Week 1

Hi all –

So I’ve officially been living in San Juan Del Sur for just over a week now. It’s hard to describe just where to start with all that’s happened since I’ve been here in some organized fashion, but I’ll give it a shot. I’ll start off by sharing a few of my initial reactions and photos:

• It is no joke HOT here. Like….90 or so all the time. The room I’m staying in for the time being is totally insufferable unless I have a fan blowing in my face. And apparently it will just get worse during dry season…here’s to hoping I adjust.

  

  El Gato Negro – there has been a lot of time spent indoors to beat the heat

  

  Also a lot of time at the beach

• The town itself is really quite small, only 8-10 streets that run in some version of a grid, I can walk to the edge of central SJDS in 7 minutes or so – this is disregarding the outer neighborhoods (barrios) that I’m still not totally clear on

  

  I live on one side of town and those mountains are 5 blocks away and the other edge of town

• Family is super important. The family I’m living with is a grandmother and her children living with their spouses and children all in one house
• The electricity goes out a lot
• Most tourists can be loosely placed in 1 of 3 groups:
  • backpackers that are here to party or surf or just hang out in a beautiful place for a while
  • Those who are here supporting some sort of social cause or calling with a charity or non-profit group
  • And, those who are retired or have come here because they can afford retirement/a higher quality of life here

                 *many people can fit into more than one of these and of course there are outliers

• One issue with this sudden and rapid flow of tourism is that prices are going up. While it is still quite inexpensive to go out to dinner and pay rent or participate in activities like fishing, horseback riding, zip lining, surfing, etc. they are all rising pretty significantly while local wages are not

• I brought 4 cardigans that I can promise you I will never wear
• The wifi here leaves a lot to be desired…though it is easy to access free wifi at most local bars and cafes and even the park!

With that, I’m  at  very exciting and strange cross roads here in my life as a “blogger” (I use this title lightly as not to offend any real blogger who may beg to differ). In the past I was blogging purely as a tourist for somewhat short periods of time and as someone with loads of motivation and desire to travel on the weekends and experience new things as rapidly as possible. The difference here is that I am here for the next year and I’m working full time which means less travel and more time locally.

A lot of the other blogs I’ve read about Nicaragua read a lot like “how to’s” which I found incredibly helpful when making my decision to move here. I could write about the things I see hear and my opinion of it but run the risk of offending family, friends, co workers, and strangers about my private thoughts and reactions. The point is – I’m not sure where to go with this or what will be the most interesting thing to write about, TBD.

What I do know is that I want to become part of this community over the next year and have no interest is being grouped in with the foreigners that come here to party and be disrespectful of the local culture and environment while they are here. With  this comes the realization that I don’t want to be someone who takes pictures of the “kids” or the “people” here because of the discomfort that I know I’d feel if the local community here traveled to my home and did the same to me. If there is something worth taking a picture, for example the independence day parade I saw earlier today, then of course I will take a photo to help commemorate my time here.

This travel experience is different than anthing I’ve done before in that because the town is so small people will recognize me and I will have a reputation. My goals are to blend in, teach awesome English classes, and grow as a person – all of which I expect I can accomplish here.

So…stay tuned. This blog will hopefully grow into something consistent and interesting where I can share my experiences and learn a thing or two about myself and what I’m passionate about along the way.

Thanks for reading! Hasta pronto!

Alaina

Let’s be honest….

This has always been more of a travel blog anyway.

For those of you who are new to the blog – welcome! Expect pictures and totally inconsistent posting about my travels.

For those of you who have followed before – welcome back! Thanks for sticking around.

As an update — I’m moving to Nicaragua….tomorrow.

For those of you looking for specifics here’s brief run-down:

• I have accepted a position at a school in San Juan Del Sur (SDJS), Nicaragua (

  

  PC: 1800 San Juan Del Sur

• I’m leaving my life in the north east for, at least, the next 9 months to follow my passion for education and international development to see how it goes
• No, Ellis isn’t coming with me
• No, I have never been to Central America before
• Yes, I speak Spanish (for the most part)
• I am both excited and nervous

So, there you have it. If you are reading this an happen to live in SDJS or Nicaragua and have any advice or would like to play Frisbee when I arrive – let me know.

Stay tuned and expect updates soon. Thanks for reading!

-Alaina

Health & Wellness in College

 

Image by Kayla Hedman

 

Yes… this is usually a travel blog. But lately it’s been more of a life blog, so I’m going to talk about something that has become recently very important to me: Health & Wellness. 

My health/weight/eating habits/lifestyle (Whatever you want to call it, I’ve heard it all) is something I’ve struggled with and thought about the majority of my life. I was always a very active person, played sports, had jobs where I stood on my feet, etc. but love to eat, and I am not picky. I love really healthy, organic, vegan food, I love fast food, I love food that comes out of a plastic bag, and food you buy off a street cart in China…and this has always been my problem.

To combat this I have tried working out. Since I was about 17, give or take, I’ve joined gyms, started fitness classes, and pretty much everything you can think of to improve my overall health…and nothing has truly worked until my friend Victoria invited me to a RIPPED class at Champlain. Now, nearly a year later, I have no idea what it is but I’m totally and completely obsessed with this workout program, and it has encouraged me to try new things and stick with it, such as DaVinci Body Boarding, Tabata, Body Pump, Body Combat, T25, and various forms of Yoga. I started working out nearly daily while I was living in China and figured it was just a matter of time before I fell off the horse again, which has always been the case, and now almost a year later I’m still as committed, if not more than, when I started.

I’m not interested in a diet or short term solution, this is a lifestyle improvement. My eating habits are something I think about every day and I’ve been working, along with many of my friends and family, to make healthier choices. At this point I feel like I know nearly all these is to know about health and nutrition, I could practically teach a class on it, I just need to put that knowledge into my everyday life. Which is much easier said than done. This past year I have made significant health and wellness changes and it has been far more wonderful and beneficial than I could ever imagine. I have a #fitfam of 8-10 Champlain students and staff that continue to motivate me and work hard with me day after day. My friends Sara, Larissa, and Brenda are all working toward healthier lifestyles for various reasons and we work to keep each other honest and on track with our goals. My family who has dealt with me and my struggles for almost 22 years understand how I feel and how to support and encourage me.

This was an important step I decided to take a year ago and I feel so proud of myself that I have been able to commit to fitness, and can’t wait until I can pride myself on my commitment to healthy eating. I’m not exactly sure why I decided to write this post, I think it could be because I’m so excited about the upcoming Champlain College Wellness Day and hope that maybe another person will attend the event and decide to start their journey into a longer and happier life by making the decision to eat right and find a form of exercise that they love and inspires them, as I was lucky enough to do. I have a long way to go and this journey isn’t about a number on a scale or dress size, it is about finding a stress outlet and taking care of myself, it is about having more energy to be motivated and involved, it is about making social connections and treating my body with respect,and it is about having a long and happy life.

If you are interested please join us on Sunday at Champlain College for our Health & Wellness Day. It is free and open to the public. Please join the Facebook page if you would like to attend.

Whether you like yoga, RIPPED, personal training, healthy food, or just want to come learn what the hype is about we would be so happy to see you there.

 

Thanks for Reading!

Peace. XOXOX. Alaina.

 

 

I need a job…

If I’m going to run off to CA with my friends in less than 3 months and actually enjoy it and not be super stressed…I need a job. I didn’t think it would be this hard! When my dad was laid off or my friends who had graduated were complaining about the process, I thought they were just being melodramatic. This is like another part-time job, bring on the melodrama! 

However, some days I do truly love the experience, it feels like such an adult thing to do, looking for a job that will be a stepping stone for your career. ~Woah~

I have had a few semi-successful interviews, but I have received just as many, if not more, rejection letters. I worked really hard to get where I am so these rejections won’t bring me down! But….if you know of anyone hiring…send them my way. 😉 

Thanks for reading! 

Peace. XOXOX. Alaina 

I’m going on a Road Trip!

Photo Cred: http://www.escapecampervans.com

BREAKING NEWS:

Just confirmed (over the past few weeks) that I will be going on a road trip this summer with my two best friends, Sara & Brenda.

I was going to jump right into my career and try to find a position that started immediately after my internship but I never do things like this, take time off to enjoy myself. I started working when I was 14, took a month off when I was looking for a job freshman year of college, and didn’t work while I was in Spain (not that I would have been able to do much work there anyway…). So I’m allowing myself a little time off before I become a real person.

As the story goes…  I was casually perusing my typical coupon websites (you know, groupon, living social, ruelala, etc) and I came across a 40% discount for a  camper van   from The Clymb. After a bit of persuading I convinced my friends to live in a van with me for a week & I couldn’t be more excited.

Our tentative plan (that will change 50 times before we actually leave in June) is as follows:

Day 1: Fly into San Francisco, check into an AirBnB room and begin exploring

Day 2: Enjoy the morning in San Francisco, pick up the van and head east to Yosemite , stay overnight at campground there

Day 3: Spend the entire day exploring Yosemite and head back west toward Pismo State beach to drive-on the beach and stay there overnight

Day 4: The next day will be spent enjoying the beautiful sights of Rt. 1 such as Santa Barbara, Malibu, and Santa Monica, hopefully that night we can park the van at my family’s house to spend the next few nights in the LA area (hint hint, family) 

Day 5: LA, Baby

Day 6: More LA, Baby

Day 7: Head West to the Grand Canyon in the early morning, arrive in the afternoon and stay at a campground

Day 8: Explore the Grand Canyon, Head North East to Las Vegas, return the campervan

Day 9: Vegas, Baby (Where we will meet up with my other two friends)

Day 10: Another day in Vegas

Day 11: Fly back to Boston? (This could happen on Day 10 or 11 depending on ticket costs)

Overall we will be driving about 14,000 miles for 25 hours over the ~10 days. Yes, this route is indirect but I’m young and don’t care about the logical way to take this trip, I wanna see what I wanna see.

If anyone has suggestions on places to see or stay along this route please let me know. I’m hoping to update this blog, if I can, with the information about my trip including the stages of planning and the trip itself!

Inexpensive suggestions are welcome and donations for a soon-to-be college grad just livin’ life are welcome! We’ll call it a “graduation gift”.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, expect or remind me to write more soon!

Peace. XOXOX. Alaina

So earlier…

I was interviewing, via web chat, for an internship that I really wanted for next semester. 

So, of course, what happens? The fire alarm for my building goes off and I have to evacuate…. 

 

OKAY. 

 

It’s been a while

So…

It has been over 100 days since I last blogged – which is a long time. The intention of this blog was to talk about my travels but why not talk about my life in general? I’m a fairly interesting person, I like to try new foods and go new places and I’m busier than pretty much everyone know I know so why not add something else to do? I renamed this blog “All Things are Difficult Before They are Easy,” because it is quite possibly the truest thing I have ever heard. Life isn’t easy – it’s hard. Remember when it was hard to read? Remember when it was hard to cook dinner or walk upstairs without losing your breath? This is a blog for me to figure it all out – to try and make it easy.

By the by, Here’s a few photos of what you’ve missed the past 100 days:

Thanks for reading!

Peace. XOXOX. Alaina.

Beijing!

Hey Readers!

Even though I start off almost every post with an apology about how late my post is, I think this post deserves a big, “I’M SORRY!” I went to Beijing nearly two weeks ago and I’m just now getting around to telling you about it, (This apology is mostly for my parents who keep asking me when my next post will be up). I suppose I’ll start this off with some general statements and observations about the capital of China and then give a little info on all of the touristy goodness we experienced in the several days we were there. It is difficult to say in a few words how exactly I felt being in Beijing. So I’ll just say this:

•  It was a lot cooler (I’m speaking about the temperature, here), which was fantastic, but the air quality is ludicrous.
• The sheer number of people living in, working in, and visiting the city is overwhelming – to say the least.
• The metro in Beijing is one of the worst places I have ever been in my life.
• I loved the amount of culture and tradition that was evident in the city, despite how overdone it was sometimes.
• It is a lot more beautiful than Shanghai; however, not nearly as functional and efficient.
• If you are Western you WILL be bothered to take photos, wave, and say hello to other tourists visiting Beijing that aren’t used to seeing Western people.
• If you can help it, go on “off season,” I’m not sure what that is but it was far too crowded for my liking.
• Eat scorpions, you won’t regret it, and you will feel like a boss.
• The night life is sub-par
• Wear sneakers

I guess some of those are tips, some are reflections – but this is MY blog so I’ll do what I want.

So, my trip. On Wednesday evening Kayla and I took the high speed train from Hongqiao Station in Shanghai to BeijingNan station, we then took a very lost and confused taxi to Leo Hostel, which was a 7 minute walk from Tiananmen Square so our location was prime, and we had finally arrived! We got in around 12:30AM so we decided to call it a night so we could wake up and be hard core tourists the next day!

Day one we started the day by going to Nanchizi Lu where we had some delicious street food and did a bit of window shopping. From there we went to the Forbidden City where we took lots of pictures, saw lots of Pagodas, and enjoyed the fine Beijing heat and smog. But in all reality, the Forbidden City is cool, totally worth the trip. It was very, very hot and very, very crowded so I would recommend going when there are less people – I don’t know if that actually ever happens? Maybe go on Christmas Day or something? But, that’s what I have to say about there, there’s pictures below for your viewing pleasure. Later that afternoon we crossed the street and went to Tiananmen Square. Which, if I may say, is literally the most anti climactic place I have EVER been in my entire life – and I have been to some pretty boring places. It is literally a gigantic square, with a few big screens, a few monument/statues and a lot of police officers and people. I’m glad I went, but I have absolutely no desire what so ever to go back and see it again – mostly because there was nothing to see. BUT! You should go if you haven’t been, China’s all about the new and different culture experiences, right? That night we checked out the night-life – eh. And headed back to Leo Hostel for an awesome night in a 12-bed hostel that cost us 11USD/night. Nice.

We took it pretty easy on Saturday, we went to the Temple of Heaven in the morning. Which, much like The Forbidden City, was crowded and hot but still cool to check out, and we went to the Fake Market in the afternoon. Now, I’ve been to some pretty strange places in my life but this place is certainly top 10. Is is essentially 4 floors of organized chaos with more, excuse my language, crap than anyone could EVER need or want. There was clothing, shoes, jewelry, sunglasses, watches, make up, electronics – literally anything you could ever need and it is all painfully cheap. Everyone who works there is screaming and touching you – it is a very stressful environment. BUT! It was all very good fun and another place i’m really glad I went while I was in Beijing. That night we headed back to the Hutong our hostel is in, got some dinner, and hung out with our international house mates.

On Saturday we went to the Summer Palace, also very hot and crowded, but it was AWESOME. That afternoon we took it easy because the heat and activity was wiping us all out and we were going to the Great Wall the following Day! So! The Great Wall! We woke up bright and early Sunday morning to go on the “Leo Hostel Secret Great Wall” tour with a group of people from our hostel. The reason we booked this tour is because they go further from the city and there are less people walking the wall which I thought would make the experience far better than battling yet another crowd. AND I WAS RIGHT! We had the PERFECT day and there was only 30 or so of us on the entire wall. It was foggy, but cool (again, I’m speaking about temperature, here). We got to see unrestored portions of the wall as well as the “nicely” renovated sections. IT WAS GREAT! It was such a cool experience being at the Great Wall of China! It is safe to say I have never been anywhere like it before, and will unlikely go anywhere like it ever again. Totally worth the trip, so amazing. Later that night we checked out more of Beijing’s “night life” and it was a very bad night – should have stayed in! But, what can you do?

All in all the trip was awesome. As always, it was great having the chance to get out of Shanghai for several days. If you are traveling to China I would recommend checking out Beijing before rushing off to Shanghai. It is much more culturally relevant and beautiful than Shanghai. If you are planning to move to China, I would consider Shanghai. For a westerner, it is a lot easier to make a life in Shanghai. And who wants to live with a bunch of stinky, jean shorts wearing, camera holding, tourists? Not me! As always, below are all of the pictures from my trip! There’s a ton!!

Nanchizi

Street Food

Forbidden City

Night food market!!

Temple of Heaven

Summer Palace

Great Wall!!

Thanks for reading!

Peace. XOXOX. Alaina

Hangzhou

Hello readers!

I’m back from another short adventure in my time here in China. Since I’m only here two months I wanted to do a bit of travelling but nothing too crazy. Therefore, Kayla and I, along with our co-worker Jason, took a trip to Hangzhou, China this past weekend. I must say, there is not a whole lot to say about Hangzhou. It is especially difficult for me to learn things about the places I go because I can’t read in Chinese characters. Any information that may be provided about specific places we go is totally lost on me because I simply can’t read it.

However, I’ll give you a quick play by play on the weekend so that the pictures have some context – because we know that’s all anyone want’s to look at anyway.

• We arrived at Jinke Rd. metro station at 8:00AM Saturday morning, Jason was 30 minutes late and we thought he may not show, luckily he did. We then took the hour long subway ride to Hongqiao Railway station where we bought the tickets, waited for a while, then took the hour long ride out to Hangzhou.
• When we got to Hangzhou we were hounded by cabs and private cars and finally agreed on a price in a car with one of the most bizarre dressed women I have seen yet in China. She took is to Four Eye’s Hostel, which would be our humble abode for the evening.
• We then took the public bus (first time on a Chinese public bus!) and went to “Misty Forest” which was sort of like a state park/hiking area/family hang out type deal. There Kayla and I rented a tandem bike so we could see the entire complex quicker than walking – a 2 person bike is harder than you think. We did quite a bit of walking and stairs and biking and such and after several hours we went and had dinner.
• Dinner was alright, not the best food I have had in China. We then went back to the hostel to change out of our sweat soaked clothing and make plans for that evening. Instead of going anywhere we hung out at the hostel, met some people, and just relaxed for the night.
• The next day we woke up and went to what I think would be considered the “center” of old Hangzhou. We took a boat ride on the lake, yes, there was a lake, it was lovely. We then walked through some shopping streets where you could buy literally anything you wanted. After lunch and quite a bit of window shopping we found the subway, headed back to the train station, got on the train, got back to Shanghai, got back on the Subway, and then we were almost home!

As with Suzhou, it was really great to get out of Shanghai for a while. Also, the bed I stayed in had a canopy so it made me feel like a princess. I found that it is a little difficult to travel with someone when there is a language barrier. I think from now one Kayla and I will travel with English speakers for the sake of convenience and to decrease any miscommunication. I liked Hangzhou – A lot more natural beauty than in Suzhou which was very refreshing. I felt like I could breathe there – which is always a plus! As I’ve said – If you come to China and want to see something beautiful .. do not go to Shanghai. Beauty in china exists – trust me, it does. You just need to get far enough away from a city to truly experience what China has to offer. Enjoy the photos!

Thanks for reading!

Peace. XOXOX. Alaina

Suzhou, China

Ni Hao, readers!!

I’m back! Sorry for the brief hiatus, I have been really busy between work, working out (lol), surviving the heat, and sleeping to post about my past weekend. I love weekends here in China because it means I don’t have to work and I get to explore a little bit of China. This lovely weekend started off by going to a local club here in Shanghai called Yuyintang and saw a hip hop group called Shazam Palaces (me…at a hip hop show… hilarious..right?). Anyway, I went with my friend Ian, who I actually met on the flight from Chicago to Shanghai, and his friends Grace, Jacky, and Shine. Yes, Shine. This was a dive bar in every sense of the word, cheap beer, dirty bathrooms, and a very eclectic mix of hip hop  enthusiasts. It was really great to get out to a different part of the city and get to know some different people. We headed home relatively early (1:00AM or so is apparently early here in Shanghai) because my roommate, Kayla, and I had plans to visit Suzhou the next day.

Without a plan of when the train would come, or when they were scheduled for Kayla and I headed off on Saturday morning hoping for the best. My experience in China has very much been a “roll with the punches” type of deal. After a walk to the subway, an hour-long ride on the subway, and figuring out where to go once we arrive to Hongqiao Railway Station we have finally made it. The next obstacle: try to buy tickets to Suzhou. Because Shanghai is a city of 25 million people this Railway station is bigger than Grand Central, but here, no one speaks English. We decided to wait in a very long line with other Western looking people and hope for the best. To our delight once we got to the window and said “Suzhou” the attendant knew exactly what we wanted and somehow we got our tickets and would be leaving an hour later.

After reaching the platform and getting to our seats, first class..might I add, we were on our way to Suzhou! The train was really smooth and fun to ride on – I can’t wait to take it for longer when we go to Beijing! When we arrived in Suzhou, as our ability to plan would have it, we didn’t really know where we were going or what we were doing. I decided to buy a map from one of the hundreds of locals mauling the tourists in the train station and pointed to somewhere on the map and me, Kayla, and the cab driver were on our way. We chose to go to the Humble Administrator’s Garden (苏州园林) and see what we could find in the area. We chose well because we end up going in and seeing the beautiful gardens that Suzhou is well-known for and a few new and old temples. After walking around the garden for a few hours we looked for Pingjiang Street, one of the canal streets Suzhou is also famous for. Oddly enough, Suzhou is know is the “Venice of China,” I don’t know if I would go that far but it did have canals…so. Pingjiang street is part of the culturally protected zone of Suzhou so it is very lovely to walk around after seeing gardens and temples all morning. There were galleries, shops, great people watching, food, cafes — you name it. My only qualm: everyone was eating chicken feet.  It was disgusting.

After having a very late lunch on Pingjiang street we caught a cab back to the railway station to begin our journey home. Getting out to Suzhou was an excellent decision and if I had more time to spend in Shanghai I would definitely return. It was much smaller, quieter, and far more beautiful than Shanghai. The city is very manageable and easy to quickly fall in love with. As I’ve mentioned before, China (more specifically Shanghai) leaves me remarkably conflicted. Some days I’m thrilled to be here, this is an adventure, I’m only 21 and I’m interning in China for goodness sake. Other days I can’t stand the humidity and wandering eyes wonder why I’m here. Suzhou gave me significant hope for the res of my time in China. It was such a nice place with kind people and beautiful architecture. It is nothing like Shanghai, despite it’s proximity. I loved Suzhou and greatly regret that I won’t be able to return but I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to visit while interning here in China. Below I’ve posted some pictures from my trip. Of course, they do not do it justice but I tried the best I could!

Thanks for reading!

Peace. XOXOX. Alaina