Dad & Boat Shoes playing a little cornhole.

Boat Shoes’ mom graciously invited my family over to join in their celebrations on Saturday. With the weather hovering in the 90s, I was excited to finally introduce our mothers (I know… long overdue) while soaking up some Sacramento sunshine.

Hanging out with Zeus!

As with all events involving either (or both) of our families, there are two primary components: 1) inspired food/drinks and 2) healthy competition. Naturally, both of these things were present in full force for Saturday’s rendezvous. My mom was introduced to cornhole this weekend and quickly became a fan. Between the seven of us, we spent a few hours playing round after round. Cutest part: my grandma even got involved.

The moms playing cornhole.

Grandma playing a round.

 One of the things I miss about the Sacramento Valley is the evenings. I tend to forget how nice it is to eat dinner outside without being urged inside by the cold. Boat Shoes’ mom whipped up an amazing dinner and after a quick dip in the pool, we congregated around their table to enjoy the pre-Mother’s Day festivities and the warm Sacramento night.

All in all, an incredible Saturday and a fantastic start to our celebratory weekend!

Some snapshots:

Boat Shoes & I

Cornhole success!

Grandma bonding with the Zeuster.

Everyone loves this kid.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

xoxo,

Well, as it turns out, not-so-right. Fast forward a year later and my thoughts on the topic were vastly different. So, we raise money and send over free malaria nets to poor people that clearly can’t afford them. Great. Well, what about the people in Africa that produce malaria nets? They’re surely gonna have a hard time competing with free. And, further, when people don’t have a firm grasp on why they are getting these or how they’re used (or the value of them), what happens? Well, as we’ve seen, the three or four malaria nets we were doling out to each family ended up being turned into fishing nets. Not exactly what we had in mind.

Source: Treehugger.net

On a bigger scale, looking at bilateral and multilateral aid, what kind of impact does handing out loads of money to poor countries have? Is it sustainable? For argument’s sake, let’s say that the aid that is delivered is actually used for its intended purpose. (In reality, we know that many of the poorest countries also have corrupt governments and, as a result, a great deal of money is embezzled or wasted.) If a government is a recipient of foreign aid which helps to sustain its people, where is that government’s incentive to somehow sustain itself? Naturally, governments can easily fall into a cycle of dependency, and poor governance is encouraged. (On a smaller scale, I tend to liken this to the welfare system in the US.) My girl crush, Dambisa Moyo, has noted the fact that no country has ever escaped poverty through receiving foreign aid. Instead, she pushes for foreign direct investment as the way forward for Africa. If you are interested in this topic, I highly encourage reading her book, Dead Aid. As the Al Jazeera article notes, inundation of foreign aid has left many countries in Africa “economically weaker and dependent on donor assistance, as well as less attractive to investors.” Not a great combination.

Aid in Africa, from Al Jazeera

And now, with upwards of 50 years of foreign aid allocation, how are these countries doing? Relatively, many are worse off. An interesting point touched on by the article is media; how Africa is portrayed. I went to a lecture (I’m actually fairly certain Dambisa Moyo was delivering the lecture, but it’s possible that it was Bill Easterly) and they emphasized the point that the poor, starving, African children that are showcased on your television and in your magazines don’t actually help African countries. Our approach is incredibly paternalistic and few people think of African countries as potentially on the same playing field. Looking at the title of Bill Easterly’s book, The White Man’s Burden, the title seems impressively apt. I think that is the mentality of many — we are here to save these people. I mean, what would they do without us?

In any case, I continue to find this topic fascinating and love reading people’s perspectives on the issue. Clearly, I fall on Team Easterly/Moyo, but I do realize that many play for Team Sachs (it’s okay, I switched sides within the last couple of years). To be honest, the more I learn, the weaker I find the arguments on the other side. Povertyeducation.org does a great job of summarizing the arguments. Worth a look.

A few books worth reading:

The Bottom Billion - Paul Collier
Dead Aid - Dambisa Moyo
The White Man’s Burden - Bill Easterly
The End of Poverty - Jeff Sachs (You have to know both sides, right?)

I love hearing other people’s thoughts and reading new articles, so please feel free to share your thoughts and/or links in a respectful way. I hate having to delete rude comments, so play nice.

Happy reading,

Views from the Ferry Building

I’ll be honest, I never really buy groceries when I’m there. Usually our morning farmers market run morphs into an entire day outing, making it somewhat impractical for me to tote bunches of beets and bags of fresh fruit around in my bag. Instead, it’s more of an excuse to browse, sample some goodies, nab some oysters and grab lunch from one of the vendors on-site. H. and I kept with tradition — we perused the markets and grabbed lunch from Alive! before posting up on a sun-drenched bench near the water.

When Sunday rolled around and the sun was in full force yet again, I knew I needed an excuse to spend some time outside. I looked online to find a local farmers market that I hadn’t yet visited (we did Fort Mason last week and wasn’t overly impressed with the options). The verdict: The Heart of the City Farmers’ Market at the UN Plaza.

Heart of the City Farmers Market

 Despite it being a gorgeous day, I bussed down to the market as it’s held in a grittier part of town. After a 15 minute bus ride, I had arrived. And I was impressed. Tent after tent dotted the area, and the view of City Hall makes for a stunning backdrop. I immediately loaded my bag with garlic veggie chips ($3) from the first vendor and then leisurely perused the tables. There were the requisite fruits and veggies that people naturally stock up on, plus things like eggs, meats, locally sourced and bottle honey, hummus and even a table that focused on mushrooms. Plus, like the Ferry Building, there are vendors that sell pre-made goodies for those looking to grab a bite to go.

I grabbed a few goodies and soon realized that I was out of cash. Smart move on my part. Luckily, this thing is not an amateur operation. The information tent has a pretty cool scheme going on with the local vendors. Swipe your credit or debit card for your desired amount and, in exchange, you’ll get tokens that can be used as money at the market ($1 gives you a $1 coin). I snagged enough coins to get me through my shopping experience (a whopping $10 worth) and began loading up my bag. I tossed in a bag of tangelos ($1), a half pound of sugar snap peas ($0.50), a bundle of beets ($2), a pound of organic Brussels sprouts ($4), and a huge bunch of fresh basil ($1). With some coins left over, I grabbed a pretty bunch of flowers from a stand ($4):

Bringing some life to my room.

 For a little over $10, I filled my bag (plus some) and left a happy camper. The market takes place between 7A and 530P on Sundays and Wednesdays. The one on Wednesday is  (allegedly) about twice as big, though I have a hard time imagining that. I’m going to make a concerted effort to re-visit the market on a weekday to check out the crowds and the offerings and will most definitely be back during coming weekends (especially with the sun shining).

Inexpensive buys + supporting local? Not to sound overly indoctrinated with Bay Area mentality, but how can you beat that? Now, off to roast up some Brussels sprouts.

xoxo,

Courtesy of the Heart of the City Market, find some cool recipes check out what’s in season so you can get your shopping list ready.

Now, during the time that I was doing that project, I probably could have defined/explained social exclusion pretty well. Now, however, it’s a bit of a different story. The concept is fairly recent and a bit hard to define since there are inherently subjective elements. While the focus isn’t solely on income poverty (there are many other elements, e.g. cultural, institutional, political, etc. that also factor in), I think income poverty has a pretty large impact on individuals’ opportunities in the present which naturally impact their opportunities in the future.

A prime example that continues to upset me: internships.

Oh, the holy internship. After my time at LSE, I realized how many valuable internships people had undertaken — summers at the White House; spending a few months in sub-Saharan Africa working on projects; overseas work with the UN. I definitely found myself a little out of the loop. See, the problem with these internships can be perfectly summed up in the ad that was posted by the International Crisis Group in their search for a summer intern:

Horn of Africa Intern
The International Crisis Group’s Horn of Africa Project is looking for an intern to work in the organisation’s Nairobi office for a period of six months from 1 June 2012.

[Commentary: At this point, they've got me... I'm intrigued and I'm qualified.
This could be my dream internship.]

Applicants will be based in Nairobi, Kenya, and must be available to work full time for six months. This is an unpaid internship. Unfortunately, we do not cover visa, travel, accommodation, living and medical costs.

Oh, well geez! Why wouldn’t I take an internship that’s unpaid and doesn’t cover any costs at all? Pretty sure that I can tell you why I am excluded from this, along with a number of other motivated, intelligent graduates looking to get their foot in the door: I’m in my mid-twenties, I support myself and I don’t have parents that I can dole out loads of cash to support me while I’m working abroad. I’ll be honest, I do understand the unpaid labor component, but that fact that not even housing or food are covered make it difficult for the average person to afford. So, who does apply for this opportunity? Well, likely the qualified people whose parents can afford to send them away to pursue their dreams.

(source)

We can assume that the majority of these kids come from families that have the financial means. And, based on data showing the correlation between income and education, we can assume that their parents likely have an education that matches that income (at least a bachelors, though I don’t think I’d be far off in assuming that most have Masters and professional degrees). These internships then help perpetuate that. The family that is already well-educated and financially stable provides their child with the opportunity to participate in a valuable internship that, in turn, helps them get that job that we’re all fighting for.

Now, I should be clear of two things. First, I recognize that there are individuals that don’t fall into this category. I don’t mean to generalize as I realize there are parents that aren’t in great financial standing who sacrificed a lot to provide these opportunities (internships, study abroad, etc.) for their children. For the purpose of expounding upon my thoughts here, I have to generalize a bit. Second, I should note that this isn’t meant to be targeted at the International Crisis Group in the slightest. I just happened across their internship ad (that I desperately wanted to apply for) and found myself upset, yet again, about these opportunities that exclude so many qualified individuals. How can we really help people gain the experience that they need if money is such a key factor?

From personal experience, I have found that many older professionals (and some involved with the nonprofits that I’m looking to join) will encourage me to take an internship to get my foot in the door. At 25. With a 6+ years of professional work experience. Plus a Masters degree from a pretty well-recognized institution. How does a 25-year-old living in San Francisco quit ones’ job to take an unpaid internship? I guess the solution would have been to have undertaken that internship while I was an undergraduate student, but that would have required my parents to pay for that; something that would have not been an option in my situation. So, we’re stuck at a crossroads and invariably, someone (possibly younger than myself) with less education with an internship at the UN under his/her belt takes the spot I’ve applied for. Well, sh*t. What’s a girl to do?

Anyone else have thoughts on this?
I’d love to hear from people on both sides of the spectrum — does anyone else find internships a bit exclusionary?

As a side note, I find this issue upsetting not because of my personal experience alone, but rather because it’s an issue that affects and limits a number of individuals in countries around the world. I can’t imagine that this situation does much for income inequality… waiting to see that Gini coefficient rise!

With weather in the 70s and an open Friday evening before us, Boat Shoe Boy and I decided to make the most of the sunshine and take a quick jaunt up north.

At the Golden Gate

 We jumped in the car and headed across the Golden Gate Bridge before cutting off onto Hwy 1 to see the coastline. The roads are not for the impatient or faint of heart; they’re narrow and windy for miles and miles, but the views make it worth it (I wasn’t driving so I suppose that’s easy for me to say). We were driving with no real end point in sight, but our goal was to arrive somewhere near Point Reyes to grab dinner and score some awesome ocean views.

Our first stop...

...Muir Beach

 Since we didn’t really have an agenda, we pulled off wherever a pretty vista seemed to present itself. Our first stop was Muir Beach. We weren’t that far from San Francisco, but we could have been hours away based on how different the landscape was. The beach was fine, albeit a bit dirty, but the hiking trails and the redwoods definitely add to the area’s draw.

After snapping a few pictures, we headed in the car and continued to venture up north on Hwy 1 to Stinson Beach. I had never actually been to Stinson and if you were to ask me a few months back where it was in relation to Half Moon Bay I probably couldn’t have told you. I think the back of my mind I thought Half Moon Bay was where Stinson is and vice versa. Now that we’ve actually made our way through the town of Stinson Beach (population < 450 people), I’ve taken note of my geography lesson.

Stinson Beach

Since 6P was rolling around, we decided to pop into the Sand Dollar Restaurant to grab some food (fish tacos and crab cakes… both delish) to keep us going until our final stop for the evening. After meandering through the small town, we jumped back in the car for the final stretch of our journey.

Tony's Seafood Restaurant

We ended up at Tony’s Seafood Restaurant, a little BBQ oyster shack that sits right on the water. We were there just in time for sunset so we scored some pretty awesome while we dedicated dinner to noshing on oysters and clams.

Not a bad sunset view.

From there, we began our journey back home, forgoing the scening/treacherous roads of Highway 1 and opting for the road back to Petaluma and down 101. Naturally, we made a pitstop for frozen yogurt before we nestled into a parking spot in San Francisco. For being home by 10P we definitely had a jam-packed Friday afternoon adventure — totally impromptu and awesome. Pretty crazy where the cost of a half tank of gas can take you.

xoxo from San Francisco,

Beef Palace

With the weather being in the 70s though, we found ourselves lagging on heading out of the area. With Paso Robles on our way back home, we decided to make a pit stop in the Central Coast’s Wine Country and check out a few wineries to break up our journey.

Heart Hill :)

Our first stop was Niner Winery in Paso Robles. Their outdoor patio immediately enticed us, so we posted up with a glass of wine and soaked up some sun during the early afternoon. Seeing as how we had zero group pictures at this point, we took the opportunity to snap a picture in front of Niner’s Heart Hill. Not a bad backdrop!

The four of us at Niner!

After Niner, we passed through Tobin James Winery for a quick look before heading out to Bianchi Winery for another glass and a riveting game of bocce ball. I have to admit (this is sacrilegious considering my heritage), I had never played bocce ball in my life before this past weekend. Bocce ball is practically the national sport of Malta and somehow we didn’t have a set at home growing up. In any case, the force was strong with this one — Boat Shoe Boy and I pulled it together at the last minute for the win.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

After spending a solid hour at Bianchi, we then saddled up for the ride back to San Francisco. J. & I were hanging out in the back of the RV completely engulfed in a game of Scattergories before we realized that we were heading up Hwy 1 instead of heading back to SF. The boys decided to surprise us with a turn off to Monterey for dinner and we were completely oblivious until we were at the exit.

Surprise trip to Monterey!

It was a perfect evening for dinner overlooking the water. After taking a jaunt and checking out the pier, we ended up posting up at Old Fisherman’s Grotto for dinner while the sun was going down.

From the observation deck.

I think we were all pleasantly surprised with how awesome our Sunday ended up. What could have been a fairly wretched drive back to SF from Pozo ended up being an adventure in and of itself. Paso Robles is definitely now on our radar for another weekend getaway and I’ve definitely come to appreciate the fun in RV adventures. Now, we’re just looking for another excuse to rent a recreational vehicle for a weekend (or week…) Too. Much. Fun.

xoxo from SF,

The Four Winds

A 2012, 26-foot gem. To say that we were excited is a bit of an understatement.

Driving down to paradise.

Excited for Pozo!

We were able to leave a bit earlier than we had initially anticipated so after passing a few minor bouts of traffic, we cruised South on 101 down to Paso Robles where we stopped for a quick dinner at Cool Hand Luke’s. In keeping with the theme, we decided that most of our restaurant adventures had to live in the Americana vein and this place fell perfectly into that category. As a side note, Paso Robles is definitely on my radar for a future weekend excursion.

Classin' it up in the Four Winds.

After heading down a dimly-lit, windy, misty road for miles and miles (well, only nine, but it seemed like forever), we ended up in the town/commune of Pozo (pop: 52). With no designated areas for parking or camping, we posted up in the saloon’s parking lot until we had to move it in the early morning.

Tickets in hand!

Saturday ended up being a blast from start to finish. With an early morning wake up call, we had a solid 17-hour day of living it up in Pozo and heading to the Stampede at the Pozo Saloon.

The boys grabbed our tickets around noon, and by 2P we were at the saloon to catch the performers. The Eli Young Band was the reason I had even discovered Pozo. I wanted to see them live and the Pozo Stampede was the only show nearby in California that seemed reasonable.

Eli Young

I have to admit, though, Dierks Bentley really took the show. He was amazing. Much more so than I had anticipated, despite him being the headliner. I knew way more of his music than I thought I did and he put on a fantastic, engaging show. The fact that he was singing as the sun went down didn’t hurt either.

Not a bad place for a concert.

Dierks takes the stage!

We ended the night hanging out with fellow RVers until everyone slowly started dispersing around 1AM. Needless to say, we met some interesting people and found ourselves inspired to plan another getaway in a recreational vehicle. It does add up a bit if you load on the mileage, but it’s such a perfect way to do a fun weekend getaway within 100 – 200 miles from your home base!

This guy is amazing.

Check back tomorrow as I recap our Sunday Funday hitting up Paso Robles for wine tasting and bocce ball along with an evening pit-stop in Monterey for dinner.

xoxo from SF,

Jealous?

Naturally, we have no idea what to expect on this journey seeing as how: a) none of us have RVed before and b) None of us have been to (or around) Pozo. We’re hoping for the best and expecting an adventure. In true Shannon fashion, I’ll be taking loads of pictures with my sweet new camera and recording tid bits from the concert. Stay tuned!

xoxo from California,

In an attempt to find Eli Young Band tickets for a gift for Boat Shoe Boy a few months back, I stumbled upon the Pozo Stampede, taking place in Central California. Eli Young will be there, of course, along with Dierks Bentley, Will Hoge and a few others that I’m not overly familiar with. Pozo, a town that no one has really heard of, is about 25 miles inland from San Luis Obispo. It’s home to one real event venue (and maybe enough people to fill that venue) where they host a number of artists throughout the year. I laughed when I initially saw it, but after re-thinking it, thought it could be a fun little getaway. Perhaps head down, stay in San Luis Obispo and then head into No Man’s Land to catch the afternoon concert? When I brought it up to Boat Shoe Boy (and had his relative commitment to the concert), we roped in our partners in crime, D. & J., another couple that’s always happy to join on any adventure.

After going back and forth on camping, hotels, dates, etc. we have finally somewhat organized our trip for the epicly American weekend that is about to ensue:

1. Rent an amazing RV/Chariot of Dreams from El Monte RV and drive to Pozo, CA.
2. Post up near the Pozo Saloon upon arrival.
3. Wake up in Pozo on Saturday morning.
4. Attend Pozo Stampede on Saturday afternoon.
5. Attempt to do all things American during the remaining time of RV rental.

We initially laughed off the idea of renting an RV when someone proposed it, but after giving it a second thought, figured it might be a fun idea. An adventure, at the very least. After discovering how affordable it is, we opted in. Now, with three days left until we head down the coast, I’m on the hunt for some American flag fanny packs.

xoxo from San Francisco,

]]> http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2012/04/weekend-trip-pozo-stampede/feed/ 0 http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2012/04/easter-weekend-with-the-fam/ http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/2012/04/easter-weekend-with-the-fam/#comments Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:23:59 +0000 ShannonElizabeth http://www.thetravelingscholar.com/?p=9268 Continue reading «Easter Weekend with the Fam!» Continue reading →]]> It’s been months since I made my way back to my hometown to spend some time with the fam, but with Easter weekend rolling around, I had a good excuse to put some family bonding on my schedule.

Saturday was our day for Easter celebrations so I spent Friday evening with my sister and girlfriend, H., playing catch-up and hitting up a few fun spots in Sacramento.

Sisters. <3

With H. for Easter!

At LoungeON20.

Saturday was an entire family day of Easter celebrations that involved hours of Scattergories. Hours. 

Grand Matriarch.

Mom’s Figolli — Keeping Maltese traditions alive!

 My grandma and mother are both pretty hilarious to play with. In both of their defenses, they’re immigrants and English is not their native tongue… though after 40+ years here, that’s not the best of excuses. Some of the highlights from the day:

- US Cities that start with ‘T’. Grandma’s response: “TAIWAN!”

- Sandwiches that start with ‘A’. Mom’s response: “Abalone.” Her explanation… “You know, like the sliced sandwich meat… A bologna.” Us: “Mom, that’s BOLOGNA.”

- Drinks with ‘P’. Mom’s response: “Pee.” Her explanation: “I saw an entire section on ‘My Strange Addiction’ about a woman that loves drinking her own urine.”

- Sports equipment with an ‘E’. Grandma’s response: “Arrow.” My sister looks at her written answer — “Eroe.” Well, I’ll give her points for phonetic correctness.

- Foreign cities that start with ‘A’. Mom’s response: “Albuquerque.” Us: “Mom, that’s a US city. It’s not foreign.” Mom: “Well, it’s not in California so it’s foreign to me!”

That’s a fun sampling, but we played for hours. As you can imagine, it was a highly entertaining day/evening! All in all, an amazing Easter weekend with the fam! Glad I got to spend a few days at home. :)

Happy Easter, everyone!

xoxo from Sacramento,