Moving to Another Country: Culture Shock?

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Susan Posted in Life, Travel | Leave a comment

I thought it’s time for an update on our recent move from Canada to the United States, now that we have been here for almost two months. How has it been two months already?

On the one hand, it seems to me that there is so much I could tell you, but on the other hand it’s all details that bother no one except us. But some things have happened in the past few weeks, including a signed lease for our next apartment. :)

Where are we?

Still in San Diego, still close to the office (to cut down on hubby’s commute time). Trader Joe’s in walking distance to the new place. Score!

How do we like it so far?

This is definitely one of the most frequent questions we get. Ok. Let me start.

It’s nice. Yeah, it’s pretty awesome to have sunshine almost every day. I love palm trees. I love the ocean. I love the variety of foodie finds in grocery stores. I love Mexican food. I love burgers, especially the grass-fed beef burgers from Burger Lounge.

There are some things that bug me, but that is to be expected, as with any move to a new place, there are some bumps on the road and challenges ahead. Call it culture shock , if you want. ;)

It’s silly things, really, NBD. Pushy sales people that have NO clue what they’re talking about (I’m talking to you, Stride Rite lady, that’s trying to sell me a shoe for my toddler that’s about an inch too long…). Or people that drive right in my behind. I’ll get over it. But you may hear me talk about it. #sorrynotsorry

How am I feeling?

OK, this one’s tricky.

On the one hand I am incredibly grateful to be able to experience living in such a beautiful place

On the other hand, I am incredibly exhausted. We have so many things to take care of, and as usual (it happened in Canada, and it happened here again), something went wrong during the process (not our fault). Moving to a new country is no piece of cake, especially if you have a family to take care of. If you’re young and single, no problem, you can just go and explore, meet new friends over a glass of beer and get settled. However, if you have a little one, you don’t really get that option. San Diego is very family friendly, but I find that it’s tricky to make new friends if you have a little one in tow. I’m planning to attend a few more meetups, though, to get out of the house and have some social interaction for me and the little guy, once we are in our new neighborhood. Can’t wait to get settled into our new place in T-2 days!

Things I didn’t expect:

  • Hills/mountains. For some reason I assumed San Diego would be flat. 8-O
  • The distances to get around. Vancouver was pretty confined, space-wise, so San Diego is definitely much more sprawled out.
  • What you see is NOT what you get. I’m referring mostly to our apartment hunt. Most complexes call themselves “luxury rental homes” or something like that. Yeah, I think I have a different view on that. Don’t get me wrong, our new place will be fine. But it’s just a standard (big for our standards, normal for Americans) apartment. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s all about making a sale.

Favorite spots so far:

  • Old Town (touristy, but yummy food, nice music, and great for shopping gifts and souvenirs) and Embarcadero (a stroll along the water is always nice, isn’t it?)
  • Encinitas: This is my type of town. Has beaches, walkability to restaurants and stores, and it’s outdoorsy and cute! <3
  • La Jolla Shores: fantastically wide and family friendly beach, perfect for long walks in the sand
  • Solana Beach Farmers Market: We picked up the most delicious organic strawberries I’ve had in a very long time. Yum!
We’ve seen a few more places around here, but obviously we have only been in San Diego for 2 short months, so we are still actively exploring.
This whole move to the US has definitely been a challenging and interesting time for us. I have always been interested in the States, and I’ve even majored in US Cultural History, when studying in Germany. I never thought I would be living here one day. And here I am, with a 5 year stopover in beautiful Vancouver, BC, our little family actually ended up in sunny California.

Have you ever moved to a different country? What was the biggest challenge you had? 

Any San Diego blog readers? What are some fun places to check out? Next up on our list is Balboa Park (been there once, but only at a playground) for a hike and a visit to the Zoo, and North Park.

Lost in the Stroller Jungle? {Uppababy Vista Review}

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Susan Posted in Baby, Product Review | 3 Comments

A couple of months go, when we were still living in Canada, something funny happened to me on my coffee run at Starbucks.

I haven’t had my morning cup of coffee yet, so when a lady dressed in all black with matching black sunglasses came up to me and asked: “Do you love you stroller?” I looked at her with a question mark in my face (because of my lack of caffeine, I suppose). Then I realized she was pregnant, because why else would anyone ask that question, right?

I was really excited to share my thoughts with her, because secretly I really enjoy talking about baby stuff.

Actually, I wanted to shout at her: ”Heck, yes, I’m loving my stroller!” but kept it to a short “Yes, we’re really happy with it!”

My son is riding in the Uppababy Vista. I quickly explained to the lady what I loved most, and I was inspired to share this information right here on the blog.

Image: Uppababy.com

We’re usually not huge into buying every piece of baby equipment, and have always been trying to keep things simple and to a minimum. But after a year and a half, I can happily say that this stroller was one of the best pieces of baby equipment we own. It was a gift from my mom and her partner, thankyouverymuch!! :razz:

So why did we pick the Uppababy Vista?

Pros:

  • It comes with everything you need: Bassinet for the first few months, multi-position toddler seat (can be used facing you or out and reclines into 4 or 5 positions for napping), raincover, and mosquito cover.
  • It has a huge storage basket underneath, which makes grocery shopping without a car much easier

  • It’s easy to “drive” and fold
  • There’s a huge sun cover (UPS 50) attached to the canopy, and this is the only stroller that I’ve ever seen with an attached sun cover. You will need to buy this for other strollers (little umbrellas that attach on the side or mesh covers, etc.)
  • Car seat adapters are available for a number of car seat brands (we have a Maxi-Cosi Mico), so it easily can be transformed into a travel system
  • It is comfortable for my toddler to sit or nap in, especially with the multiple recline-positions. The big wheels makes it easy to turn the stroller and shocks absorb bumps on the road to keep the ride as smooth as possible.

Cons:

  • The cup holder (purchased separately) is useless. Drinks will always spill, if the cups are close to full. It’s not a good idea to have hot drinks above your baby’s head anyway, but definitely don’t rely on this thing.
    However, it seems that Uppababy has recently released a new cup holder.
  • It’s fairly large - on the other hand it folds easily to save space.
  • It’s not cheap. I’ve seen it on a deal website for $499 a while ago, but I’m not sure if that’s a recurring deal or not, so I think it will probably cost anywhere between $600 and $800 nowadays.

When buying a stroller, it’s best to keep your lifestyle in mind: Do you like to run? Do you need storage space? Do you like to keep things small and out of the way? It’s easiest to just go to a baby store and try out a few models, before you commit to such a big purchase, but having used our stroller for the past year and a half, I can highly recommend it.

It will last from the newborn stage through toddlerhood (and up to 50 lbs). You can also purchase a variety of accessories, such as cupholders, colour swap kits, and even a booster seat for your growing family.

With my son being one and a half, we are encouraging him to walk, so we’re not using our stroller as much as in the beginning (well, in the very beginning he actually preferred his Moby wrap). However it’s definitely been used on an almost daily basis (we don’t own a car and walk a lot) in the last 20+ months.

So, thank you, mom-to-be at Starbucks, for inspiring me to share my love for the Uppababy Vista. If you’re expecting and looking into such things right now, then I really hope you find this review useful.

Feel free to comment, if you can recommend other strollers or let me know if you have a question!

Cheesy Cauliflower Whole Wheat Spaghetti {Meatless Monday}

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Susan Posted in Recipes | Leave a comment

I was brainstorming for a Meatless Monday dinner, so I came up with this recipe. It’s really quick and easy and I wanted to share it with you all.

Whole grains: check

Veggies: check

Cheese: check :D

Easy Peasy Cheesy Cauliflower Whole Wheat Spaghetti

You will need whole wheat pasta, 1 cauliflower, butter, flour and milk (I’m usually eyeballing the amounts for bechamel sauce – or cheat and use ready-made Alfredo sauce), sharp cheese (I used a mix of Comte and Trader Joe’s cheddar/Gruyere melange, but Gorgonzola is fantastic too), salt and pepper to taste and extra freshly grated Parmesan for sprinkling on top

  • Cook your pasta according to instructions
  • In the meantime, wash cauliflower and boil in a big pot until tender but still has a bite to it. I usually just put the whole head of cauli in the pot, but this time we were hungry, so I just chopped it roughly into bite-sized pieces and microwaved it with a Tsp. water for about 7 minutes
  • Make Bechamel sauce (in a saucepan, melt butter – about 1 Tsp – , add flour – 1-2 Tsp -, whisk in milk until sauce thickens to your desired consistency ) and add your cheese of choice and whisk until melted
  • Toss cauliflower with pasta, pour cheese sauce on top and top with fresh parmesan and freshly ground pepper
What do you think of this Meatless Monday Dinner? Pasta is such a no-brainer for our family and we often have it multiple times a week, so it’s nice to switch things up from our usual Pasta Bolognese routine. How do you get your family to eat their veggies? 
Other Cauliflower recipes:
What is your go-to cauliflower recipe?
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