Hawk Whisperer

A few weeks ago, my mother woke me up to tell me that there is an injured hawk and I need to help it.  I absolutely LOVE animals and it breaks my heart when they are injured.  I was nervous to see what condition the hawk was in but hurried out of bed to help.  It was sitting on my neighbors door step and appeared to have a broken wing.  To see a hawk up close is a magnificent sight.  It's piercing yellow eyes, the feathers and it's colors, and the talons.  I can't help not to think of Napoleon Dynamite where he asked if the chickens had large talons. This hawk had HUGE talons! Luckily, a kind man on a walk stopped to help. We were calling humane society, animal control, and bird hospitals.  I used to volunteer at Project Wildlife and it's a great organization; however, I do know for a fact that birds that come in with a broken wing are put down. I was afraid to take it there because this is not a pigeon or seagull but a HAWK! However, it was either that or nothing.  We captured the hawk using a beach towel and placed the hawk in a box. I drove it down to Project Wildlife and told the kind volunteer about it's condition.  When she took out the hawk, it spread it's wings.  The wing span was amazing and what a beautiful beautiful bird.  While she was taking it out, the hawk looked straight into my eyes and strange as it might sound, I think it was saying thank you.  I never found out what happened to the hawk but I'm sure it was given a chance and is free and healthy again.  You can call me the hawk whisperer.

LIGHTS OUT

no no, I'm not talking about former Charger Shawne Merriman. I'm talking about the HUGE power outage that left 1.4 MILLION people out of power yesterday 9/8/2011.
As you might know, I just recently got a job at a law office here in San Diego as a secretary.  My duties are answering phones, taking referral calls, scanning, emailing, faxing, copying, filing, mailing....ALL stuff I never knew how to do.  Also, I had never worked in an office setting before. Talk about night and day working in an elementary school classroom and then coming into an attorney office. I was excited yet very nervous.  I went shopping with my mom and sister to buy nice business clothes and it's great to know that I can wear them without getting paint or glue splashed on them from my students.
It's a medium size firm and I have learned a ton.  It is a very VERY intensive job and I had to learn quick.  There is always something that needs to be done and not a time to sit and kick back.  EVERYDAY I am learning new terms and learning a lot about law that I never knew before.  I find it fascinating when I take referral calls and learn all the drama they are having! I proof read official documents that are better than any gossip magazine.
I've been here three weeks and this week I worked full time since the head secretary was gone for vacation.  The pressure was on because in an attorney's office there is no room for error.  You have to be PERFECT every time.  I felt comfortable and was starting to get the hang of things.
This week I learned a lot about myself. I deal with a lot of angry people on the phone and I don't blame them. They are under tremendous stress and very upset.  I am talking to them during the worst part of their lives for some.  At first, I took it personally and quickly realized, I had to make a change.  There was nothing personal against me, I was just doing my job. So I am slowly working on getting thicker skin and not taking anything personally in the business. Perhaps that's why attorney's get a bad rep but to be honest, they have to act that way to protect themselves.
Just like any new job and a new career path basically, it took time to get it down and used to it.  I am beginning to really like working at a law firm and working with adults. Even though some adults I wish I could put in time out and no gold star for the day as I did with my students when they behaved badly.
I haven't given up education and believe there might be hope in the future for our education system.  I hope it angers you just as much that it angers me how crappy our education system is and that there needs to be a change now before it's too late.  It's literally the most important thing in the world and people need to be aware and also...I need a job:)

So back to the blackout.  I was at work, washing dishes since someone ate tuna fish and it smelled HORRIBLE in the office.  The sink was clogged so I flipped on the garbage disposal.  3 seconds of flipping the switch..ZZBBOOOOMmmmmmm the power goes OUT! ALL the attorney scream/yell "ohhh my document, My emailssss". I thought I blew the fuse and my heart went down into my stomach! Oh man I thought I would be in big doo doo.  I kinda kept quiet to pray I didnt cause this but then I heard downtown lost power, then ALL of San Diego.  I know me turning on the garbage disposal didn't cause all of TJ and San Diego to lose power...could it?  We sat around in the dark...no phones, no computers, no nothing.  Not to mention it's 100 degrees outside.  I could see the 805 freeway from our office and slowly but surely I saw more and more and MORE cars get on the freeway.  This would be disastrous knowing that everyone is at work, no power, and they would go home ALL at the same time.  An hour later, I was told to leave and sat in traffic for a good 1 1/2 hours (not as bad as most ppl).
Traffic lights were out so surface streets were not better.  I made it home and decided to go for a run/walk and saw our favorite mexican restaurant still open.  It was great to see the community come out. Lots of other people were exercising and almost everyone was out on their patio with a cooler with beers and a bbq.  How great! I went home where my sister met us and we drove to El Cuervo and at in the hot restaurant with lots of other people.  Everyone was generous with tips that night as we appreciate them staying open.
We went home and where we found my dad and we sat in the living room and just talked to each other.  That was a great feeling that we hadn't done in maybe forever? We went outside and the moon was almost full and we could see a lot of stars.  My dad and I went for a walk and saw lots of people out. 
I was curious going to sleep if we would get the electricity back tomorrow and if I would go to work if not.  It was interesting tho my dog, Sophie, who sleeps with me was up ALL night. Not barking but just sitting on the edge of my bed looking out the window. I wonder if she had a sense something was not right and was protecting the family. Interesting, very interesting.
12 hours after the blackout the power turned on.  They blamed a guy from Arizona who caused the huge blackout. Man must he feel bad today, FML status.

It was very exciting but  also makes you aware if you are prepared for a disaster or not.  We were prepared for a blackout but we need to be better prepared if a disaster strikes. Make sure you are safe and prepared as well!

cooking runs in our family

Yesterday, my cousin came to visit from LA with her family.    Her parents own a new bakery that makes  gluten free desserts and also organic.  They opened it in the right place, Los Angeles, where they are all about it!  My cousin picked up a love for cooking as well and yesterday we discussed cooking/baking tips and read recipe books! She decided she wanted to make mashed potatoes and lava cake!  Sounds GREAT! It's pretty simple to make mashed potatoes but she added sauteed white onions, scallions, and garlic to it.  Heavenly.  Then, my mom has a bunch of desserts from a company called King Arthur.  We made their lava cake! IT WAS SOOO AMAZING and EASY!  I highly recommend King Arthur products! It was fast, it was simple, but most important it was gooo gooo GOoOOoooD!  We had a great time discussing cooking tips and exchanging ideas and who knows, perhaps future business partners? Cooking is def in our genes!

Our first Chargers game

As you know, I'm San Diego born and raised and love this city.  However; with my 24 years of living here (minus one because I was in Prague)  I had never been to a CHARGERS GAME!  My Dad asked me if I wanted 2 tickets to go to the pre-season football game vs the 49-ers. OF COURSE I wanted to go and invited my good friend AJ.  AJ and I played basketball together for a couple years and she moved down to San Diego a few years ago to go to Law school at USD. Now she's graduated and living here in SD!

I found out it was her first Chargers game and we were very excited, especially to see what GREAT seats we had.  We had a great time, even tho the Chargers lost and they were only playing their second string.  Next time, we will go during season and TAILGATE! Man, I love American sports!

Megan's SOUTHERN grits ya'll

Megan Lavine's Blog

Shrimp N' Grits...No' Cackalacky Style

I'm a Tar Heel born and bred (actually, I'm San Diego born and bred...but I was totally born with tar on my heels). Anyway, for all y'all that love Shrimp and Grits from the one and only Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill, NC, here you go. This is a tried and true recipe and it's absolutely delicious. Serve it with Southern biscuits, sweet tea (or sweet tea vodka and lemonade), a southern vegetable and banana pudding for dessert. You will be saying "y'all" in no time.

Crook's Corner Shrimp and Grits

Takes about 1 hour to make...I would recommend grabbing a "sous-chef" to help you with the grits while you make the shrimp.

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans chicken broth

3/4 cup half-and-half

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup regular grits ( I used quick grits and they were fine)

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

3 slices bacon

1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup flour

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup sliced green onions

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

lemon wedges

Directions

• Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually whisk in grits; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes or until thickened; add cheddar cheese and next 4 ingredients; set aside but keep warm.
• Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon and drain on paper towels, reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings in skillet; crumble bacon and set aside.
• Sprinkle shrimp with pepper and salt; dredge in flour.
• Saute mushrooms in hot drippings in skillet 5 minutes, or until tender; add green onions and saute 2 minutes; add shrimp and garlic and saute 2 minutes or until shrimp are lightly brown; stir in chicken broth, lemon juice and hot sauce and cook 2 more minutes, stirring to loosen browned bits from skillet.
• Divide grits into 4 large, shallow soup bowls; divide shrimp mixture into four servings and place on top of grits; top each serving with crumbled bacon and serve with lemon wedges.

Coconut Macaroons

I would think making a macaroon would be very challenging, but I recently learned in my cook off challenge 2 that it's very simple and impressive.  Once again, this is an Ina Garten recipe, (and if I haven't convinced you enough to go buy her cook book yet, this recipe will).  You will need, sweetened 14 oz. shredded coconut, sweetened 14 oz condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 XL egg whites at room temp, 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Combine coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla.
whip egg whites with salt on high speed till you get medium-firm peaks.  Carefully fold egg whites into the coconut mixture.
Drop batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper (it gets STICKY)
Use an ice cream scoop and place on pan
bake for 25 min (keep an eye so they dont burn, you want them golden dark brown)

It is very sweet so I dont recommend chocolate because it would be TOO sweet.  If your macaroons flatten, dont worry.  You can shape them again in your hand to make a nice dome.

Enjoy!

String Beans!

String beans are a delicious simple compliment to your main dish.  But green beans need lovin too and just wanted to share a secret that makes your green beans out of this world.  Shallots.  Saute shallots in oil and butter and combine with your cooked green beans, add salt at the end and bam. Delicious. Just another quick tip to really impress your guest, even yourself.

It's a Cook Off

Due to my new interest in cooking, my Mother stepped up her game and created the delicious summer dish with the herbal vinaigrette and fish.  So here come ROUND 2! DING DING DING. For my second meal in this cook off challenge, I made a delicious citrus shrimp scampi and coconut macaroons all from Ina Garten's recipe book. I'm telling you people, she can teach you how to cook and more!
The spaghetti dish was very simple and easy for anyone to do.  You need: Veggie oil, Salt, 1 1/2 pounds of Linguine, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (make sure it is unsalted), 5 tablespoons of good olive oil (important to know your food is as only good as your ingredients) 3 tablespoons of minced garlic (9 cloves), 2 pounds of large shrimp (Albertsons had AMAZING shrimp!) 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper, 3/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley, grated zest of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 lemon sliced very thin.  Now, just to warn you, the dish is VERY lemony! It over powers the garlic even.  If I were to make this dish next time, I would perhaps cut back on the zest or the lemon juice.

Next, boil the linguine. When I was in Italy, they eat their pasta al dente so make sure you pay attention to the boiling process. While it's cooking, in a skillet melt the butta and olive oil over medium-low heat.  It is important not to have it on high because next step is to add the garlic and garlic burns EASILY! Saute for about a minute.  I was told on a cooking show that once you start to SMELL it, it's done.   Next add the shrimp.  Add the salt and pepper and saute until shrimp turn pink.  I knew they were done when they shriveled into a firm ball.  Remove from heat and add parsley and as much or little lemon as you want (zest, juice, slices) toss and combine.  That's it! :) It was a big hit again for my cook off challenge and VERY easy to make.

Great light summer dish!

Nothing worse than slaving away in the kitchen on a hot summer's day. Tonight, my mother made this meal and it was divine! The best part is, she said it was simple and easy!

This recipe comes from the magazine, Cooking for Two 2011.

Pan-Seared Salmon with Asparagus and Herb Vinaigrette (serves 2)
-I am allergic to salmon and we made this dish with Halibut and it's just as fantastic!

*Note: To ensure even cooking, try to buy the fish that has the same thickness and size throughout.  The last thing you want is your piece to be dry and your friend's raw!
For asparagus, buy the stem that is at least 1/2 inch thick near the base.  My mom used pencil thin and it still tasted great!

RECIPE:

2 (6 ounce) center-cut fish fillets. Salt and pepper
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Bunch thick asparagus, tough end trimmed
1 small shallot, minced (chopped VERY FINELY!)
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard.

1) Pat fish dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 10 inch skillet over medium high heat. Cook until well browned (5 minutes
2) Flip fish over, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until center of thickest part of fillets is still translucent when cut into with paring knife.  Transfer fish to platter, tent loosely with foil and let rest while you cook the asparagus.
3) Wipe skillet, add butter and 1 teaspoon more oil, and heat over medium heat until butter melts.  Add half of the asparagus to skillet with tips pointed in one direction and add remaining spears with tips pointed to the opposite direction. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon of salt and gently shake asparagus into even layer.
4) Cover and cook until spears are bright green and still crisp, about 5 min. Uncover, increase heat to high, and continue to cook unti spears are tender and well browned on 1 side to 5-7minutes. Ensure all is browned
5) Whisk remaining 3 tablespoons oil, shallot, lemon juice, parsley, and mustard together in small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle over fish and asparagus and Bon appetite!

This meal was loved by all and the dressing speaks for itself! It's a great simple recipe that will really impress your guests!

Ina Garten's Lemon Meringue Pie

I have made this pie twice and it's a family favorite. It's easy, fun, and most importantly, DELICIOUS! I pass on this great recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris Cookbook. You won't be disappointed. 

Lemon Meringue Tart

2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

1 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

35 min

Level:

Intermediate

Serves:

8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• Kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
• 2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (recommended: Crisco)
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 4 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Lemon Filling, recipe follows

Directions

Combine the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Put the flour mixture in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times until the butter is in small bits. Add the ice water and process until thedough comes together. Dump on a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the dough and fit into a 9-inch tart pan with removable sides. Don't stretch the dough when placing it in the pan or it will shrink during baking. Cut off the excess by rolling the pin across the top of the pan. Line the tart shell with a piece of buttered aluminum foil, butter side down, and fill it with dried beans or rice. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and foil and prick the bottom of the shell all over with a fork to allow the steam to escape. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Set aside to cool.

Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.

For the meringue, whip the egg whites, cream of tartar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed until frothy. With the mixer still running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and beat until the meringue is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes.

Immediately spread the lemon filling in the cooled tart shell and pipe the meringue over it with a large star tip. Be sure the meringue covers the entire top and touches the edges of the shell, to prevent it from shrinking. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meringue is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature.

Lemon Filling:

1/4-pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 extra-large eggs

3 extra-large egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)

1/4 cup finely grated lemon zest (6 to 8 lemons)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1 minute. On low speed, add the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, and then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Don't worry; it will look curdled.

Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until thick, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Whisk briskly when it starts to thicken and cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Don't allow it to boil! It will be 175 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour into a bowl and cool to room temperature.

Yield: 3 cups

Dinner for the roommates

When I went to visit Anna in Copenhagen, she and her boyfriend, Anders, made me a delicious pork dinner.  It had pears and thyme and almost a year later I haven't forgotten it.
It's much easier to get back into cooking again being back in the states. I can READ the labels, understand the measurements and temperatures, and have cookbooks again! I wanted to get back into cooking by making dinner for my roommates...my parents.
I decided to make them Anna's pork chops! Although, I did not have a recipe nor could I find ANY recipe online that included the ingredients pear, thyme, and pork. I decided to research other pork recipes and wing it.  The dinner was fantastic and I highly recommend this recipe next time you feel like pork chops.

At the grocery store get:
1) Pork chops with the bone
2) Fresh Thyme
3) Pears. I prefer Bartlett pears (red/brown pear) and hard.
4) Golden onion
5) Vegetable Oil
6) Salt and Pepper

Recipe:

1) Set the oven to conventional oven at 425.
2) take pork chops and slice around 3 parallel lines in the pork chop to stuff the thyme in.
3) peel the thyme. Take the stick and simply pinch and slide down so the leaves are off.
4) stuff the slits with thyme and (as desired) sprinkle salt and pepper
5) In a skillet, put vegetable oil to prevent the pork from sticking
6) On medium high heat, place the pork chop on the skillet and pan-sear til both sides are a golden dark brown.
7) While the pork is cooking, cut pears in half and take a small ice cream scooper or spoon to take out seeds. Then slice pears 1/2 inch vertically.
8) Slice white onion an inch wide.
9) Place pears and onions in a glass oven safe pan and drizzle vegetable oil over and sprinkle (as desired) salt and pepper
10) When the pork chops are golden brown, place in pan and mix in with pear and onion mixture
11) Place in oven and leave for 15 minutes
12) Turn down heat to 375 and stir pears on top to bottom (do they dont dry out.) If desired, take your favorite apricot jam and spread over pears.
13) Let it cook for 30 minutes. Check to make sure the pork is cooked and tender.
I like to keep an eye on the meet and check it as I cook to see how much longer it needs.  You don't want it to be dry, but you don't want it to be raw. Remember when you take it out of the oven, let it rest a few minutes and it will continue to slightly cook.

Wah lah! You have Pork Chops with pear and thyme!

If you need a side dish, I would recommend something green.  Keep the vegetable simple since you don't want to steal away the attention of the main dish!

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I enjoy it!

New Inspirations

It's been 3 weeks back in the states and I have hit the ground running! I guess it must be the utter shock of having COMPLETE independence living abroad to living back in your parents house again. I am extremely grateful I have a home and supportive loving family while I am searching for work, but I'm just very eager to get my life rolling here in sunny San Diego.
My sidekick Sophie sits next to me as I continue to job hunt. I learned from past experiences and experiences from others that applying online is just a waste of time.  I took an Interview Techniques workshop at the Jewish Employment Network here in San Diego last night.  It was very informative and great ideas to calm your nerves about interviews. I highly recommend it, not only for the advice, but because it is FREE! It's for all ages and any career goal.  Plus they have free cookies, yum!
I heard on the news this morning there are 14 MILLION unemployed Americans. Wow. The competition for any open position is fierce and you really need to differentiate yourself to have a chance to go up to bat.
I loved teaching and it is literally a calling I have. I worked my tooshie off to get my teaching credential and pass those long and I mean long strenuous tests. Unfortunately, the state and tax payers can't repay my efforts by giving me a chance. It's really scary what is happening to our education system in America as it is the MOST important thing in the world. It's why we exsist.
Oye, but I won't succumb to limitations and keep my head high.  It's hard to do but you get more wrinkles frowning then smiling. :)

My Dad asked me what I want to do if not education.  He threw a bunch of ideas at me but nothing seem to interest me.  Then a light bulb lit up! Do something I love. I love to teach, I love to make people laugh and entertain, I love art, and I LOVE to cook, especially bake.

I've always LOVED the Food Network! It keeps me sane when I'm unemployed. My idol is Ina Garten. She has the best recipes and she has this demeanor that makes you want to be like her.  I've used some of her recipes and it's always a hit.
Also on the Food Network are a TON of cupcake shoes. Also on TLC.  CUPCAKES have never been bigger! And how could you not resist the cute, girly, chic, outrageously flavorful, trendy CUPCAKE. People go nuts for them.

Cupcakes are new and hip but have we forgotten our past.  When we think about this dessert you might automatically think of your grandmothers or a 50's Pleasantville wife. Can you guess what I'm thinking about? That's right...PIES.  Who doesn't love pie! They are simply a classic and America's symbolic dessert.
I want to know more history of pies and will share it with you in my blogs to come.
I love to make pies. From the crust, to the fillings, and the detail in the topping. One of my favorite movies was Waitress (if you haven't seen it...see it).  Pies have been outdated and it's time pies got a make over. They might always be used to smash in someone's face, but it's time to vamp it up and make the pie the new it thing in America!

I have decided that I am going to dedicate most of this blog to my dreams of one day opening my own Pie shop.  It would be dedicated to the best pie maker in the world. A woman I have never met but am named after. She is my great grandmother, Cecilia.  My middle name is Celeste and according to my father, she was the nicest lady he had ever met.  I want to honor my great grandmother and learn how to make pies half as good as she did.

My pies would give the pie a facelift. Make it cute, make it fun, make it memorable!


I will post the process of creating pies and sharing recipes.  I will also have polls and hope you vote on which pie I should make next.  Who knows, I might just drop off that pie at your door step!
If you have any recipes or suggestions you would like to share with me, I would love to try it.
You do something because you love it and I want to share this with you!

Re-culture shock?

Is there such a thing? Definitely.  Coming from Europe back to America you are simply feeling one thing, extremely grateful.  You appreciate the little things you never paid attention to.  For instance, the person who bags your groceries. They did not have that in Europe and I learned it is really tough to bag your own groceries. You might think, "come on, you put it in a bag..how hard can it be?" However, it really is tough. In Europe, they don't have long check out counters to take time to place all your items on, so you have to wait til she or he scans it to place more items down. But then you realize the other side is starting to run out of room and you have to bag your groceries.  You either have to pay for a bag or you bring your own. I became very good at using my Whole Foods bag I brought from home.  So I'm rushing to throw them in my bag and trying to place it right. It's tough because you can't crush your bread so you need to place that just right, cant tip the meat over otherwise it will run, and you have to place it like a Tetrix game so it all fits.  But you don't have that much time before they are done checking all your food and you have to pay.  See how the small stuff matters.
I went to Albertsons with my Mom the other day and the girl bagged our items so nicely, like almost to perfection. I turned to her and said, "I really want to thank you for bagging our groceries. In Europe, you have to do it yourself and I know it is not easy, so thank you." And I think that made her day and I'm sure lots of grocery baggers would like to be appreciated.  So when you are in the grocery store next time, just say thanks because small things like bagging your groceries matter.
Another thing, as you all know, and all of America knows, PORTION SIZES. What in the world! It is kind of ridiculous.  I literally can share a meal for one with someone and still be full.  With my girlfriends, we went to a breakfast house where I got eggs benedict and they got pancakes and french toast.  My portion size was huge with two large eggs benedict with a huge amount of salty hash browns and bacon. My friends dishes had 5 slices of french toast, bacon, and hash browns.  Same with the pancake dish. How in the world are you expected to eat all that.  I think America is brainwashed that it's normal to eat that amount and since it's on your plate you might as well finish it off.  If you don't finish, they ask, "What's wrong with your dish" nothing is wrong it's just TOO BIG!  I felt so sick after eating it too. But on the positive note, I do love free refills and sometimes I think they are OCD on filling your glass.  I would only take a couple sips and they would pour more and more in even though it was still full.  It's nice since in Europe the coffee's were a size of a kids cocoa and that's all you got or if you ordered a soda, it's one small glass (with no ice of course) and that's it.  Now I can gulp away.
Another culture reshock is customer service. Oh the mighty customer service.  In Prague, you can forget about customer service. They have the mindset, "well you ordered it, not my problem, too bad" and you can forget about complaining because they don't care. Europeans kind of make fun of us in that sense that we always say, "Let me speak to your manager". I mean I don't blame them with all the crap they had to deal with in the past.  But here in America customer service is HUGE! They are so friendly, helpful, and polite.  There are even notices to text how you liked your customer service at a place! Wow.  .  It's really nice to have customer service and I feel like most don't appreciate it.  Like when a waiter says, "Hi, how are you today?" and most reply, "Fine, i'll have a coke...etc."  Well now, not being used to such great customer service, I say, "Hi, I'm doing great! How are you today?" and really pause to know how they are.  I can see they appreciate it too.
Another re-culture shock was I was taking my beloved Sophie on a walk in Old Town and went through the heritage park.  I read about the houses and how "old" they were. OLD? haha it said from 1887. In Europe time, that's brand spanking new! My apartment was built in 1527! The outside structure has a lot of character like something you would see out of New York.  The inside was worn out and each door had a wooden carving on top.  It was kinda strange because some were people making out. hm.  Our apartment on the fifth floor though is new and as you can see/remember from my pictures...VERY nice.  I loved that apartment and wish I could bring it here to San Diego. I guess I have to find something new and modern.
America is definitely faster pace and we tend to forget the small things. It's like the saying, "you never know what you had until it's gone".  I have witnessed this first hand and can say, I am grateful to live in USA for it's freedom but also all the luxuries in the small things.
So next time you are at the grocery store, say thank you. Next time you are at a restaurant, ask the waiter how she or he is doing today.  Slow down and smell the flowers.

Keep Czechin me out

I just want to thank all of you for keeping up with my adventures through this blog. I hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I have enjoyed writing them. I enjoyed it so much, that I am going to keep blogging. Keep Czechin up on me and see what adventures I stumble into next!

US of Alison

I'm back! I landed in Atlanta and had a great flight over sleeping for 6 hours in a 10 hour flight. Thank you Benedryl. I got my luggage and went through customs. It was great to speak English and have no awkward mixed signals. He said, "Welcome back!" and he's right...I'm back.
I found my connecting flight and had a few hours so I called my family to let them know I was America and things went well in my last flight. I was getting jet lagged and decided to get some food. So many choices that all looked amazing in the airport. But my stomach was a little off so I had a smoothie. I asked for a medium which was the size of a BIG GULP. I ordered a Peach Strawberry smoothie and it was jam packed with sugar! I forgot that in Europe they don't use as much salt and sugar in things. It was tasty tho. I boarded my flight and was on my way to San Diego. It was a great flight and I tried to sleep again but no luck. This part of the trip was always the hardest. A few hours later, I landed in San Diego. Called the family to come pick me up and was so thrilled to be back.
I walked towards the exit and I saw red, white, and blue balloons. I think I know who those are for! I later saw my Dad, Mom, and Megan holding GIANT signs saying, "WELCOME HOME ALISON" Wow! They saw me and were SO excited! A couple of girls came up to me before I went down to see them and they said, "Oh you are Alison, we were wondering who Alison was because your family was SO excited this whole time!" I laughed and was like, Yup that's my family! It was GREAT seeing everyone and I missed them so much. It was great also seeing Allan who graciously drove the car around since there is no more parking at the airport due to construction. I loved the moist salty air of San Diego and seeing the sky line made me feel like I was home.
It is great seeing friends and spending time with family but I still REALLY miss my life in Prague. I skype with Mylene often and talk to Sarka on facebook. I miss having my own place with great people to live with. Now I'm on the job hunt and ready for the next chapter in my life. I have no idea where my life will take me but I had no idea that I would live in Prague for a year. It was a dream I always had and now to accomplish more dreams of mine.

Never goodbye but see you soon

The moment has arrived when it's my last few hours with my best friends. I wanted a farewell dinner in Prague and chose a great steak house called Cowboys. I invited the people who impacted me the most while living abroad and that is Mylene and Sarka. Sarka unfortunately got the flu and stayed home sick and was not well to attend the dinner. However, she did get dressed to head to old town to take our group photo. When Mylene's Canadian friends came to visit, they gave her a crystal with a hologram of their faces in it that was in 3D! I totally wanted to do that with all three of us! There is a place in Old Town that makes it so before our Cowboys reservation, we went to the shop and got a 3D hologram picture taken of us. I LOVE IT and it is the coolest thing I have ever seen. I got both a key chain that lights up and a cube that lights up to put someplace special. I will miss these girls SO MUCH.
Mylene and I headed to the restaurant while Sarka went back to rest. We had an amazing outside view of Prague at night. We ordered my new acquired taste beef tar tar. If you don't know what it is, it is raw ground beef, raw egg on top, and spiced with onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sounds gross but it is extremely tasty. They give you a few slices of fried or toasted bread and you rub a garlic clove on it and bon appetite. It's delicious. As if we didn't get enough red meats, we ordered filet Mignon. Heavenly. Then we shared a chocolate cake. Hey it's my goodbye dinner and ever calorie was worth it. Mmm we rolled ourselves back to the apartment. I think we both weren't ready to say goodbye or acknowledge this is my last night. :(
The next morning, I woke up early and got ready for the airport with ALL my luggage. I had two HEAVY suitcases, one heavy backpack, one heavy large purse, and a small grocery bag with my fragile souvenirs.
I was all ready to go and got ready to hand Mylene my keys. I hadn't cried and was wondering if I would have. When I walked down stairs to hand Mylene my keys, we made eye contact and BOOM it hit both of us. I just broke down crying!!! We had our moment and tears rolled. I am so so so so sad to leave Mylene. Yes we will always be friends and I want her to be in my wedding and in my life but I won't be able to live with her again. I am so blessed (and I rarely say blessed) to have met her. She is a great friend who saw me at my high and was there for me at my lows. I have never had a friend stick by me the way she did and my trip most likely would not have been anything like it or even possible without her. Wah!
I then jumped into Sarka's bed who was still sick and miserable and gave her a big squeeze. She was like, "Grr..I will see you in USA since I'll be visiting me sister". True, I can see Sarka a lot easier knowing her sister lives in Denver! Sarka was also a great friend and we had so many memories. The best was when we partied with Jeremy Renner. Remember that blog?! MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4 can't WAIT to see it. And our tennis lessons. Who can forget Alison Lavinova. I learned how to play on clay courts and I learned how to hit the ball with a top spin. Still can't play in a game but I need a tennis partner in San Diego to hopefully one day play a match and WIN! Sarka helped me understand the Czech culture and I loved her sense of humor and attitude. I will always remember our amazing vacation in Spain. That was one of my highlights of traveling and renting a car to Begur that was unforgettable. I will miss her too and she said she would be in my wedding and I promised her that the dress would be hot pink with puffy sleeves :) I think she was excited. Don't worry tho, I have something more important than thinking about a wedding...hello...kinda missing something....A DRESS duh! oye. But they both are WELCOME to San Diego whenever they want. If that day comes, watch out San Diego because we are taking over.
I love them so much and will miss them.
On the plane, I'm sure the teenage boy next to me thought I was a total wreck. I was so stressed from my goodbyes and ALL my luggage by myself. Of course I decided to wear heels which I would later regret. I made it through security and even an intense interrogation session before getting my boarding pass. But I made it to my flight and ready for my trip from Prague to Atlanta. As I sat in the plane waiting to depart, I saw the PRAHA sign out my window. I just lost it. SO OVERWHELMING and upsetting that it is over. From the places I've seen to the people I met, it's all over. The boy next to me offered me a scottish cookie and I sniffly said thank you. He didn't speak English but adorable that he knew a cookie would cheer me up. :)

I left my heart in Czech Republic

Absolutely incredible is what I would have to sum up my life abroad. I can't believe that a year had already gone by and now I am saying goodbye to a place I called home for a year and my closest friends I have made.
After an amazing vacation in Italy, Greece, and Croatia, I am back in Prague to pack up and enjoy the last few days before parting this beautiful place. Packing was not easy as shipping is quite expensive and difficult to do in the Czech Republic. It is very hard to get moving/shipping boxes and with lots of research, I found a storage store to pick up a medium sized box. I also asked around of how to ship my items home and which company to use. Luckily, the post office was right across the street from me, so I went across to estimate how much it would be. Surprisingly, it was inexpensive compared to the well known DHL and UPS shipping services which wanted to charge around $500 for one box! Ouch!
I wasn't sure how "dependable" the Czech post office was so I didnt pack the most valuable things in there. I then cleaned my room thoroughly because Sarka is moving in my room. Man is she lucky, because this room has incredible views and lots of space. I hung out with Mylene and Sarka in the evenings when they got home from work. We opened up Sarka's gift which was a nice sweet bottle of alcohol. We sang karaoke and just enjoyed each others company for as long as we could.
On Tuesday, Mylene and I did out last Taco Tuesday at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Prague, Benditos. They have the best happy hour with buy one get one free margarita and also AMAZING nachos. They were simply amazing and I will miss those when I go home (but I know burritos are my first true love). It is all starting to get surreal that it's all coming to an end. From taking public transportation, not being able to read store signs because they are in Czech, from being amongst Czech people and not understanding what they are saying, and most of all living with the best roommates I will ever have.
It was my last day in Prague and I had lots to do. I closed my bank account, closed my cell phone line, cleaned the apartment, last minute packing/stuffing, closing my gym membership, and most importantly, something I still was not able to do...The Jewish Quarter!
When it was my first day of work back in August, my Mom took a tourist day and walked around the Jewish Quarter. She said it was very interesting and historical. I read all about it know the background and significance of this place.
What makes the Jewish Quarter in Prague so valuable is that it wasn't destroyed. It has the oldest synagogues in Europe and treasures that were not destroyed/stolen. The reason behind this is that Hitler loved the city of Prague. He allowed the Jewish people of Czech Republic to place their valuables there before they were sent off to camps and slaughtered. He wanted this place to be a museum of the extinct religion.
Through the year, I wanted to go see this site but I kept postponing it or it was closed when I did try to go. So my last day in Prague, I had to fit in time to see this place! I arrived in the afternoon when I finished all my errands and took the audio guide self tour. The first synagogue I walked in had thousands of names written that covered every single wall. The tour said these were the names of those murdered in the Holocaust. Around 45,000 Jews from Prague alone were murdered. It's overwhelming and very upsetting reading/seeing all the names. However, it recently was rewritten because when the communist regime took over Prague, they painted over all the names.
I continued my tour through the famous Jewish cemetery which is the oldest tomb stones in Europe. The tombstones are literally stacked so close together and they are all slanted going in every direction and as close as an inch to each other in every direction. There are 12,000 tomb stones but x7 as many bodies in the cemetery. The reason it is so crowded is because of all the fatalities from the Holocaust and respecting their Jewish culture by burying them in the Jewish cemetery. I later saw more old synagogues and original Jewish valuables that were not destroyed.
The Jewish Quarter is a must see in Prague and is educational and historical. You learn how horrible the Holocaust was and to never forget it so it will never happen again.

Pictures

Dubrovnik

One night, the family that owned the apartment wanted to thank us for staying a week and threw a bbq just for Mylene and I. It was at eight on the patio. There was so much food and beverages. For food, she made potatoes, salad, stuffed peppers, breads, and bbq meats. The meats were traditional sausages, hamburger, chicken, pork, and bacon (thick). For drinks they had homemade red wine which I must say was very good. They kept telling us to eat and eat and eat so for 2 hours I was stuffing my face and drinking all the wine. I rolled myself to bed I was so full. It was a wonderful evening and really interesting to learn about Croatian culture. Very nice people and a filling bbq.

The next few days we explored more beaches. Copa Cobana which is where the locals went. We bought hot pink blow up rafts and we floated around in the water all day (great investment). We went to our favorite beach where we went kayaking (although the waved were huge and no where to lie down without getting soaked). And on a rainy day we had, we hiked through Old City, getting lost, stumbling upon a bar in the cliff overlooking the ocean. That was great and funny to watch innocent tourists stand in the "Splash Zone" and get soaked by an on coming wave.

One night, Mylene and I went grocery shopping and we got seafood and pasta. Mylene is an amazing cook as you all know and she made cream based seafood pasta. It was absolutely delicious! It was a great evening just sitting on our patio, eating great homemade food and drinking red wine. We were totally relaxed and getting tan.

Sadly it was time to head back to Prague. How quickly a week can go by. Mylene left on Sunday and I left Monday from Split. It was nice to see Split for a day but nothing as special as Dubrovnik. Plus it was raining there all week so that would not have been so much fun.

I couldn't believe all the traveling I had done and that was my last hoorah before I moved back home. I had an amazing time from the cultures I experienced, to the people I had met, to the food I had eaten. I was truly blessed to have this opportunity and it will be something I will always have. It was a GREAT 3 week European vacation and now I'm packing up for my final stop...San Diego!