Airbnb; is the way to go, anywhere!

When I was a Peace Corps volunteer, I always enjoyed the aspect of living with a host family.  I lived with a single Costa Rican woman in a remote village.  I found my experience was very rich because everyday we would talk about the simplest things in life such as the weather, nature, people, and culture.  I wouldn't get the local experience, if I didn't live with a host family.  This was a great way to emerge into a culture.  Few years later, who knew that this concept became wide spread virus as they calls it, Airbnb! 

When my husband and I travel, we would either camp out along the coast or stay with friends and family.  We are not the hotel kind of people, not yet.  I think one, because we enjoy spending time with our friends and family when we travel, and two, we enjoy the local experience.  However, as we get older and our friends and family got bigger, we thought it would be nice to maybe give them some space when we visit… 

Although I enjoy staying at a hotel, don't get me wrong, I sometime find it a bit pricey, especially for someone that is on a budget such as myself.  As we were planning our trip to San Francisco few months ago, we noticed the prices for lodging were expensive! Meanwhile, my husband loves to research about stuff before he makes decision.  So he did some research and found Airbnb from an article! We signed up, became a member, and booked our first Airbnb trip!

I got to say, even though it was a bit pricy in San Francisco; it was a bit cheaper than any hotel in the area! We found a very cute, simple, and small room. It was interesting that someone would rent out their space to a stranger that they don't even know and/or have met! The person that we rented from gave us great instructions on how to access the key, and left us a list of places to go to eat out. Overall, it was a great experience, and we were hook since then! 

This is taken from Airbnb's Website

Recently, we used Airbnb again!  This time was in Los Angeles, CA! We stayed in Boyle Heights area to get the local experience of the city. The person we stayed with had a private room that she rents out of her house.  She was so sweet and provided us some dinner, which was BBQ and breakfast! She also gave us information regarding the neighborhood's history and culture.  Right then, I felt as though I was back in Costa Rica with my Tica’s host mother sharing her story and experience with me. 

Hands down, Airbnb has been treating us well and we have been very fortunate to gain rich experiences with the places we stayed and the people we have met along the way. It is true Airbnb motto said, "Be anywhere and welcoming people into your home."  We are excited and look forward to traveling via Airbnb again.  

Turn Off the T.V. and Put on Your Shoes!

It is easy to take your shoes off, change your clothes to pajamas, and turn on the T.V., especially after a 9-hour workday! Once you sit on your couch with some snacks, you are done for the evening! There goes the idea of going for a nice evening walk or jog.  

I find it challenging to start a new routine, especially the kind that requires effort.  I realized, as I get older, I find myself welcoming laziness in my life.  I find myself enjoying a nice evening movie or catching up with my favorite shows.  Next thing I know, it is 10:00pm and I’m heading to bed.  Then, the next day it starts all over again.

I had set a goal to start jogging again.  Although I have not been successful at sticking with my goal, I need to be patient with myself. So far, I have been jogging once a week for three weeks.  This is a great start, especially I went from not jogging at all for the last six months!  

Today, instead of going straight to my comfortable couch and watching my favorite show, I put on my shoes and walked out of the door.  The entire time, my thoughts were debating against each other.  My chatterbox of excuses such as "OMG! My belly is jumping up and down! How embarrassing. I should go back home."  Then, there was the motivation side of me telling, "Imagine how you would feel like after you have a nice jog…  You'll be proud of yourself. Don't forget to tell yourself that you're awesome when you are finish!"  This constant debate chattered in my mind as I jogged passed the sidewalks, stoplights, shopping centers, cars, and people.  Then, 30 minutes later, I made it back home and I told myself, "I am awesome!" 

Today was a good day.  I just told myself to get my shoes and go for a jog.  I tried this yesterday, and I ended up watching a romantic comedy movie instead.  So the lesson here is that, you lose some and you win some.  Most importantly is that our mind is very strong.  If we challenge ourselves and allow ourselves to make mistakes and accept that is going to take few tries, we will be more acceptable to putting effort into things that are good for our body and mind.

Women's World Cup 2015: USA Champions!!!

Wow! Congrats to the U.S. Women's Soccer Team for their win today! I am so proud of them for playing beautifully together and great team effort! They took the final against Japan (5-2 goals).  You go girls! USA! USA! USA!

Celebrating America: the Land of Freedom...

When I was a little girl growing up in a refugee camp, I had a conversation with my father about America...

Dad said, "I am very happy. We are going to America!"

I asked with curiosity, "What is America?" 

Dad responded with a huge smile as he pointed to the stars,"America is the land of freedom and we are leaving tomorrow..."

Few months ago, my father took the hardest exam of his life. He passed the U.S. citizen test. Now, he is a proud American too! 

At eight years old, I heard about America. When I landed in this country, I felt in love with it! This is the country I choose to call home and I am very proud to have served our country. Gosh, I love this country. 

Happy birthday America! May you all have an amazing celebration and be safe! Cheers!