Sunny San Francisco

I’ve made it to the West Coast, and am loving every second of it! San Francisco is a remarkable city with incredible views and sites and attractions for locals and tourists. I’ve been here for just over a week and I’ve been exploring just about every single day! I spent a few days in Sausalito (and while it’s touristy, I’ve never felt like I’ve been in California more, the atmosphere is definitely there) and I’ve spent hours walking around the city.

I’ve been splitting my time between staying with my aunt and staying at one of her friend’s houses, which is nice to get two different perspectives, since they’re in two different counties. The first Saturday night I was here my aunt took me to this wonderfully classy, and fancy party. She’s on the email list for these and they happen once a month.

I'm not going to lie, I totally loved it and felt like I was in a movie. There was live music (Piano, chinese harp, some other crazy awesome string instrument that I don't know.) Half of the people could speak french, and did, there was food and drinks galore. I was told (in French) that I was charming (because I told someone there was dessert in the kitchen) and another guy walked up to me with two glasses of white wine. I think he was trying to offer me one, but I didn't know what he was doing and I tried to say over the music "what? Oh, that's not mine. Oh, .. no thank you." as I realized he wasn’t asking if it was mine, he was giving it to me as a friendly gesture.

Whoops.
(I didn’t want it anyway, the Italian tangerine soda was just delightful.)
I couldn't hear him over the chinese harp, so we smiled and then he put the glass down on the floor against the wall.
I heard one guy say his shirt cost $600. ... Why?
My whole outfit was probably under $100; for real.

Anyway, the woman who was hosting knows my aunt from yoga, and during the day, she converts the downstairs and the living room of the upstairs into her yoga studio. This place was amazing.
I had unintentionally also developed this elegant, throaty laugh while I was there, that immediately went away the next day. I just blended right in, just like a chameleon. But interestingly enough, this was the first time I was at some event where I didn’t know anyone, but it was incredibly easy for me to talk to everybody there; it wasn’t intimidating, but very comforting.
(Oh, did I mention that they will be hosting one once a month in Berlin, Germany and in India…! Wow.)

After the thrill of the party (they call them Salons) the next day I took a walk down to Vista Point to see the iconic Golden Gate Bridge from a popular touristy spot. I talked with my mom along the way, which was lovely, and just as she was asking if I felt safe I let out a yell.
I was in no danger. A gull flew up in front of me and landed at my feet.
I’m sure that made mom feel reassured!
I’ve driven over the bridge a few times, but it’s on my list to walk across it. It really is a sight to see, and I stopped mid sentence the first night we drove over it and I realized where we were. It’s breathtaking to finally be and/or see a place in person that you have only ever heard about or seen pictures of up to that point.

I see a lot of selfie sticks…

A LOT.

On to my next spot! Sunday, my aunt and I went to have dinner at her friend’s house, where I would be staying for the next week. The house is adorable, and wonderfully cozy. :) 

Here is a cute little cat I found that likes to spend time in the backyard. 

She made us an incredible meal that met all of our food restrictions, and she pulled it off flawlessly!

The following day, I went into the heart of the city and walked EVERYWHERE. It was really nice, but I exhausted myself out and was ready for bed. I decided, once I reached my last destination, that I would walk to Golden Gate Park before catching a bus home (which I quickly figured out the Muni bus system, and my first day of two less than successful attempts - but I got to where I needed to go.) Unfortunately, the park was a bit farther than I thought it was, judging from my map. I called my mom and talked with her on the way there, and by the time I found the entrance to the park, I looked up the closest bus stop and began to make my way back home. The sun was going down and I was pooped. I was so close to the park though! But don’t worry, I get there eventually. ;)

The California Academy of Sciences.
They called me for an interview!! A group interview, to be specific, but an interview!
I was so excited! I had been wanting to check this place out, and better yet, it’s located in the Golden Gate Park too. The interview was at 9, but I made sure to catch the 7:15 bus, just incase I had anymore bus hiccups, and/or missed one bus or got on the wrong one. I arrived with plenty of time to spare and was the first one. Over the next 45 minutes 16 more people joined me in waiting for our interviewer to come down the stairs to greet us. I had never done a group interview before, but I’m not going to lie, I really liked it and the activities were fun! There were the typical introductions, then the ‘Vest Test” where they station you and a group in an exhibit so they can watch you interact with the other museum goers. Then there was the Tower Test. Yes, let my crafty side come out! We were given paper, tape, and scissors and were told to create a tower that was 1 foot tall and could hold the weight of the cup of candy. I think I was the most excited of everyone, and I ran with it. My team liked my idea and we all started to work until our interviewer had one person from each group move to a different table. I had to leave my idea behind as I joined the next table. But I can’t say I’m too disappointed, we added some flair to our paper tower and we “won first prize” for creativity. But not to worry, everyone’s tower passed the test. During the lunch break, I spent more than half of the time in the Rainforest room and was brought back to when I was Costa Rica, as the Blue Morpho butterflies fluttered by. I could have been in there all day, it was remarkable.
After the one-on-one interviews, I explored around the museum even more (after stopping by the de Young museum and going to the top of the observation tower with some others from the interview). I was so excited to come back and see more of this wonderful, educational place. 

A scary bus goer..
During one of my Muni Bus rides, I witnessed a less than decent interaction..
One man accidentally bumped into the wrong guy while getting onto the bus. This guy spent the next few minutes of the bus ride swearing at him and yelling threats until the man got off the bus. It was quiet for a bit until the guy and another fellow tried to get off the bus at the same time and personal space was invaded once again. I then witnessed this guy yell the same threats at this new man and then, through the window, I watched him chase this other fellow a few yards up the street.
Not everything is sunny in San Francisco...