California Wine Tour

In the two weeks I've spent back in the City by the Bay I have caught up with many of my wonderful friends and gotten to relive fond memories from the four years I lived here. I have also come to realize just how much San Francisco truly feels like home to me, and that returning one day (hopefully soon!) is definitely on my priority list for the future. Many of the things I love about this city involve food and/or drinking: Mission burritos, tapas and sangria, sushi, the most delicious coffee in the world, Ghiradelli chocolate, local beers such as Lagunitas and Anchor Steam, burgers, going out for brunch, mimosas, great cocktails and, of course, the close proximity to one of the most famous wine-producing regions in the world. Until this past weekend I had never ventured up to Napa Valley for the full wine-tasting experience, but a little internet research revealed a bike shop in Calistoga that organizes biking tours for the adventurous wino. With some luck I was able to get this amazing group of people together and we drove up for the day to check it out.

While the biking itself wasn't very difficult, I have to say that after several glasses of wine and being out in the hot sun all day, I was exhausted after this day trip. We arrived around noon and left at six, having visited four wineries. Labor Day weekend is a busy one in wine country, so we were lucky to find room at some of these places that tend to get packed with tourists. My favorite one was a small vineyard owned by an Italian family who had brought over traditional methods of wine production from the old country. It was interesting to learn something about the process and then to taste the results! 

  

All in all it was a perfect, relaxing way to spend the holiday weekend and I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to share it with. It's been so great to see everyone and catch up about the past year. I even had a special visit from my friend Jolie who flew all the way from New Orleans the first weekend I arrived. I miss everyone and it's hard to say goodbye, especially when I'm not sure when I'll be coming back, but I know that this is the perfect time in our lives to take some risks and just enjoy while we can the opportunities that come our way. I leave for Bulgaria the day after tomorrow for another year of teaching and I am looking forward to getting settled in my new city! 

From San Francisco to Istanbul...

I was wandering around the backstreets of Istanbul's Cihangir neighborhood last week with two fellow USF alums when one of them commented on the improbability of such a meeting, in a city over eight thousand miles from home. Then I got to thinking: a year ago, would I have imagined that the three of us (who all studied the Middle East with one favorite professor) would be spending time together now in Turkey? Maybe I didn't foresee then it but I can say now that our shared passions for new experiences, travel and culture have undoubtedly led us to this point in our lives and it makes perfect sense for us to be here, living out those passions. And when I think of my other friends doing similar things, not necessarily living abroad but definitely pursuing exciting things that they love, I feel both lucky to have this opportunity and inspired by them to continue exploring new ones.

I was reminded a lot of San Francisco during that week in Istanbul. Of course, there are major differences between the two cities, but the fact that they are both hilly, surrounded by water, have similar architectural styles and are full of art galleries as well as inviting cafes was more than enough to stir up some nostalgia for the Bay. There was also the Bosporus Bridge, very similar in structure to the Golden Gate Bridge, and the cable car line that runs from Taksim to Tunel Square, reminiscent of its iconic counterpart in San Francisco.

I don't know if many people who have visited both cities found their similarities so striking but it is undeniable that they have both inspired numerous poets and artists with their beauty, often layered beneath a grimy urban exterior. What I really love about both places is that they're not really like anywhere else. And they certainly instill a very unique pride in their residents, whether temporary or permanent. Maybe that's why it's so easy to fall in love with either one of them. 

Day of European Culture

The school celebration today was so great! Our room was decorated like a San Francisco cafe, complete with photos, posters, food and drinks, and of course, students in costume! We sold lots of baked goods for a charity fundraiser and had a fun party. It was amazing to see students got so excited about creating something different and to interact with them outside of the regular classroom environment. 

I helped a little with the planning but really over 99% of the work was done by students. They had so many wonderful ideas, like making a path out of flowers on the floor and dressing up as different characters. We had a few hippies, a baseball player from the San Francisco Giants and an authentic Vietnamese costume. Two of the girls even skated around on roller skates to advertise our room. Several of our best musicians entertained us for a few hours as "street performers," and I think they made a little money in their hats, too! All of the classrooms on one floor of the school were decorated with themes from other countries, including Russia, Spain, Austria and Monaco. 

I was really impressed with all the hard work everyone put in and I think that our room turned out to be one of the best decorated, and definitely the most fun. There was a lot of energy in the room and everyone seemed to be having a great time. It reminded me of home and maybe I feel a little more homesick now but I couldn't be happier with the results. Congratulations to everyone involved!