Study Life

Right now I'm sitting in Pamplona's most indie cafe, a Basque place hidden on the edge of Old Town where more women have short hair than long and about half the men have pierced ears. I always wear my Argentina sweater when I come here because it makes me feel alternative enough to fit in.

They serve fair-trade coffee and delicious vegan cookies and cakes, in addition to the standard Navarre fare (i.e. tortilla patata, croissants and pintxos). Right now they're super busy. I'm watching the women behind the counter joking and laughing as they dance around each other to fill orders, and I'm finding myself envious. I've always dreamed of running a restaurant or cafe. I loved my busgirl job at On the Square in Tarboro when I was in high school, even though all I did was polish silverware and take food to tables. I'm invigorated by the rush to get everything done in time — a feeling always tempered by the knowledge that the kitchen would close at 10 p.m. I think the attraction is mostly because I like being on my feet, interacting with people, and of course working with food.

That was my favorite aspect of working at Crescent City Farmers Market in New Orleans two summers ago, and it's what I'm looking for this summer as well. I've applied to several internships in NYC with nonprofits that do food-justice work, addressing things like nutrition education and food access for low-income communities. I might be teaching nutrition classes, helping with social media and outreach, and/or simply working in an urban garden. No matter what, I want to never feel stuck in an office.

Anyway, I'm here at this cafe right now because I'm studying for my first exam (in just over a week ahhh). I want to announce that blog posts will probably be sparse in the next couple of weeks because I don't have plans to do anything interesting. My life will consist of going to class, running everyday errands and studying for exams. If anything different happens, you'll be the first to know :)

Resigning myself to a sadly predictable (but much needed) two weeks of "normal" life...