8 Tips for House Sitters

House sitting is a great way of traveling on your own time. You get to see the sites at your own pace while traveling like a local. Here are some tips to follow for new house sitters who are interested in this traveling experience. 

1. Treat your profile like your resume 

Your profile is the first thing homeowners see when they are looking for new house sitters. Be sure to use your profile to talk about all the good qualifications that make your experience shine as a house sitter. 

2  House sit for friends and family 

If you don't have experience as a house sitter, you can start off by house sitting for friends and family. The next time one of your friends goes off for a trip, ask them if they need someone to watch their home for them. Chances are they will need someone to pick up the mail for them, walk their dog and water their plants while they are away. When the house sit is over ask for their written recommendation to help you stand out as a house sitter to potential homeowners. 

3. Visit early 

Arrange a time with the homeowner to visit the home early to get a feel for how things work around the house. They can show you dog walking schedules, times when to water the plants and how to shimmy that finicky lock at the gate. You will feel more aware of how things work and more confident in your house sitting abilities. 

4. Don't be afraid to ask questions 

It's a good idea to set up an interview with the house sitter, whether in person or over video call to talk about details that go into caring for the house while they are away. If there is anything you don't understand be sure to ask them to help you better understand how things work. Maybe you want to know if you can have friends over, you can talk about policies for visitors, where you sleep in the home, and a dog walking schedules for their pets. 

5. Meet the neighbors

If you'll be staying for a while, be sure to ask the homeowner to introduce you to the neighbors. You and the homeowners will feel better knowing that the neighbors know how and why you are there and you will gain new friends in the area in case you need help about anything. 

6. Visit the local tourism office 

By visiting the local tourism office you will get to learn about the town you are staying in. Chances are you might find a good museum or an event to visit and try new experiences like a local would do. 

7. Be safe 

Especially if you're traveling alone, don't tell people your exact address and don't bring strangers back to your place. Be safe about the information you give people while you're traveling. 

8. Have fun

This is a new experience and you have never been to this town before. Try the local cuisine, go for bike ride in a park and make friends with locals. You get to travel at your own pace and make new memories that will last a lifetime. So make the best of it. 

What is WWOOFing

Imagine traveling at your own pace while working on a farm. You can certainly do that with WWOOFing. WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. And volunteers, or WWOOFers, spend time working on farms in exchange for accomodations and food by their hosts. 

It is all about learning how to farm, taking part in the organic agriculture program and learning the culture. WWOOFing is a worldwide movement,

Adults 18 yeàrs and older can WOOF and in some countries volunteers younger than 18 can visit farms when accompanied by an adult. 

Some of the things you'll discover while WWOOFing are making wine, beekeeping, creating straw houses, growing vegetables and more. There's nothing like getting your hands dirty and experiencing this lifestyle for yourself. 

Today the WWOOFing organization is available in more than 50 countries and is available as independents in over 40 more.WWOOF-USA® Host Farm Directory has more than 2,000 organic farms all over the nation. 

It's really easy to sign up. All you have to do is sign up with your host country and apply for membership. Once you have applied for membership, you gain access to that country’s list of smallholdings, gardens and organic farms. Here the WWOOFer can contact a host farm and arrange for their stay and the type of volunteer work the will do. In exchange for the farm work you do, your host will take care of your lodging and food.

Your length of stay really depends on you the travelor. You will negotiate your time on the farm with the owner and it can be fir as long as you want. It doesn't matter because you can spend 2 days, 2 weeks or 6 months. 

How to become a house sitter

House sitting is a fun way to travel the world on a budget. You don't have to worry about spending money on accomodations because you will be watching someone else's home while they are away on their trip. That gives you the opportunity to see the sites on your own time without rush. If you want to become a house sitter follow these steps. 

Start by house sitting for friends and family

What better way to get recommendations from the people who know you the longest and the best in life. You can go to them and ask them if they need someone to watch their house the next time they go on a trip. They'll likely need someone to check on the mail, water their plants or watch their pets while they're away. If you do a good job and leave the house cleaver than when you found it, you can ask them to write a review of your services on your Facebook or LinkedIn website. The more reviews you get the more other homeowners will see your dedication and qualifications to the job and hire you. 

Use your profile page as your resume 

You will likely find some services to help connect you to homeowners who need a house sitter. Some websites like trusted house sitters, house carers, nomador, and mind my house are some of the most popular websites that will connect you to homeowners for a small annual fee. When you build your profile and answer the questions, treat it as your resume to boost all of the good qualities you have as a great house sitter. It's the first thing that homeowners see when they are looking for house sitters. 

Maintain good communication with home owners 

When you find a house sit you might be interested in, reach out to homeowners and set up a time to meet with them video call to talk about all the details of the house sit. If you're in the same area maybe you can meet them in a public place like a café to see if you're a good match. 

Don't be afraid to ask them questions and talk about details that are important to the house sit before agreeing to commit to this responsibility. Some things you might talk about before the house sit are: 

• How much time you expect them to spend at your home each day
• Whether or not guests are permitted at your home
• Any areas of your home that are off-limits
• Your pet’s schedule, diet, and exercise needs
• Any other chores around the home you would like to be completed
• How you expect to communicate during the house sit (as well as how often you expect that communication to occur)
• Amenities provided (food, Wi-Fi, swimming pool access, etc)

Also, don't forget to reply promptly to homeowners' messages while they are away  And send them pictures of their home and pets so that they can see that their pets are being loved and everything is in good hands. 

And that's it. Be sure to ask home owners for good recommendations on your website or profile to build trust in the community. You will be ready for future house sits with every experience you acquire  

How much do house sitters make?

For some, traveling is too expensive to see the world but house sitting is a budget friendly way to explore other cities. It really depends on a few factors to calculate how much house sitters make because it depends on the location of the house and what services house sitters use to connect with owners.

As home owners are thinking about their next trip and who could check up on their house for them while away they could consider hiring a house sitter to check their mail, water their plants and watch their animals. It depends on location first of all when deciding how much to pay house sitters. 

It depends on location 

When looking for a place to stay during vacation the price of location will determine varingly how much house sitters will make. For example, if a house sitter goes to an expensive city like New York, then they might charge $80 to $100 a night to watch you're home. Same goes for touristy destinations because the location will be more desirable for tourists. In contrast, rural neighborhood's would cost less to sit like $30 to $50 dollars a night because they are in small towns.

It depends on the service

Moreover, using a service will determine how much to pay house sitters per night. There are lots of services out there to connect house sitters and owners like house carers, mind my house and Rover.

A service like house carers costs $50 a year for house sitters to sign up. Once subscribed then they can contact home owners to stay in their house to travel. It's really a small expense for membership and it will give home owners peace of mind as they think about entrusting their home to someone who will take care if it. 

Rover is another service unlike house carers and mind my house which charge a small membership fee. Rover let's house sitters set their daily rates which helps the home owners find someone close to their requirements

It's a good idea to conduct an interview before house sitters stay at the house so both have an idea about what to expect about the exchange. Whether you live close enough to meet at a public place to talk about the exchange or you meet through a video call, here are some of the things you will talk about before your trip: 

• How much time you expect them to spend at your home each day
• Whether or not guests are permitted at your home
• Any areas of your home that are off-limits
• Your pet’s schedule, diet, and exercise needs
• Any other chores around the home you would like to be completed
• How you expect to communicate during the house sit (as well as how often you expect that communication to occur)
• Amenities provided (food, Wi-Fi, swimming pool access, etc)

Prepare to house sit: what is house sitting

House sitters get to see the world on a budget. They travel at their own pace while staying at the owner's home while they are away. On occasions they pet sit the owners pets and even stay overnight taking care of the home. 

Some of the many tasks that house sitters will become responsible of while running the home while the owners are away are picking up the mail, paying for the bills, watering the plants, taking out the garbage and taking care of animals. House sitters might even stay the night and sleep in the guest bedroom. Of course, you will talk about all the details before your stay with the owner and they will show you around the house before they leave. This way you will feel caught up with the way things work and feel at home while the owners are away on their trip. 

What are house sitters

Imagine traveling at your own pace and sitting in a house near the beach while blogging and sipping on some coffee. Some people take these easy travel accomodations by doing house sitting-- getting paid to stay in someone's home while the owners are away. On occasions they will leave behind pets for you to pet sit or you can just stay in the home and water their plants, check their mail and keep the house running for them while they are away. They are many house sitting websites that connect you to house sits in North America only or even in parts of Europe, Latin America, new Zealand and Australia. Some of these websites are free but others require you to pay an annual subscription to contact owners. Some of the places you can sign up to are 

Nomador

Trusted housesitters

Mind my house

House Carers 

Of course there are many other sites and I will include that in another blog post but this is a good place to get started searching for house sits if you're interested in saving money while traveling. 

How to make friends during the pandemic

If you're like me and all of your friends are married with children than chances are you lack friends and need to make a few during this pandemic. I turned to Facebook to find a safe way, for me, at least to learn and make friends in the process. I've joined language exchange groups, art groups and photogprahy groups. 

By joining groups with similar interests you'll likely to find people who like the same things you do. You can strike up a conversation and get to know people from around the world. You'll learn about other cultures and pick up a few pointers from each other in conversation. 

I met a few people from my photography groups who are wells of knowledge. They know what they are talking about when it comes to techniques. They have been generous in sharing their knowledge with me and i feel smarter for applying the tips and tricks they have given me about photography into my own portfolio. 

One guy gave me pointers on long exposure. There are a few articles he shared that I'll link, here and here. After reading up on it I feel thankful for his grnerousity because I probably would have never found that information on my own. :)

Another friend helped me by sharing some books with me. I've been studying French and he has been learning English and German. He found some vocabulary books online and willingly shared that information with me. I'm grateful for that because I probably wouldn't have known about it otherwise. 

I've also had a lot of other encounters with people from France, Morocco, Belgium, Uk, Algeria, Honduras, Colombia; Venezuela, Spain and Italy to name a few. Each have exciting backgrounds and i enjoy listening to their stories as we each share something in common. 

So in conclusion, I've used Facebook groups to gauge my interests and find people to talk to and learn from from there. I've gathered greater knowledge from them and who knows, would even meet some of them in person in the future. 

How do you make friends or maintain your friendships during this pandemic. Do you have any suggestions? Leave them in the comments to grow in the community. 

Stay safe. Xoxo 

Why I love Colombia

Colombia is a country in south america bordered by Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela and Brazil. My mother's side of the family comes from Cartagena if I'm not mistaken. I never really tapped into my maternal culture until i was in college because I was raised by my Puerto Rican father. I've met a few colombians in my life and they were really nice people. So i read up on this culturally rich country and began to love it all the more. I especially like the delicious food, the beautiful people and the festive music.

Growing up, i recall sitting in my grandmother's dining room surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins gathered together for grand ma's famous arroz de coco con pescado (coconut rice with fish). I was still little, and i recall my parents warning me before digging into the flakey fish that it had bones in it. I could never forget the savory coconut rice and helping grand ma wash dishes after everyone finished feasting. 

Some other really famous dishes in Colombia are Ajaico and a giant plate of bandeja paisa. The bandeja paisa comes with a lot of food like Rice, beans and meat. It reminds me of a similar dish in Puerto Rico called Mixta, which is really tasty. You would probably need someone to share your bandeja paisa with because the proportions are so big!

I also really like the music. Colombia is famous for Cumbia and Salsa. It also has a lot of really cool pop artists too. One of my favorites is Camilo. He's really a character because he has a true gentleman's beard and has his own style. His songs are really sweet and catchy and make me fantasize about the type of relationship that i want.

Colombia also really has beautiful people. These people are friendly and festive. All the colombians I've ever met were really warm and willing to help if you ever had a question. They are also generally happy people as they celebrate everything. 

This video from youtube probably explains it best: 

https://youtu.be/JDSrJj7-b2o

Even though I wasn't raised in a Colombian home, i feel so much closer to my mother's side if the family by reading up on my roots. I'd love to visit some day and get to know Colombia personally. 

What do you think? Where are you from? What are some cultural staples from your country that make your country unique? 

Why I love the French language

Disney's Madeline with her dog Genevieve was one of my favorite cartoons growing up. I used to watch hours of Madeline going on adventures and coming home to the twelve girls and her guardian at the manor covered in vines. She was smart, witty and resourceful. 

Then i grew up and went to school and learned Spanish. I still really liked French and took a course in high school. I studied for hours online using grammar notes and Duolingo. Pimsleure became my best friend and Assimil from Spanish to French led me on my way to fluency. I put in a lot of time and effort into learning this language of love and i there are just a few reasons as to why I like it so much-- so well because growing up I really liked listening to it, it's a beautiful language widely spoken and I love the culture. 

As previously mentioned, growing up I really enjoyed the language. I would watch Disney's Madeline. Then i found resources to help me learn the language. I put in a lot of effort to learning and realized that with hard work I did achieve results. Now I can speak at a B2 level and I want to get to native like fluency. I definitely have so much more to learn because there are still words I don't know in French. 

As I practice more and more, I get used to the sounds of this widely spoken language. The accents differ across regions and I've learned that France extends so much farther than the mainland in Europe. 

According to uk.france.fr, "Often named by the acronym DROM-COM, the ‘Overseas Departments and Regions – Overseas Collectivities’ refer collectively to all land under French sovereignty outside mainland France:

• The Islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon (Atlantic Ocean)
• Reunion island, Mayotte, the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (Indian Ocean)
• French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna (Pacific Ocean)

The French Overseas Territories cover almost 120 000 km² and are home to more than 2.6 million people."

French is also the official language of countries

in Belgium, Benin, Burkina, Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central, African, Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte, d'Ivoire, Democratic, Republic, of, the, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial, Guinea, France, Guinea, Haiti, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Republic, of, the, Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu. With so many places and people speaking French, it gives me even more reason to learn the language. I've had the pleasure of speaking with a few people from a few of these places and we've had language exchanges online. It was fun getting to know them and learning about their cultures along with the language.  Speaking of culture, with all the different French speaking cultures in the world I still like France. I've learned a few idioms, gestures, and about the dress and cuisine. I'd love to go someday and visit to see France for myself. It's a beautiful place filled with lots of art and design. It's definitely one of my favorite places in the world to be.  So my journey with French has come a long way as I grew up listening to it every now and then. I've realized it's a widely spoken language so that would open many doors for me as I excel in knowledge of this beautiful language and my love for this iconic culture swells as i admire the art that frames it's scene.

Reasons to join the Peace Corps

I submitted my application for the Peace Corps but I realize that i might push that back for another couple of years until I finish my Master's degree. I've already started thinking about it now and I've been thinking about good reasons for joining the Peace Corps in the future. Some ways that I would think about my best time serving is thinking about Peace Corps values, using my skills from school to improve the community in my host country and think about fun ways to document my stay. 

Peace Corps values world peace and friendship. Therefore, I would use my time there to think about how I would best include others in service and practice. I would look to participate in classroom discussions. Seek out cultural exchanges and share values that are meaningful to volunteers and hosts alike. 

As I think about what is meaningful, I will seek to use my skills that I learned from school to improve my host community. Since I studied a bachelor's in Mass Communications and am seeking my master's in documentary photogprahy and photojournalism, I would help others improve their English skills. Moreover, I would encourage others to use art and photography to find their voice and share their meaningful stories with the world. Everyone has a story to tell and they should feel empowered to share what is important to them through their words and their lense. 

As I seek to encourage, I will look for my own stories too. I tend to fancy candid shots, as inspired by Henri Cartier Brensson who sought to capture the decisive moment. I feel these stories are more authentic than posed portraits because they steal a moment in time while telling the true story without being noticed-- kind of like being a fly on the wall. 

For example, if I went to Costa Rica, I would capture the smiles of kids playing in a group after school. 

If I went to Colombia, I would capture my host mother preparing a meal for a large group. 

If I went to Madagascar, I would capture a volunteer with a native animal.

There are lots of stories to tell and I would use my skills to document the authentic story of my time abroad. 

Serving in the Peace Corps would give me the opportunity to bring awareness of my multifaceted culture back home while learning about the host culture abroad. I would help instill values for world peace and friendship while helping others in the community grow their language skills with English, Spanish, and French. I would also want to be an encouragement for storytellers to tell their most meaningful stories. 

Some of my favorite languages

Growing up i recall having conversations with my parents about languages. I recall my Spanish speaking dad explaining to me the similarities between the romance languages and how cool it would be to learn how to speak them. (Those obviously include Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, and Catalan)  

As for me, I'm currently trilingual. I grew up learning how to speak English in primary school in Florida. Then when I was seven, i met one friend whose parents became best friends with my parents and we grew up speaking Spanish at home. When I was 12 i taught myself how to read and write in Spanish. To solidify my studies i took a Spanish class in high school and later learned to actually speak Spanish after I graduated from high school on mission trips to Costa Rica. I didn't know how to speak a word of Spanish but I understood most if it. However, in order for me to do daily tasks like go to the grocery store, go to the bank, pay for my phone bill, i had to speak Spanish and it was very rewarding to come back home having accomplished the goal after four years if spending summers abroad to become fluent in a second language 

Then, i met some people in Costa Rica who like to learn other foreign languages like French, German and Portuguese. I became inspired to learn French and found tons of recourses online, Facebook groups, and language exchanges.

So i started to study French, German, Italian and other languages on Duolingo. I really like this recourse because I can spend as much time on it as i like to every day and I can return to it whenever the inspiration strikes to learn a language. It's convenient and it's free. 

Once i became more fluent with French, i moved on to other resources i found in my public library. The library has grammar books and audio discs to help me learn grammar and phrases in French. Finally, i moved on to Assimil to help me get through my B2 level and i bought the C1/C2 DALF book for native fluency. 

Language learning for me hasn't always been easy. Sometimes things in life come up and i have to postpone my studies for a later time to take care of other responsibilities. But i find that when I get bored, i end up browsing on Duolingo and start racking points to make conversations online from home. It's not very hard and it's a fun outlet i like to turn to to help me gain knowledge of other languages and cultures. I feel smarter for being more open minded to cultures that are different than my own and that's special. 

What are some of your favorite languages? What languages do you aspire to learn and how do you achieve these goals? Maybe we can chat about it some day. Even though I like to learn other foreign languages, i feel most comfortable speaking English, Spanish or French. 

So feel free to leave a comment or message me on Facebook, here 

Have a great day!

Cheesy Tortillas from el Chonete

If your ever pass through San Carlos Costa Rica you have to go to el Chonete. They have excellent typical Tico food at a good price. But what I especially love is their cheesy filled tortillas. 

There is nothing like it. It is a cheesy tortilla filled with melted cheese in a warm tortilla. When you pull it apart you get a satisfying cheese pull. However, when you bite into it you get a creamy and salty taste that is really hard to find anywhere else. I'm obsessed. I could order two or three of these because they are so big and they will fill you up quickly. 

Adventures in La Fortuna

If you're seeking adventure La Fortuna, Costa Rica has a lot for you to do. You can do a tour and ride horses, cross the hanging bridges and sip line across the rain forest. That's some if the things I did in my recent trips to Costa Rica and it was a fun time for me and my friends.

Simply do a quick Google search online for bundles and you will find similar tours like these. Or you can go online and seraph la Fortuna in Costa Rica and call the venues onces you're in the country. Many times the tours will pick you up in a bus and take you to your destination. There the guy will explain the ropes to you and hook you up to the ropes, wire literally. 

When we went zip lining we went with a group of people and ride 8 or ten lines until the end. It was an exhilarating experience because I have never done anything like that before. You could see the whole forest in front of you while you're zipping across the tree good hi friends if feet in the air. 

Next, we went rappelling. That's basically scaling the a rock wall near the water. It's very hard to do but you basically just hang yourself back and let your rope confront of you as you rappel down the wall to the bottom. 

You can also cross the hanging bridges. Something I find quite terrifying but there are a series of rope bridges that you can cross. You will be above the forest and see the expanse of the scenery in front of you. It is a very rugged and adventurous experience. 

Finally, we went horse back riding. This one is fun because the guide will help everyone get the horses ready and give everyone helmets and equipment to take on the ride. First they will teach your how to walk the horses then you will earn how to run them. You will see the green rolling hills and the mountains in front of you in the country as you take your house out to run. I took my horse to the river to get a drink if water and almost got stuck. However, we managed to make it back with the help of the guide. 

I'm thankful for the experience and would like to do it again one day. If you Kirk adventure and don't mind getting dirty, I suggest doing a bundle like we did that way you can get a full experience while in La Fortuna. 

Reflection of a tranquil evening

It's the end of summer in Florida, and it is still really hot outside. Most days I just stay inside and read or watch movies to escape the hot Florida heat. It gets closer to 100°F most days so the chill air conditioning is a welcome alternative to getting excersize outside. 

Some days it gets so cold inside that I hide under the covers and escape from the world in my bedroom. I just finished knitting a scarf; it's warm fibers warm the goose bumps that chill my skin.

Now it's 7:45 p.m. and the sun is setting. A light patter from a nearby rain shower tingles ASMR to my senses. Immediately I notice the soft light that passes through the windowsill. I had to capture this magical exposure before the sun set behind the horizon leaving me in dark silence near my guitar. 

What a beaufui way to escape the heat, by cozying up under a blanket listening to the light rain showers pass by. Moments like these make me wish I was in Narnia but it's only a fantasy. However I feel more relaxed as I take some moments to soak up this tranquility. 

The new (right) way of eating an Oreo

Do you remember as a kid how you used to eat Oreos? Some people would lick the cream while others were dunkers. I recalled this childhood phenomena as I had a little midnight snack in my kitchen. Could there really be a new way to eat an Oreo?

Well I tried it out. I started by licking the cream and biting half of the cookie with no cream. 

I then proceeded by licking the cookie with cream and pasting it back to it's twin. 

Finally for the grand finale I dunked the whole Oreo into my almond milk and bit into the exposed end of the creme cookie.

 It was delicious. 

So delicious infact I did it twice because I was so distracted by eating the first take that I had to take a picture of the second take for this story. 

What do you think? How do you eat an Oreo? 

By the way: my Oreo is chocolate creme filled. I wonder who milked the chocolate cow to get that creme.

12 things to do for free (or almost free) in Central Florida

Since everyone is still stuck at home, I think it is a good time to recall all of the good times one spent outside in Central Florida. There are lots of fun things to do in Central Florida while here and once this virus passes we can get back to doing the fun things we love to do. Some free things or almost free things that one can do while in central florida are: 

 

Going downtown

Downtown Ocala has a lot of restaurants that people can go to sit at and enjoy some brunch. It is a good time to spend outside with friends and family. I have seen a lot of the restaurants open during this Carona Virus season. People sit at the tables in the open air and eat out as they spend time with their families and waiters will wait on tables with their masks. The few times that I have found myself downtown I went to get some Boba tea from Sushi Bistro. If you don't know what Boba tea is you're missing out. It's an Asian tea that has tapioca balls at the bottom of the juice. As you slurp the drink with a straw you will draw up the tapioca balls and get a refreshing burst of surprise in your mouth as you bite into the tapioca balls. I recommend going to Sushi Bistro if you go to downtown Ocala. 

Going to Tuskawilla park

Tuskawilla Park is a fun place to go for the whole family. They have a playground, Tennis court, and basketball court. There is even a skatepark on the other side of the Ripley's center. You also have a very huge walking trail and bridge where you can fish with the kids. I go there sometimes to get fresh air and take pictures of nature. I think it is a very pretty place as it falls in the historical district of Ocala's center. 

Going to Heritage nature conservancy park

Heritage nature conservancy park is a nice park framed by trees that shadow the walking trails. It is a nice place to just go walk the trail, take your dog walking or play on the jungle jim with the kids. Its not a very big park but I like to go there too to take pictures of the wildlife and people watch from time to time. Fun Fact: Heritage Nature park was bought with a grant and is set in place as a conservation of wildlife in central Florida. 

Going to Gervy Gant park

Gervy gant is located right next to the health department and YMCA. If you have a membership to the YMCA I do not see why not going there to fill your days with fun and healthy activities to keep yourself busy. Moroever, Gervy Gant is a fun place to to the playground and run the trails. It is a big park and has a lot of room for families and runners to just play and run around for a good work out. 

Going to Jim Kirk park 

There are lots of places to go walking in Central Florida, Ocala. If you want to find another place with nice scenery I recommend going to the Jim Kirk park. This park also has a lovely playground for the kids, benches, and tables for relaxing and a nice swing bench under a big tree for families to recline after a long day. I have gone there many times to take pictures of wildlife and to sunbathe under the Florida heat. It is a nice place to visit and just recline from time to time. Fun Fact: The Jim kirk park is dedicated to an Ocala Philanthropist, Jim Kirk, who purchased the Marion Theatre and supported the Appleton Museum.

Going to Paddock mall to window shop

The paddock mall is a one story mall with lots of stores to visit. For example, there are stores like JC Penny, Macy's and Sears. Other stores include Payless, Journeys and Lids. The Paddock mall has a lot of room to walk around and reclining chairs that tether to ports to charge one's cell phone. These reclining chairs are set in for consumers to sit back and relax after spending a long day shopping the mall or even just for hanging out.

Going to the shopping center on SW College Road

 Another fun place to go to is the shopping center on SW college road. It is right near guitar center, Khol's and McDonalds. Those are some really fun stores to go to in the first place. I love to visit Khol's and just browse around from time to time. One time I purchased a grey maxi skirt from Khol's and have used it for the past few years. It is a great staple for my closet, but I digress.

If you make your way to the shopping center you will have a lot of open outdoor space to walk around and browse the stores. Some really fun stores to visit include Panera, Booksamillion, Dillards and Khol's. I like to go to Panera from time to time and get a nice muffin and coffee. Its a tasty treat for being in the neighboord and I recommend their muffins.

Going to Santos bike trails

The Santos bike trails is a place for people to go to ride their bikes. These bike trails are great for outdoor bike riders who like to gind adventure. If you are ever in the area you can go to Santos bike trails to ride around and have some fun.

Going to the Library and watching movies in their theatre for free

The public library is not just a place for people to go to read books, the library also puts on lots of fun events for the public. Some fun things the library does for the public include arts and crafts, learning how to use the computer, and movies in their own small theatre. One time I went into their movies and saw a black and white film. It was a different experience from most and I was grateful for the free bags of popcorn they gave us upon arrival. 

playing Bingo

I've never played bingo in the public room they have on Silver Springs BLVD but I have seen the massive room filled with people playing bingo. I imagine it is just like it is in the movies. Like when the caller, rings out the numbers and calls them out before the people. If I ever have the opportunity, I would go and play bingo just for fun one day to say that I did it. What do you think?

Going to the movies and getting free popcorn

Every Wednesday, the movie theatre on Silver Springs BLVD serves free popcorn if you purchase a movie ticket. That sounds like a fun incentive, especially if you love popcorn. The movie theatre rooms are nice. If I do believe, they have about four rooms, popcorn, snacks, and drinks. The workers are even nice and serviceful as they help you get seated.

Going to Silver Springs National park

Home of the glass-bottom boats. The silver Springs National Park is a good place to visit if you have $2 for entrance. Upon entrance, you can purchase a ticket for glass-bottom boats, paddling and camping. These are separate charges but worth the fun if you get there early enough. I do enjoy going to the Silver Springs National park with its crystal blue waters and warm welcomes.

 

If you love seafood go here

If you love seafood and you're in the central Florida area you have to try out this seafood restaurant at N. Highway 441. The other day dad brought home three meals  in white plastic bags from Sam's St. John's seafood restaurant. it was a spectacle as I watched him divide the meals evenly between the three of us. It goes without saying that he brought home A LOOOOOT of fiod. But tasty food at that. All together, the meals came with fried okra, hush puppies, french fries, chicken nuggets, and shrimp with a side of sauce. All the food is very tasty as it comes lightly fried with massive helpings. I tried taking a picture after everything was distributed but the lighting was so bad at the moment I couldn't get a decent picture of my meal. 

However, I got a photo of their menu and will share it with you at the top of this post. In my opinion, all the seafood us very comforting the way that Sam cooks it. I especially like the way the french fries were cooked to a crispy finish. I even recommend eating the hush puppies while they are hot because they are so comforting. The next time you are out in 441 I recommend going to visit this great restaurant. 

Have you tried this cheap hot and spicy soup?

One day I went into the store as I was waiting for my pharmacy refill. I noticed a tub of soup with red and white colors. Immediately I recalled the YouTube videos I saw online of an American girl who traveled to south Korra to live there for a term. She and a group of Korean friends went to the convenience store and picked up something similar from the shelves. All the ramen noodles that anyone could ever want in many flavors were on the same shelf as I went to the pharmacy. I had to give it a try. 

As I brought my Hot and Spicy beef Nissin soup home, I followed the directions in the carton. They were easy enough to follow as I popped the tub of Ramen noodles into the microwave. Naturally I had to remove the packet of sauce, vegetables and powder from the noodles before pouring water into it. When my noodles were nice and piping hot then I dumped the rest if the contents into the bowl and got a spicy red concoction of noodles in a bowl of goodness  It was even spicier with the sauce but because I don't like my food to be too spicy I left it out. 

In my opinion the tub of noodles were very tasty. It must have tasted like what the kids were esting in the YouTube video. I thought it tasted even better than the Maruchan that I usually eat. It had a nice spicy tang to it and it filled me up as I can remember when I first tried it. I feel it was a definitely comfort food for just a few dollars at the convenience store and I definitely recommend getting them in packs. I'll even posted a link to the in the beginning of this post to help you see what in talking about. I'll post another link here to help you see what I'm talking about  If you like Nissin Soup and you have already tried it you can click on this link to get a pack for yourself and your home. This blog runs in affiliate links so if you click on an affiliate link here I'll likely get a commission after you purchase with it.

After you try it let me know what you think. Leave your comments in this post and like and sucbrive at the top right corner of this blog for more content about fun experiences. 

Traveling through Heritage Nature Conservancy park

Many tines I like to take the camera out and just shoot pictures by the hip.

 When I go outside I find that I am attracted to taking travel photographs of people in nature. I really love the outdoors because it's refreshing to spend time outside. Especially after a hard day, spending time in nature can make me feel at peace again. So when I take my camera outside to Heritage Nature Conservancy I find people from different walks of life spending their time in different ways. Some mother's let their children loose in the jungle gym and you will catch them snapping pictures of their toddlers first steps. You will also see youth gliding past on their skate boards after a long day of work in the grocery store or you will see bikers strolling past dog walkers on the trail. All of these scenes make me think of the health benefits that comes from spending time in nature. 

Some of my favorite things about taking a break at the Heritage Nature conservancy park is sunbathing behind the leaves of the park, walking the trails and people watching. 

When I take time to go outside to the park I like to spend time with my Nikon camera in this parks natural environment because I feel more at peace after a long hard day. There is something about taking in the fresh air and hiding behind the shade of the tall trees that frame the park that make me feel refreshed. I definitely feel my oxygen levels restablize and take a boost after spending an hour in the breezy greenery. 

Moreover, I like the walking trails for their added health benefits many times you will see dog walkers and bike riders strolling past each other on warm days. I have met a few people on these trails and they all share the same love of nature as me. One friend Mary tells me she likes to spend time outside in the park before work and just do yoga or walking around thr trail barefoot soaking in the sunrays that seep through the framed shade. She told me all about her decision to move to these parts on her own and why she loves spending time outside. She said she just needed a change and wanted to get away from the stripping heat in Texas as she found her way to Florida's humid breeze. Now a bagger at the local health food store she loves to spend her days in the natural flora and fauna as much as I do. 

As I think about the other health benefits of walking trails, I realize how good it is to run, if not just walk the trails frequently. Walking to get your heart rate up is good for your health and I don't all of the time. I have lost so much weight from walking that I used to be a size nine pant size and have fine down to a size three in a matter of 13 months. I haven't even noticed how much weight I lost until one day I tried in my jeans to realize how baggy they were. To my amazement I have slimmed down two thirds of a size and have become so thin simply by just walking almost everyday. 

Finally, as I recall the moments I spend at the park I realize how much I like to people watch. I like to spend time observing individual stories and thinking about where they come from. For example some stories are of mother's who let their children roam free in the jungle gyms. Many times you will see these moms taking pictures of their children documenting their first steps, or pushing them along the swing as their siblings squeal of excitement. Other times you will just see pairs of teenagers walking around and if you're sneaky enough you can hear tidbits of gossip about their life stories. One can already imagine the high school drama that unfolds from the lips of these teens as they unload themselves to their friends under the shaded frames of the Florida trees. 

So after spending a long day inside, I find it necessary to get outside and enjoy the trails if the Heritage nature conservancy. Just to spend time outside with my camera in the warm breeze, walking the trails it just observing my surroundings are a great way for anyone to recharge in the great outdoors after a long hard day. 

A historic downtown Ocala photography trip

Nikon in hand I made my way downtown.

As I walked into Ocala's historic district to take some documentary photographs, I thought of all the possibilités I had to take documentary photos. I kept a skillshare tutorial in mind as I thought about where I wanted to go. 

The teacher taught me five rules for travel photography. Which are: middle of the road, off the beaten path, birds eye view, signs of life, and thé postcard shot. 

Each of these techniques are types of strategies that the teacher explains for taking excellent travel photos. I feel I can share a few of my photos as I document my trip here with you. 

Before I share some photos I just want to talk about some of my favorite shots. I feel that I enjoyed taking the off the beaten path and postcard shot because of the mystery of the former and the novelty of the latter. 

As I take an off the beaten path photo I have to find a corner of the world that goes usually unseen by most tourists. If I find a remarkable ally way or a gate or something I would document it as off the beaten path. 

The postcard shot also takes a little work to discover. As you go out into the world to photograph an iconic scene, such as a bridge, a tower or a monument you have to take the picture in a way that makes it your own. 

Another shot that I failed to mention is signs of life. I like to take is signs of life photos because as you go out into the world you observe your surroundings and take candid shots of locals doing things they do every day. The art of capturing signs of life is documenting everyday activities in an unusual light, whether it be candid, on your hip or in person. 

Here is a picture of middle of the road of a walking trail in a park near my parent's home. 

off the beaten path: a picture of a gate in downtown Ocala art gallery 

signs of life: diners in downtown historical Ocala 

postcard shot: a photo of the ckocktowe in downtown Ocala 

As I documented this day, I can recall what made it a remarkable day for photography. It was a hot summer day in Florida, so hot in fact I bought a Boba tea from Sushi Bistro in downtown Ocala. The people were also coming in and out of stores wearing their masks, while others were dining at restaurants. The streets were especially empty as barely anyone was coming outside due to the pandemic. However I still got to take some good pictures standing at least six feet distance from everyone. No one even noticed I was there. 

If you're interested in the type of camera I use you can check out a blog post I wrote about my camera and look at this link here to get one for yourself! It's probably one of the better cameras out there for beginners. I suggest reading more on my blog post to learn more about it. 

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