Sanity Savers

Yesterday I awoke with productivity in mind. The process of moving from my predecessor's apartment to a fresh, sparkly one has slowly picked up speed over the last couple days, and as of yesterday morning, the apartment is quite livable. :) My colleague (love that word--so grown up!), Max, helped me move heavy furniture in exchange for use of my washing machine, and we managed to haul up the fridge, microwave, futon (#1), dinning chairs, and even the bed! I carefully dusted and de-molded each piece and thoroughly scanned for spiders before allowing entrance into my new place. I am the bouncer to all unwanted pests.
It is so exciting to watch everything take shape!

{I am making a little home here}

Back to yesterday, I woke up too early after staying out too late but decided to make the most of it and start my day productively. So, I hopped in my car and drove--which side of the road am I on? Is this the right side? Can I trust my instinct yet? Nope!--to the convenience store, Coco, just a few blocks away. My goal was simple: laundry detergent, bread, bananas. But Coco had none of these things. Psh. Convenient. So instead I drove to the other convenience store, Family Mart, which is across from the high school. Laundry detergent: check. Bread, bananas? Time to find the grocery store.

This is where my day got a little tricky. Rachel, my pred, drove me to the store only a few short days ago, but I hadn't been paying close attention. I knew which street it was on... but was it before Mibaru or after? And where do I turn?

After driving slowly and cautiously (Where did these people learn to drive? California?) for a little while, I found, not the grocery store, but a little cafe Rachel also showed me.

{I took a picture of the sign last time so that I would be able to find the cafe again. It worked!}

I was pretty proud of myself for remembering where that was, so I celebrated with an iced coffee and fifteen minutes of relaxation, photographing the beach and watching families search for seashells.

{I love the difference in scenery from last visit when the tide was in. The rocky beach is so charming. :)}

Feeling content but slightly discouraged about my lack of navigational skills, I started the windy drive back. While passing a car haphazardly pulled to the side of the road (as cars are so prone to be here), I glanced to the left and saw it: a shining beacon of bananas and bread, The Grocery Store. In my eagerness, I made a rash decision to purchase not only the necessaries mentioned above, but a costly little jar of Skippy Peanut Butter. That luxury set me back about $5, but now I have all the ingredients for my new favorite breakfast: peanut butter and banana on toast.

So in a world of incessant confusion, overwhelming self-doubt, and endless unrest, this is what keeps me sane: lace curtains letting in soft morning light, a sparkling apartment full of new (to me) furniture, and peanut butter-banana sandwiches with a cup of tea.