Depending on the cafe you can either end up with normal hot chocolate or a cup of warm chocolate pudding. Both tastey but there's something less satisfying about getting a cup of warm pudding when you were looking for a drink.

Trabalenguas

Guerra tenía una parra

y Parra tenía una perra

y la perra de Parra

rompió la parra de Guerra

y Guerra pegó con una porra

a la perra de Parra.

Si la perra de Parra

no hubiera roto

la parra de Guerra,

Guerra no habría pegado

con la porra

a la perra de Parra.

 

This was the tongue twister we got this morning to work on our pronunciation skills. It brought me back to my childhood days when I used to be in speech therapy and had to repeat "She sells seashells by the seashore." Yesterday we had our excurions to Teotihuacan. It was really inspiring to see all the ruins and climb up the pyramid del Sol y la pyramide de la Luna. No matter how many pyramids I see it still amazes me how people managed to put them together without today´s technology.

 

The highlight of yesterday´s trip was la catedral en la zocalo de la ciudad de Mexico. We only had one hour to wander around the center of Mexico City, so me and a few other students decided to visit the church while others went to tomar un cafe/cerveza. I have to say this was the best $1 I have ever spent. For 12 pesos we were able to climb up the tower of the church and learn about the history of the bells. The we walked across the domed roof of the church and stood along the top. We had an awesome view over the city and I felt like the chimney sweepers from Mary Poppins were going to jump out at me and start singing. It was awesome! From there we walked to the other bell tower and got to stand right next to the bell as our guide rang it to signify 6:30. Loud but amazing. After that we climbed down the tower and out the front of the church. What an experience.

Mas fotografías!

These pictures are from our excursion this past Wednesday. We went to the nearby Tlaxcala. Tlaxcala is a state in Mexico located inside the state of Puebla. It was a quick trip but we visited a museum, a church, the plaza de toros and a museum about textiles and pulque.

This is a picture of the plaza de toros in Tlaxcala.


This is a picture of the murals inside the government building. All of the walls are covered by these murals depicting the history of Tlaxcala. It was amazing how bright the colors were.

Pulque

Agua de las verdes matas,

tu me tumbas, tu me matas,

y me haces andar a gatas.

 

TRANSLATION

Water of the green plant,

you cause me to fall, you slaughter me,

and you make me walk on all fours.

 

Pulque is an alcoholic beverage from the juice of the agave plant. Same plant where tequilla is from but pulque is not distilled. Yesterday on our field trip to Tlaxcala we actually got to try this beverage. To me it tasted like a wine cooler, however it had a very strong alcoholic smell. Luckily I was in the back of the bus so after everyone had tried their sip, I was able to finish off the rest. Let´s just say it made my evening homework a little bit easier.

Guía de conversacion

**DISCLAIMER: This is another entry in choppy Spanish. I took some liberties with the translation to make my point. Hopefully by the time I leave I will actually have the correct words to express what I have done for the day. Enjoy!**

Cada día a las dos y media, nosotros reuinimos con nos guía de conversación. Para dos horas, nosotros visitamos lugares en la ciudad de Puebla y platicar. Es muy importante para mi, por que es un opportunidad para mejoro mis habilidades de hablando. La semana pasada tuve un guía qui se llama Juan Carlos, y este semana tengo un guía qui se llama Cecí. Las dos son muy simpatico y inteligente de los lugares en Puebla. Tambien, ellos son estudiantes de inglés.

Hoy, Cecí y yo visitamos el exconvento de Santa Rosa. La vida de las monjas son muy interesante. Yo apprendé que las puertas son muy pequeña por hacer un acción de reverencia. Está necessario para bajar su cabeza para pasar. Tambien, apprendé la razón por que hay muchas tazónes en la pared de la cocina. Es porque los platos de comida hay differente sabor y cada tazón es por un plato differente así que los sabores no mezclar.

TRANSLATION
Each day at two thirty, we meet up with our conversation guides. For two hours, we visit places in the city of puebla and chat. It´s very important for me because it is an opportunity to increase my speaking abilities. Last week my guide was Juan Carlos and this week my guide is Ceci. The two of them are friendly and know a lot about the places in Puebla. Also, they are both university students studying english.

Today, Ceci and I went to the Santa Rosa Convent. The life of the nuns is very interesting. I learned that the doors are low as an act of reverence. It´s necessary to lower your head in order to pass through the doorway. Also, I learned the reason for all the different bowls on the walls of the kitchen. It´s because the different dishes have distinct flavors and each bowl is for a specific dish so that the flavors don´t mix.

It was very interesting day although I am very tired because my family and I stayed up talking until midnight last night. Not uncommon in my household. So now, I think I am going to go back to my house, do my homework, eat dinner and get to bed early. Especially since tomorrow we have an excursion in the afternoon.

Mi Primera Fin de Semana

Last thursday I had a panic attack when I realized that I had two days ahead of me with absolutely nothing planned. Two free days, it was unimaginable. So like most of the other students I started asking around what people were going to be doing for the weekend. Most students didn´t really have much going on, dinner, sightseeing in Puebla, etc. But luckily I found a group of students that are really friendly and actually had plans to go somewhere exciting. So . . .

On saturday morning our group gathered; Lynn, Laura, Marty, Joline y yo. We squeezed into a taxi and headed towards the bus station where we caught a bus to the nearby city of Atlixco. At the bus station we joined up with Susanna and her host mother and son, who turned out to be our guides for the day. I´m not sure what we would have done without them. Anyway, in Atlixco we climbed a mountain to visit the church ontop, wandered through the bustling mercado, people watched in the zocalo, an looked at crafts en un calle des artistas. In the afternoon we boarded another bus and headed to a pubelocito nearby. The village is known for its trout farm. The water for the trout comes directly from the mountain and they don´t use any chemicals to raise them, there´s nothing better than fresh fish. So after a wonderful dinner of fresh trout we headed back to Atlixco to board the bus to return to Puebla. It was such a wonderful day but very tiring walking all around. I can´t get my photos to upload from my camera, so you´ll just have to imagine what a wonderful experience it was.

Then on sunday I met up with some of the same people to go to Africam Safari. If you don´t remember it was one of the places on my list of places to visit in my first blog. I´ve never been to San Diego wild animal park but I imagine the two are quite similar. You board a bus with a guide and you drive around through the areas that the animals live in. There were lions, tigers, bears, elephants, monkeys, camels, zebras, reindeer, llamas, hippopotamus, capyburas (sp?!), y mas. Then at the end they had a small area, like a zoo, where you could see butterflys, birds, horses, monkeys, tarantulas, y mas. It was pretty cool. The best part of the day was stopping for dinner in the evening. I was finally able to try chiles en nogada and mole poblano. The mole was a little bit sweet and very unique flavor. I had it over enhiladas and I really enjoyed it. The chiles en nogada was a little spicy for me but very delicious. So far I haven´t come across any food that I don´t really enjoy. Over the weekend I also tried two new drinks horchata (rice milk) and jugo de jamaica (hibiscus flower juice). Me gusta mucho horchata, y tambien jamaica con melón.

I think I´m going to need a vacation from my weekend! This week we have quite a few trips to look forward: wednesday, thursday and sunday. It doesn´t leave me much time to do my homework but I´ll try my best! If anyone is considering a spanish language program . . . I highly recommend this one.