The City of Roses

This last week, I had the incredible opportunity to go on my first business trip and cross one more US city off my travel bucket list: Portland.

Although I traveled primarily to attend the annual conference for International Foodservice Editor Council (IFEC), I made every effort to snag a local cup of coffee any chance that I could. And since the conference was for food editors and publicists, much of Portland's unique food culture was incorporated into the event.

Being my first time attending IFEC, I did not know exactly what to expect. It is such a unique conference because networking and food are the central focus. 

Publicists filled the hallways, pacing back and forth with black binders in tow waiting for their one-on-one meetings with editors. These 10-minute sessions provide a platform for editors to discuss upcoming stories and publicists to pitch ideas on behalf of clients. It was such a great opportunity to put faces with editor names, and I made some great contacts for work!

Photo by @Arosendahl777

In addition to great networking opportunities, all of the educational seminars revolved around food, especially showcasing the unique food culture of Oregon. In fact, one of deep's clients, Kerry Beverage, sponsored a couple of specialty coffee break stations. I loved having the chance to put my coffee passion and heritage to work in my PR career!

Not counting the amazing food tours on our last day, my favorite educational session was a honey tasting sponsored by the National Honey Board. They brought in honey expert Marie Simmons, author of the book Taste of Honey, to lead us through some different varietals of honey.

Each honey had a distinct flavor profile based on the region and type of plant that the bees gathered pollen from--similar to specialty coffee and bean-to-bar chocolate. I do love my artisan foods!

Overall, my PDX adventure was packed full of valuable work experience, meeting new people, learning about the science behind many artisan foods and tasting fabulous things all along the way. I have many coffee shop reviews coming along with some other foodie highlights from the City of Roses.

Stay tuned!
-Coffeegirl

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One Happy Island & Two Crazy Lovebirds

About three months ago, I had an adventure of a lifetime that I may have forgotten to mention:

my honeymoon

My beau (now hubby) and I traveled to the little island of Aruba,

or "The Happy Island" as residents prefer to call it.

Papiamento is the predominant language on Aruba.

The island's culture is influenced by the Dutch, Spanish and the United States.

However, it is definitely an island designed for tourists from all over.

Aruba was beautiful and filled with outdoor activities like...

talking on an old school pay phone,

walking up a barren hill to see a...

lighthouse,

relaxing on the beach,

and of course, snorkeling.

Days after we were wed, my new husband thought it would be fun to climb up and jump out of a tree in a foreign county.

I just about had a heart attack.

Thankfully, this mark was his only souvenir from that fall.

We had a lovely time relaxing in Aruba.

It was great to have some time to slow down and breathe in precious moments and create unforgettable memories with an incredible scenery as the backdrop.

Refreshed and recharged, we were able to tackle the first few months of our next big adventure of our lives:

marriage.

Stay tuned for more details about my wedding and upcoming coffee adventures!

-Coffeegirl

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La Capilla del Hombre

This week, I have called Quito, Ecuador, twice for work, and we got our shipment of cocoa beans from Ecuador this morning.

All this has me reminiscing over being in that lovely Latin city this time last year.

Photo from Askinosie Instagram.

One of my favorite experiences of the entire trip, I have yet to share with my fellow traveling chums: 

Visiting la Capilla del Hombre.

Found on Flickr

La Capilla del Hombre, or the Cathedral of Man, is an art gallery dedicate to one of Ecuador's most famous artists: Oswaldo Guayasamin. The gallery was actually designed by Guayasamin, but he did not live to see out his final masterpiece's completion.

"I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a child with no feet."

Guayasamin had a very unique style born out of his friend's death in a political demonstration and his travels to indigenous people along the Amazon. 

He became obsessed with human suffering and injustice in the world. 

His work reflects that greatly.

The cathedral of man is showcases man's suffering and greatness in that suffering.

Like in religious depictions, there are three levels:

heaven,

purgatory &

hell.

However, it is more about man than a higher being because Guayasamin was not a religious man.

Found on Flickr.

My favorite of his paintings is called "El mestizaje," or mixing of cultures and races. The blue and yellow hues represent the clashing of the Spanish people with the indigenous people of South America.

I love how he represents this concept.

I hung a copy of this painting up in my Askinosie office this week because I love it so much.

I enjoyed our group tour of La Capilla Del Hombre so much,

I made an independent trip back to the gallery and bought three paintings.

One is in my office.

One is hanging in my new apartment.

One still needs a home.

Does art about social injustice excite anyone else? 

Or just me? :)

Safe travels,

-Coffeegirl

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Reflecting the Adventure Bug: Part Uno

I spent a good portion of this morning reading some of my blog posts from 2010. I love that about blogging! I can see where I was this time last year: my dreams, my passions and my accomplishments. I had almost forgotten about my Adventure Bug bucket lists I had made, and I thought I should revisit them to review everything I did in 2011.

2011 was an adventurous year for me. It is amazing all I was able to do, and I am so thankful for the opportunities I was given. I did not complete everything off my bucket list of course, but I crossed off a few.

Seattle: The Coffee Capitol of the World
My first adventure of the year was going to Seattle to represent my student organization at the National Assembly. It was a life-changing venture. It was my first solo flight, my first National event to attend and my first time on the West coast.

I met so many wonderful people in PRSSA, Public Relations Student Society of America. Because of that trip, I made lasting connections with people across the States and jumpstarted my passion for PRSSA. Now, I am vp of our university's Chapter, and I am loving every minute of it.

My favorite moments from Seattle were:

1. Realizing we took pictures in the WRONG Starbucks thinking it was the original.
2. Seeing the fun coffee sights with Robbie and Katie.
3. Watching the new PRSSA committee get elected!

Pittsburgh: The City with a Front Door
My next adventure was driving across the country to Pittsburgh, Pa. with the beau to visit our lovely friends Jay and Amber. This was an awesome way to spend my Spring Break. It was my first true road trip, my first time in the New England area and my first real adventure with the beau.

We drove all 14 hours through the night and arrived early in the morning. It was great to see our friends and how they were living in a community. Everyone was so sweet and welcoming. The city itself was so fun and historic. I loved everything about it!

My favorite moments of Pittsburgh were:

1. Driving through the "front door" of Pittsburgh. It took my breath away.
2. Exploring an awesome used book store.
3. Watching Jay and Travis build a giant snow man in March.

Quito: Te extraño mucho
My biggest adventure of the year was spending four weeks in Quito, Ecuador, studying Spanish. It truly was an adventure of a lifetime, and I miss it so much. It was my first time in South America, first time traveling abroad without my parents or longer than one week, and my first time traveling with my university.

Traveling to Ecuador was a different experience for me because every other trip abroad had been with my church, so it was definitely different traveling with college students. Occasionally, I got annoyed with being a "tourist" because I just wanted to emerge myself. However, I made friends that I would have never expected and made memories that will last a lifetime.

My favorite moments in Quito were:

1. The weekend spent on the beach in Puerto Lopez. It was so unexpectedly wonderful.
2. Sliding down the side of Cotopaxi, the largest active volcano in the world.
3. Watching movies and eating pizza with my three roomies and host mom instead of going to the party because one of them twisted her ankle.
4. Discovering a tiny coffee shop called El Ristretto.
5. Visiting the art museum of Oswaldo Guayasamin called "La Capilla del Hombre."

There were so many other wonderful moments on all of these adventures, and I took other small ventures on the way to Kansas City and St. Louis. Even though I got to experience many new adventures, they only deepened my adventure bug, so I am excited to see where 2012 takes me!

Happy New Year,

Beth

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Sledding is More Fun on a Volcano

My most favorite memory from Ecuador this summer is probably climbing the tallest active volcano in the world, Cotopaxi.

Only 7 of the 25 took the challenge. It was the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. We all squeezed in a tiny van and drove out on a what some people call a road for about an hour. After that, we decided to climb to the hacienda.

After about an two hours, we made it to the hacienda (tiny little yellow house in the above picture). The path does not seem long, but it was. 

The combination of the altitude, strong winds with sand and snow blowing in your face, and sand for your foundation made it feel like eternity. Every step you made, you slide two steps back. About every other minute, I would take a 30 second break.

There were moments that I could not breathe.

After getting hot chocolate in our systems and resting in the hacienda, we decided we had to play in the snow. So we hiked another hour or so up the snow.

We each took turns sliding on our behinds down the snow.

It was so fun and rewarding!

The view was break-taking.

The feeling of accomplishment was overwhelming.

If I didn't have these pictures, I don't know if I would believe I really did it.

We even saw some foxes in the mountain.

I do not think any of us regretted taking the challenge.

It was definitely more fun to sled on a volcano.

That day is something I will never forget!

-Beth

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Ecuadorian Eats

This post is dedicated to all the food I have been eating in Ecuador. 

Yes, I know it is about dinner time, so you should probably not read this if you are super hungry... :)

This is the first meal they served us that I LOVED!

It was ham and llapingachos.

What in the world is a llapingacho?

It's okay I didn't know either.

It is a potato and cheese pancake looking thing,

and it is SOO good!

Last Tuesday, the group went to a restaurant called "La Boca del Lobo".

It was such a cute place.

(I will share more pics later of the decor,

but now here is the delicious food we had):

I had chicken kabobs wrapped in bacon dipped in dijon mustard with bread.

Yes, I was in heaven.

My lovely friend Morgan had this stuffed mushroom dish that looked scrumptious. 

:)

Fruit is more than a staple here in Ecuador.

We eat fruit at just about every meal.

I am not much of a fruit person,

but I am adjusting.

In the Middle of the World, we saw these baby bananas that are supposed to be super sweet.

Aren't they adorable?

This is called Rambutan.

It is a red spikey fruit with a juice white center.

There are also seeds inside...

which you are NOT supposed to eat,

learned that the hard way.

Okay, do you see that chocolate bar in the background?

It is called Pacari,

and I am addicted now.

The first thing I craved from the US was Askinosie chocolate.

My craving has been satisfied with this single origin chocolate from the Esmeraldas region of Ecuador.

I have already bought like 5 bars.

At the beach this weekend, we had amazing seafood!

And soda pop in adorable glass bottles. :)

This is dessert from that restaurant on the beach,

which is called Spondylus...

weird, I know.

Brandi discovered this adorable bakery called Corfu.

I think I may go every day.

The pastries are absolutely incredible.

Yesterday, I felt a bit under the weather,

so we played it safe and tried a deli.

I had an amazing Caesar salad with a cheese empanada.

My food adventures are certainly not over.

This weekend we are trying "Cuy",

which is guinea pig.

I am a little scared,

but it is a traditional dish here,

so I have to try at least a bite.

Tenga un buen dia!

-Beth

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Hannah- Wonderment in Neverland

I left my heart in Uganda, Africa.

When Beth asked me to guest blog, she mentioned Africa, and it seemed appropriate considering I’m heading back over in three weeks. Revisiting some of my journal entries and thoughts brought back a huge flood of memories and nostalgia. 

Three weeks can’t pass fast enough.

When I went to Africa last summer, I won't lie, there weren't any gigantic shocks about the living conditions. This sounds heartless, but I had seen so many pictures and documentaries, it was hard to be shocked.

There was one thing that did shock me though. 

Joyfulness.

 The unhappiest time for me there was leaving. 

You can't help but be joyful in this place. 

People wave at you on the street and smile. 

Any child will laugh when you tickle them, and a piece of candy is the greatest gift they've ever received. 

Even though there are 9 kids shoved into one hospital room, if you paint their nails...

.

When people hug you there they mean it. 

They look at you right in the eyes and then embrace you into themselves.

 Some of the kids I hugged had never been hugged before, so when I hugged them, they didn't let go.

 

People have always told me that these are the most joyful people you will ever meet. 

But I know some pretty joyful people here at home. 

I thought maybe people just weren't looking for joy in the right places here in the states.

These are the most joyful people you will ever meet.

Again I say, three weeks can’t come soon enough.

-Hannah Elizabeth 

Check out Hannah's awesome blog Wonderment in Neverland!

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La Plaza Grande

Hello from Ecuador!

I am having a blast.

I have already fallen in love with the city of Quito.

There are not words to describe it, so I have a bunch of pictures to share. :)

On Monday, we went to "La Plaza Grande".

It is essentially their equivalent to a historic downtown.

It is where the Spanish organized the city of Quito.

Oh my goodness, it was so beautiful!

I can't wait to go back.

I know it was only our first excursion,

but I have a feeling this may be my favorite spot in Quito.

This is me and Brandi, my awesome roommate!

While we were there, there was a demonstration in the square called "La Cambia Guardia", or the changing of the guards.

It was so neat to see all of them come together with their president to sing the national anthem.

This was my absolute favorite photo!

I loved the statue of Virgin Mary in the hills contrasting with the busy street.

We also went into La Iglesia La Academia.

The inside was covered with 23 carat gold and took over 150 years to build.

It was magnificent!

This was my happy place.

I can't wait to share more later!

This weekend we are going to the beach!

-Beth

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