10 reasons i love the city

cities in general. philadelphia in particular.


10. people speak so many different languages: spanish, chinese, french, german...
9. artsy city style
8. bike paths <3
7. awesome architecture
6. everything's so close together. you've got drug stores next to electronics shops next to cafes.
5. ethnically diverse dining options. thai food, sushi, soul food, yum.
4. public transportation: buses, subways, trains= the best!
3. well-organized layout [well, at least in philly. thanks, william penn!]
2. pets and children walking around looking city-ish and cute
1. amazing night-time views!

sunday in the city

on sunday i explored philadelphia a little more. on foot. by myself. without a coat. all those things made for a less than perfect afternoon, but it was still pretty great! i went to the art museum [sundays= pay what you wish!], the free library and starbucks. it was a GLORIOUS day; a tiny bit chilly but perfectly bright and sunny!

the library was really cool. big, old, quiet, well-organized. i watched a teenager sketching a statue for a while. he was really into it and patiently waited for people to move out of the way before he continued to draw. when i left the library, i saw the biggest dog in the entire world waiting for his owner on the sidewalk.

it seems like it IS always sunny in philadelphia.

matchmaker, matchmaker

this morning i was chatting with my student olivia about my new class. she goes "you are too busy for a boyfriend"

i DIED!!!! then said something like "you're right, olivia. but what can i do? how can i meet guys? hahaha"

she thinks for a minute, then says... "pedro's teacher... is the same... 24..."

i said "oh, and she's single too?"

"NOT SHE...HE!!"

i DIED again! iryna said her suggestion was for us to wait for the next parent-teacher conference and have olivia pretend she couldn't speak english so she needed a friend [aka:me] to come along. we all had a great laugh considering the idea of me being matched up with pedro's teacher. but i'm sure he wouldn't fall for it, considering olivia CAN speak english and my spanish is horrendous. <3

after-hump day

i've got long day today. 8:30am to 9pm! it's dark and rainy here, probably for the 5th time in two months [pretty incredible!!]

i'm already tired, thinking of the day ahead. someone's japan photos made me SOOOO natsukashii and sad this morning. my nose is stuffy. so to boost my spirits, i'm taking a minute to treasure the beauty of fall!!

almost a perfect day

you can expect an update on my new class sometime in the near future. this morning, though, i only have a few minutes before work so i'm going to post about my sunday. allen and i explored around philly a lot. we ate lunch at reading terminal market, walked down to independence hall [simply to do a photo shoot!], read at borders [our classic activity] and said a quick goodbye at the china bus station. it was SO SO wonderful to have him here, sharing in my new life!

then linda and i rode bikes in fairmount park which was absolutely AMAZING!!! the leaves are gorgeous here and the crisp cold air made for perfect biking. she took me to yet another great restaurant, then we got a view of the philly skyline from her sister's roof. linda makes me laugh with her antics, especially going face first through the window wearing a green head covering!

fall leaves and japanese tots

since my weekend was jam packed of adventure, i can only handle one day at a time. on saturday, al & i explored a park near my house which i drive by every day. the leaves were absolutely incredible! we played frisbee, swung on swings, took silly photos and chatted with a little girl. the little girl started chatting with me, telling me about her life, her family, her day, etc. THEN she pointed out the "stranger danger" bracelet she was wearing. al & i decided she hadn't learned much from that policeman's speech last week.

the nelson siblings had an absolute blast together. i learned all about life at boston college. thanks to my brotherrrrrr for the best bday gift!!

saturday night we went to a potluck with some local japanese people! the BEST part of my night was talking in japanese to the little daughter of a family who moved to the area in january.

me:how old are you?
her: i'm three
me: when's your birthday?
her: my birthday is november 1st
me: today?!
her: chigaou! [no, thats wrong/different!]
me: today's november 1st. your birthday is november 1st?
her: yes. the first.
me: oh. i see. well.... your nails are so cute!
her: MY SISTER DID THEM FOR ME!! IT'S MY FAVORITE COLOR!! IT'S SO GOOD!!
me: wow, thats great! it's so cute. it's wonderful!

<3 ohhhhhhhh i've missed it soooooooo!

happy halloween

my halloween night consisted of wandering all over philly with meliss. then getting a text from allen saying he'd arrived in chinatown so we had to walk back in the opposite direction. we ate delicious vegan chinese food together and took the train home. love these two!