Golden Gate Park, Chinatown and The Mission

I’m in love with California. There, I said it. I know everyone rolls their eyes when they hear people talk about California, but this state is so great. With the exception of insanely expensive gas, food and rent, it has a lot to offer and you truly get what you pay for. And I can attest to that because as I am writing this, I am sipping on a $4.50 mint mojito iced coffee from PhilzCoffee…words cannot describe.



But back to my point about loving California- I went into San Francisco earlier this week with two of my roommates and had an absolute blast. The day began at Golden Gate Park, which I was expecting to mirror NYC’s Central Park, but this park has so much more (no offense, I still love Central Park). Complete with an art museum, science museum, Japanese tea garden and a ton of other gems, we settled on walking through the 100 acre+ botanical gardens. After about 2 hours of walking, we worked up quite the appetite and decided to head into Chinatown to grab some dimsum and moon cakes. Another lesson I have quickly learned: always bring cash into Chinatown because they do not take credit cards and get very upset with you when you walk out of their shop empty handed. Every shop in Chinatown is tiny and packed with people ordering dumplings, noodles and baked goods I had never seen before. It was so hard to pick what I wanted, partly because it all looked delicious and partly because I had no idea what any of it was. My roommate Margaret, the life saver, has spent time in China so she knew what a lot of the dishes were and forced me to try my first Moon cake. Moon cakes are incredibly dense and have a cooked egg in the center. Sounds a bit strange, but it tasted like a savory fig newton…with a ton of calories. If that wasn’t enough, we went to a fortune cookie factory and got free samples of the warm flat cookies that two women fold into the treats we get in our take-out bags, cookie after cookie, day after day. To settle our full bellies, we popped into a tea shop for some free tastings and had the funniest older man brew some delicious samples of jasmine tea. As we sat at the bar, he would yell at innocent people outside to “Come in and drink some tea! Good for your health, keeps you young and sexy like me!” Free tea, free entertainment.

Our adventure continued to Delores park, which is in the Mission area of the city. There were children playing on the nearby playground, couples snuggling on blankets, and groups of friends listening to music and catching some afternoon sun. As I watched these people enjoying their afternoons and looked at the city from where I sat on the hill, I thought to myself how lucky I am to I have this opportunity. I know I keep saying it, but I feel like I have to pinch myself after every adventure I have here. This is what its like to take risks. This is what its like to try new things. This is what its like to work toward something you want. This is what its like to live.




I could go on for hours about how neat San Francisco is but I am trying to keep my posts brief and post more often because A LOT goes on around here and its getting hard to keep up.

Today also marks ONE whole month of me living here! It has flown by and I cant believe we are already preparing for summer. The farm has been in hustle mode, with our booth at the farmers market opening this week, rows of cover crops are being plucked to make room for summer veggies and camp counselors arrive for training next month. Its about to get crazy around here!

A Lesson on Layering: Day trip to Half Moon Bay

As overwhelming as my first couple of weeks on the farm have been, I needed to get out and explore a place in California I had never seen before. The coast is only about 45 minutes away so I decided to take a drive to Half Moon Bay. The thought of getting some California sunshine on my pale legs that stayed hidden under leggings all winter drove me to whip out the jean shorts and pack a towel in the event that I chose to lay out for a little bit.

It was a quick drive up the highway and I was on 92-North in no time—slowing abruptly to a steady line of cars, all of whom, it seemed, had the same idea that I had. As I pulled into the small town of Half Moon Bay, I instinctively rolled down my windows, bracing myself for a rush of salty air and instead, felt a cold blast of wind that sent shivers up and down my bare legs. I noticed the temperature on my car thermometer had dropped into the 50’s and I wanted to smack myself for totally forgetting that I no longer live on the humid-tempered east coast. Let me tell you, northern California is quite a bit different.

Instead of turning back, I decided to brave the cold and park in town for a quick lunch. So here I am wandering the streets in jean shorts while everyone else is bundled in jackets. I quickly decided to remove myself from the public eye and the bone-chilling wind, finding refuge in a wine and cheese shop. The shop was empty so unfortunately there was no way I could avoid the man behind the counter, and I obviously didn’t look like a local so I was greeted with: “What brings you to Half Moon Bay today?” After a few minutes of chatting, I thought I could make better use of my time escaping the public by actually tasting some of the wine I was surrounded by. It wasn’t noon yet and I had only eaten breakfast about an hour earlier, but when in California, do as the Californians do. The smooth, balanced and might I add, pricey merlot slowly warmed my bones and gave me the gusto to brave the chill again and scope out a place to eat. I settled on a small, international café and found a seat that faced outward to the street that began to fill with locals and tourists, easily identifiable by who was wearing a jacket and who wasn't. As I sat patiently for my order, an older woman approached me and to my utter bewilderment (sarcasm) asked if I was cold wearing “those jean shorts” on a day like today. After explaining that I just moved to the area and decided to visit for the day, her face grew concerned and she asked me, “well don’t you have friends that wanted to come along?” Look, lady, I know I’m sitting here alone and I know I am wearing jean shorts in 50 degree weather, but you don’t have to feel bad for me. I didn’t say that, but instead told her that I actually decided to make the trip by myself. I think that there is a lot to be said about taking solo adventures- you’re forced to listen to things you may not hear with someone else around, talk to people you may not ever speak to otherwise (such as you, inquisitive lady), and see things you may never notice if you had someone there to distract you.



So after a quick lunch, I was ready to head to the beach and decided to walk so that I didn’t have to pay once I got to the national park entrance. What I didn’t realize is that my walk was about a mile, and I was still wearing jean shorts. On my way, I passed a small produce barn with the prettiest strawberries I have ever seen. I’m not kidding you, these strawberries were perfect. They were plump, shiny and the perfect shade of red. The woman working the store said a lot of people stop in to buy them and eat them on the beach so I couldn’t possibly turn that opportunity down. I crossed over Highway 1 and my destination was in sight. I picked a spot further down from the park entrance and whipped out my camera to start shooting. I have to note that when you arrive at the beach, you are not at sea level but are standing on a bluff overlooking the shoreline below. A quick hike down the slope brought my feet into the sand and the seabreeze whipping through my hair. I was still freezing, and noticed a family huddled together against the wind, struggling to have an afternoon picnic. I knew that laying out in the warm sunshine with my perfect basket of strawberries wasn’t going to happen so I snapped a few pictures, took in the beautiful view down the coastline and made the hike back to my car.





So my beach day wasn’t perfect, and my choice of wardrobe taught me a lesson about packing plenty of layers to adapt to Bay area weather. But despite the days few blunders, making the trip by myself made me appreciate the fact that I am able to experience new things and see places that I may not have seen if I had not made the big move out here. Every day I am grateful for this opportunity and I remind myself that it is so important to take risks, take small trips by yourself, and take in every opportunity to go somewhere new.





"Travel has a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from travel's immediate rewards, the inevitable myriad of new sights, smells and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way." -Ralph Crawshaw

Settling In

Pencil skirts and tights to jeans and casual sweaters. Cute flats and summer wedges to rain boots and outdoor work shoes. Fifteen-mile commutes in stop and go traffic to less than twenty steps from my front door to my office. The list could go on, but these are just a few of the things in my life that have drastically changed in the past week. As the title of this blog assumes, I am a Girl Raised In The South who has made the great migration West. Not only am I a girl raised in the south, but I am also a girl raised in the suburbs and not only have I moved out west, but I have moved to a farm. Yes, you read that right- a farm. And if you know me, you know that I love zipping around town in my little, shopping with my mom, eating sushi and drinking wine with my friends. But if you know me really well, you also know that I have a deep passion for environmental awareness and a strong desire to make a difference in this world. You also may know that I am the kind of person that stays relatively confined within my comfort zone, playing it safe and always sticking to the plan (I guess that’s what you get when you’re OCD). 

It is for these reasons, and many more, that I have thrown myself completely out of my comfort zone into the land of the wild, wild west to live and work on an organic farm in the rolling hills of Los Altos, California. It has been a tough transition, as I have lived on a diet of bulk beans and rice in addition to field greens and leftover vegetables from the winter harvest. I am learning quickly that living seasonally, without the help of local grocery stores and markets is a tough thing to do and nearly impossible in this day in age. We have a supply of eggs and milk from the help of the farm animals (raw milk is quite delicious and so much better for you than processed dairy milk!) and I have learned that you can eat plenty of greens that grow in the area. My living space is tiny; I have a small dresser and desk and a lofted bed so getting up in the morning without breaking a leg takes some consciousness that I rarely have at 7 am. The house I live in is beautiful; built in the 1860’s and was the Inn on the property for stage coaches moving through the Silicon Valley (this property is incredibly rich in history which I will address in a whole new post). I love the people I live with, they are all completely different and smart in their own way but living communally definitely has its challenges.




Within just the first week, I was thrown into the day to day routine of running a farm, successful school programs and a hardworking development office. I shadowed farm chores and tours (including milking the cow, collecting eggs and scooping…poop), followed an education intern during a wilderness tour to see how the lives of children are changed here every day. I also started work in the office, learning the ins and outs of what it takes to run a nonprofit as big as this one. It has been busy, awesome and overwhelming but I am so excited that I have the opportunity to live here for an entire year. Some of the things that I have come to value in my short but full week of being here include:

-Falling asleep to the frogs in our front pond
-Waking up to the rooster and birds a little too early in the morning
-Fresh, cold, raw milk in my coffee
-Going on brisk runs in the morning alongside curious deer who follow me through the trees along the trail
-Wildflowers that grow along our hiking trails that take a keen eye to spot
-Becoming part of the Banana Slug Kissing Club (yes, I kissed a banana slug)
-Seeing new life come to the farm
-The gratifying feeling of harvesting your own greens for a houseful of roommates
-Being in the state of California with the most diverse landscape I’ve ever seen.



And many, many other things…but needless to say, I love it here and I am so grateful that I have this opportunity—no matter how homesick I may get, or how often only-child syndrome kicks in, I am ready to absorb as much I can here and I cant wait to share it all with you.