me + ecuador

i am off to ecuador in just about 28 hours. i am leaving portland at 6:20am on saturday the 15th and will return on november 15th. this will be my first solo trip and first time to south america. i was all super gung-ho about it when i booked the ticket and started thinking about the trip... but the last few weeks have been a little bit more of "omg, what was i thinking going to south american - by myself - for a month?!?!" i am sure it will be fine but i've been waking up before sunrise the last couple days due to pre-trip anxiety. i am also probably in the top 10% of the world's best procrastinators so am i packed yet? no, of course not. i am actually not that bad off though. i have downsized my luggage and will only be taking a 55 liter backpack which is quite small for me! i have a little backpack as a carry on but the idea is that i can get every single thing i'm bringing into the main pack. ideally, i'd like to even be able to have the clothes i plan to travel in packed in there as well but... that's looking to be a long shot at the moment. it's really not the clothes i take a lot of but all the other stuff. i like to be prepared so i have a mini first aid kit, bottles of vitamins/pills, makeup, ridiculous floppy safari hat i probably won't wear more than like 4 hours but i *might* need, a dry bag for the probably 2-3 times i might snorkel, and like a bazillion other small necessities...

anyhoo... it'll all get in there somehow and i am sure it will end up being a great trip. for now i'll turn my anxiousness into excitement and my worry into happy thoughts of possibilities :D

adios portland! (seems like i'm always doin' that, huh?)

san diego + anaheim

SAN DIEGO, CA: first week of march

we arrived in san diego at about 2 or 3 am after trailering from phoenix. we drove through the night so we could have our "weekend" in S.D. overall it was pretty low key but it was nice to spend some more time there. i really like it there. one day we went shopping in pacific beach and had lunch at a fun little brew pub. in the city, we went to one of the coolest bars ive ever been to. it was near/in the little italy section of downtown right near the airport. it was a mexican restaurant/bar and it had a walled in back patio that had no roof. as planes were about to land they wizzed right over our heads. it was so loud and awesome. it made your hair blow in the wind. about every 10 minutes another one would pass over. it was definitely a unique featurewhat a rad bar! definitely hope to go back!

we were only in S.D. for a couple off days and one work day. as a part of our tour we occasionally hit the stores on military bases. it's usually really busy and they have great deals on the cheese so i kinda like em. my coworker andrea and i worked the commissary at one of the navy bases there. it was a huge, brand new store and we sold a ton of product. we were told it was the highest volume commissary in the world - pretty crazy! it's funny being a civilian on base though. there are strict regulations on getting in and we almost didn't get in because we needed someone to sponsor us on base... anyhoo, it can be a bit trying at times but it always has worked out in the end.

ANAHEIM, CA: march 2011

we stayed in anaheim for a little over three weeks and we were at a hotel right next to disneyland. every night at 9pm i could hear and see the fire works from the window of my room. this was the first hotel that had a kitchen and it was a BIG deal. the first day we pulled into town a car load of us all hit the grocery store and we could hardly fit all of our groceries in the trunk. we got a little carried away but were very much enjoying cooking some of our meals for the duration of our stay. not having a kitchen is one of the harder aspects of life on the road, especially since i eat vegetarian now a days, it gets old only having one or two menu options available for me so i really enjoy cooking for myself. usually for lunch while working i have a veggie sammy. i have NEVER eaten so many sandwiches before in my life. good thing i love them, especially a good one. i've probably eaten over one hundred since january! when we don't have kitchens we usually have at least a mini-fridge and a microwave. i can get down with that. about once or twice a week i make a broccoli and sharp cheddar stuffed baked potato, it's pretty good and easy to make with limited equipment. it's my take on one of my favorite meals at BJs restaurant, the giant stuffed potatoes although a tad bit healthier since my version isn't slathered in alfredo sauce - lol! i have a big plastic bin i lug around filled with a few supplies (bowls/cutting board/knives) and food items to help ease the lack of a kitchen. it's also home to a few other random items like a scale and two baseball hats i bought at games i attended in LA and SF.

in anaheim we did grocery stores in orange county. it was a pretty fun time. nothing that memorable or eventful happen work wise... or at least nothing is coming to mind right now ;) it has been a few months since then! ha ha... we talk to SO many people everyday sometimes the days and weeks just run together...

so. cal also meant i had easy access to one of my favorite things: sprinkles cupcakes! i made a couple special trips out to get some of their tasty treats. their vanilla-vanilla cupcake is my absolute favorite. i so wish my cupcakes eventually get that good! omg i can smell it now, so vanillay and delicious. yummmmmmm :)

i also had a chance to go whale watching in dana point, ca on a day off. we didn't find any whales but we did see a few sea lions and pods of dolphins several times. they were swimming right next to the boat and playing in the wake. it was no whale but it was still pretty cool! the company i went with guarantees a whale sighting so if you don't see one, you can bring back your ticket stub and get another trip free so next year maybe i will have to take up that offer so i can see the elusive grey whale. ahh i love whales! ha ha ha...

to be continued...

noelle + phx

well, hello again there internet universe... here i am in salt lake city nearly done with my year of promotions for that cheese company! the last eight or so months have been awesome, crazy, whirlwindy and overall, unforgettable. i figure i should make an update and start blogging little recaps of where and what i have done since my last post in january when i was first hired to be a cheese promoter. let's start with tour spot number 1:

PHOENIX, AZ: late january - february 2011

we started off in phoenix, arizona at the end of january and stayed there through february. it was great getting to know my new coworkers, learning the job and being in a new city i had never visited before. really though, arizona is not my kinda place... it was hot, really hot and i kinda thought the people there were just okay - not as friendly as i'm used to in oregon. although, at work i met a ton of great customers and had lots of long talks with retirees who just want someone to listen to them... i like being there for someone to talk to even if it's not 100% about the cheese. i have heard some great stories this year - that's for sure! one of my most distinct arizona memories was working at a grocery store where there was a whole row of golf cart parking. only in arizona, right?! snowbird and retired people's haven! we also spent a LOT of time driving around the greater phoenix. we must have done grocery stores in all the surrounding cities and we were driving for an hour or two hours each way for work, per day. the phoenix area is very spread out... they've sure got a lotta wide open space down there!

in my off time there, i didn't to a whole bunch. this was kind of my acclimation period to getting used to living on the road and in a hotel room. many of my off days were spent bumming around and then hitting the town with my coworkers. it was also my first experience not having the actual weekend off. our non-work days on tour have typically been tuesday and wednesday. there are aspects about this that i like but it also gets a little annoying to never have an actual weekend day off.

i also got very, very sick with the flu about three weeks in. it was horrible! i laid in bed for three (off) days in a row. i sucked it up for work when i was starting to feel pretty crappy but it seemed the real sickness hit for our off days anyhow - funny how that works, isnt it?! ;) i eventually made a full recovery of course after downing about 17 bottles of orange juice/vitamin water combined with bed rest for 72 hours! being sick away from home is always extra lame.

i also made great friends with my coworkers during this time. it's like we are one big tour family and this was my first experience spending so much time with 7 other people. it's like college, living in the dorms all over again and getting to know complete strangers very well in about an instant! we all got to know each other incredibly fast! and now, i can't imagine life without my tour family at this point!

at the end of february, we packed it up and rolled out about 8pm for our 7 hour over night drive to san diego, california.

to be continued...

new work adventure

in 2009 i found work in japan. in 2011 i have found work traveling in the SW USA as a brand ambassador. i will leaving in 4 days to being a new eight month adventure. i will be representing a popular local cheese company from oregon. the main part of our job is to have new consumers taste the delicious product. there is a team of 8 of us (2 managers, and 6 BAs). each day we will do events in cites at three grocery stores per day (2 BAs per store). sometimes we will go to larger consumer events and have a booth there (farmers markets, zoos, etc). along with handing out cheese, we have coupons, cute buttons, recipe cards and information about the brand. i love to talk and i love to boast about my state and things from my state so i am very excited about this new job. getting paid to travel and talk - what more could i ask for?! we will be in phoenix, san diego, LA, bay area, sacramento, salt lake city and denver. i haven't spent much time in most of these cities so i am super stoked to see new places and take it all in. i hope to update this blog more so i can post photos and share excerpts from my life on the road!

i have not written for a l-o-n-g time. i first made this blog to help share my experience in japan. i spent a year in nagoya. i came home at the end of march 2010 and since then i have worked a couple different jobs.

first i worked as an educational assistant for a summer school program. shortly after that ended i worked as a tutor part time and also for the boys & girls club of america in one of their after school programs. i was pretty busy, running between different schools but was only working about 20 hours per week and pretty low pay. i did enjoy working with the kids and all my different experiences in education has made me consider pursuing a master's degree in education to become a teacher.

while i worked the two part time jobs i kept looking for jobs and i found a different one as an assistant at a high school. still part time at 25 hrs/week but more per hour and less running around. i am currently working at the high school. i work as an assistant to the career & counseling center teacher and i also keep a computer lab open for after school hours. i have had a good time there so far and have gotten to know a few students. the people i work with are all super nice and it's a good atmosphere.

a big thing that happened since i came home was accomplishing one of my dreams. in august i bought a '72 volkswagen beetle. it's yellow and i named her penny! it was somewhat of a fluke. i just randomly looked on craigslist that day and was browsing the VWs. i went and test drove a light blue junker that was for sale for $1,500. it was way too much of a project for me. then i found a little gem located down here eugene. i called and was coached by dad as i got the specifics on the car; used as a tow vehicle for an older couple, had a complete restoration in the 90s and was overall in good shape with only some paint chips from towing. i was freaking out. i have wanted a bug since i was about 4. after the first phone call i arranged to go see the car. after an hour of freaking out i called back and got their voicemail. i asked if he wouldn't sell the car before i took a look at it (just in case someone came to see it before we got down there) and he agreed. so off my dad and i went! the car was everything i wanted in a little bug. i was a little shaky on stick shift but i drove her a tiny bit and fell in love instantly pretty much. i had cash in hand because i just had a feeling i would probably get her... and i did!

the people i bought penny from with their grandson. i named her, she didn't have a name when i bough her.

beep beep!

a happy girl in the cutest little car, ever!

i have since mastered driving a stick and even though i have had her for about 5 months now, i get a smile every time i see my little car. true bug luv!

now and again i do get a little nostalgic for japan and my friends there. i keep making myself remember details about my time there (my bike ride to school, my apartment, downtown) so i will never forget it. i may plan a visit there sometime soon!

i plan to start updating this regularly, ok who are we kidding, at least semi-regularly now. bear with me ;)

day 23 + 1,000 cranes!!!

today i finished my cranes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! whoo hooo, i was so excited as i folded the last few cranes. my friend kim came to my apartment to see the cranes and to take some photos. for the last crane i picked out a bright yellow (my favorite color) hello kitty paper. i wrote my wish on the inside of it and was so giddy as i made the final crane. then i started to string together the rest of the cranes. i had 9 sets of 40 that were not strung together so i finished the day doing that.

i feel really happy to have met my goal of 1,000 paper cranes (and in 23 days at that!). i think it's a pretty crazy thing to do but am really happy to have completed my 1,000 paper cranes. next i will carefully package them up and airmail them back to oregon where i will figure out how i want to display and hang the strings of cranes. i am looking forward to showing everyone my hard work once i am home! i will never, ever forget how to fold a paper crane.

YAY!!!

folding crane 1,000

the last few cranes. the final crane was yellow hello kitty paper, my favorite.

crane 1,000!

me and some of the cranes on the strings!

total count: 1,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

day 21 + cranes

slacked on the blog posts the last few days but i have been getting very close to my goal. last sunday i skipped cranes because i had a busy day meeting with friends. some japanese girls taught me and another girl how to make gyoza and tempura. i can't wait to try it back in oregon! we made avocado tempura and it was delish. the gyoza was also super tasty and didn't look that hard to make but we'll see about that.

on monday march 15th i went to a famous fertility festival called honen matsuri. it was a very interesting cultural event. it was held at tagata shrine, a place where people pray for a healthy baby or to give thanks for a healthy baby. check my facebook album for photos ;)

today was day 21 of the cranes and i passed the 900 mark. only 2 more days left of cranes! whoo hoo, i am excited to get so close to being done. then i will pack them up and mail them home! :)

day 21's 40

total count: 920

day 15 + cranes

i can see the end in sight! whoo hoo! today i made 40 and also did 5 more strings. not too much left now!

day 15's 40

total count: 720

day 14 + cranes

day 14's 40 cranes...

total count: 680

day 13 + cranes + graduation

today i went to the school for the 3rd grader's graduation ceremony. it was a little long (about 3 hours) but it was interesting. it was nice to see the students. i took so many photos with students and signed some year books. i felt like a celeb. ha ha... the ceremony was what i expected. everyone getting a diploma from the principal, a few speeches and then a few songs. what was different is the soldier like precision these kids have down. they are on point! it looked like they rehearsed many times. perfectly timed lines of people, super uniform, evenly spaced at all times and precise as heck. when the students recieved their diplomas they accept them with both hands, raise it in the air then place it under their arm, do a soldier like 180 spin on the ball of their foot to face the audience and then walk down the stairs off the stage. the exact same perfect thing done by all students who are all properly put together except for one girl who i dont think came to school one time since i have been there. she had orange-ish dyed hair (not allowed in JHS) and hiked her skirt way way up to mid/high thigh (big no-no, all the JHS girls are required to have long knee lenght skirts (highschoolers wear them extremly short though)). i saw her get a little big of a talking to and then when she left, the skirt had suddenly become knee length!

after the ceremony, all the teachers, parents and non 3rd grade students went outside (with umbrellas) and lined up on the front drive way and courtyard. after getting that all sorted (20 min in cold rain) then 3rd graders had a procession through everyone - i guess it's the last time they leave the school but i'm not sure cause as always, i was told nothing. lol.

after that the school "secretary" (more like tea lady) and the school nurse (my movie friend) went for lunch at a nearby restaurant. we had okonomiyaki which is a vegetable sort of cake thing with batter, cabbage, rice crisps, ginger and topping of your choice (i had potato/cheese, they had octopus and oyster). i had this once before and thought it was good. i think it had pork in it so maybe it was more flavorful but it was just okay for me, not too much flavor. maybe i should get meat next time (no thank you to octopus or oyster, though). then i headed home and cracked down on the cranes.

the 3rd graders singing at the end of the ceremony

accepting diplomas. check the gigantic floral arrangement on stage! wow.

okonomiyaki. you make it yourself at the table.

makino sensei and me! she's so nice and is my movie buddy for cheap 1,000 yen thursday ladies special!

today's 40 cranes.

total count: 640!

day 12 + cranes

today was a "day off" from cranes so i could get a jump start on cleaning and clearing out my apartment. i did quite a big, sorted through tons of papers from school, bills, etc. and started to pack and sort things to take home, trash or give away. i got a lot done. i'm just about ready to start actually packing my bags. whoo hoow. light at the end of the tunnel for sure! :)

even though it was a day off i still made 30. whoo hoo!!!

rainbow rainbow! in addition to sorting my room, i sorted my cranes by color and by pattern.

day 12's 30.

total count: 600

day 11 + cranes

today i had lunch with two japanese friends and after went shopping. guess what i got? more origami paper! :) yeah, i know, i'm obsessed. ha ha but i sort of love it!

i am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel after passing 500 yesterday. tomorrow i am planning on making it a no crane day in exchange for working on my apartment. time to start sorting through things and do some final paperwork for my company. i am getting so close to being home it almost feels like i am almost there! yay, can't wait!!! 19 days left in japan.

day 11's 40

total count: 570

day 10 + 500 cranes!!!

today i hit the half way mark! whooo hooo! 500 done. now i'm over the hump. i'm excited to see so much progress in such a short time. i'm looking forward to seeing the second 500 come together next! :)

here is a photo of each step it takes to make one crane, 29 in total! it definitely is somewhat of an involved process but worth it for the finished product.

all turned into cranes! (started watching brothers & sisters, too)

the 500th crane!

day 10's 40.

total count: 505

day 9 + cranes

day 9's 40!

colorful origami paper. i love it!

total count: 464

day 8 + cranes

made 2 more strings today (9 total) and 42 more cranes. will post photos tomorrow. it's been really crappy weather last week, this week and is predicted for the next week, too. this is good for my crane project - i feel way less guilty for sitting indoors all day making cranes when it's cold, windy and drizzly out!

i'd like to try and amp up tomorrow and get to 500. better set my alarm - every minute counts. we'll see!

day 8's 40

surrounded domo holding a mini crane!

total count: 424

day 7 + cranes + festival

today i went back to school for the first time since my last day. i went to watch a farewell festival for the graduating 3rd graders. i didn't quite know what to expect and was only told to be there at 8:30 am. i was thinking it would be an hour or two thing. well... 4 hours later the assembly ended. it was so l-o-n-g but it was interesting and a little entertaining. i was somewhat bored about midway though since i couldn't understand a thing. there were skits, lots of musical performances (solos, duets, choir and a few photo video montages with lyrics over the top that seemed kinda like a sing-a-long), a few dances, speeches, more skits, speeches from the teachers, and two videos (one thanking the 3rd graders and the 3rd yr teachers and one showing the 3rd graders during their 1st and 2nd years at school). everything was cute but it just seemed like so much fanfare considering this wasn't the graduation ceremony. (my 8th grade promotion sure wasn't as elaborate or as long, heck my high school graduation was way less of a deal!) next tuesday i am invited to the graduation. i'm going to go ahead and prepare for a full morning four hour event! i am glad i went, it was fun to see the students again and i did enjoy some of the performances, especially the dancing ones.

i didn't get home until about 2pm and got a lazy, late start on the cranes. but i finally got them done about 11pm. keep pushin' strong!

the decorated gym and all the students watching.

the 3rd graders singing a thank you song (or so i assume :)

my lunch. giant uncut sushi roll filled with bbq meat and lettuce. super tasty!

day 7's 40 cranes... git 'er done!

total count: 382

day 6 + cranes

i am starting to hit the wall with the cranes. i am getting a little bored and craned out but i must push on! i have only been making 40 the last few days and only making more than 40 if i need a crane in a certain color or pattern to complete the pattern on the string. i know i can do this but it is seeming daunting as of right now. i know i can do it though! can't want to hit the half way mark in a few days!

the strings are adding up!

yellow bead stopper.

day 6's 40!

total count: 342

day 5 + cranes

three cranes made from a super colorful LOFT ad.

fun with cranes!

today's 40. red/purple squared off against green/yellow.

120 cranes all prepared to be strung together. this will make 3 strings. i am going to start this later tonight.

total count: 285

day 4 + cranes

today i actually did something besides fold cranes for most of the day. ha ha... i met a friend in osu to do some shopping and have lunch. after i went to LOFT and the 100 yen shop to pick up a few more packs of paper. i bought a bunch more hello kitty papers cause i was getting low and i wanted some extra to take back to the states. i also totally nerded out and got a special plastic origami paper case. yes, i am a bit crane crazy! ha! today i could only manage making 40 cranes. the last few days i have been making more but i've also been going a little nuts - having trouble sleeping and thinking "hey, i should just get out of bed and fold a few more cranes." see, crazy talk. so i am thinking that i will shoot for 40 a day and if i want to do more the max i will do is 60. i hope this keeps me in check.

new supplies from the 100 yen shop - check the sweet paper case on the right - awww yeah!

loft add i want to cut up for papers and 3 packs of origami from loft - way nicer that 100 yen stuff, of course.

made blues, greens, purples and yellows today with some of the new papers. i already had way too many pink and red ones so i am trying to balance it all out.

day 4's 40.

total count: 242 - almost 25%!