So as most of you know-for the past couple of months I've been preparing for a once in a lifetime teaching opportunity in Spain where I will be working with twelve-year-old children on their English. What most of you don't know is that a few months ago I found myself at a crossroads financially wondering how on earth I was going to support myself. In May, I was let go from a job at an orthodontic clinic and those of you close to me know the devastation I went through in the aftermath. I was at a crossroads. I knew that my time here was fleeting and that the chances of a company willing to hire and train me for such a short duration would be slim. So what to do? Go home and relax for three months? Spend my limited savings on the last few months of rent with nothing to spare? or somehow find a place to wait tables. C it was.
The week after I was let go I stumbled into a restaurant in Cary called Bella Mia. On the door was their menu-pizza. Prices seemed reasonable for a finer dining establishment - low enough to be the local spot but high enough to where I knew I'd make money. And that's ultimately what I needed--money. So after a couple of somewhat intimidating interviews-I was hired. Whew-got a job. Bring on the paychecks.
And then, somewhere between learning the history of pizza, the various wine regions across the world, and seeing such immaculate attention to detail, my concerns changed. It was not about the money anymore- it became, "How am I going to find the strength to leave such wonderful people?"...and its not just one or two of the employees-but everyone. It was a time when I needed to be around good/positive influences, and I found myself surrounded with exactly that. All of a sudden one day I realized that I have a little Bella Mia familia and I hated the thought of leaving them.
To work at Bella Mia you need to be a sponge with an immense capacity to soak up knowledge. Everything changes constantly from wines, pizza specials, salad specials, appetizer specials, beers on draft, bottled beers. This family lives to eat and they have a passion for making the finest quality of food. I learned about the local farms Bella Mia utilizes for fresh produce and the importance of making fresh-mozzarella in-house everyday. Every server knows the wines down to the type of grape, the climate that the grape is grown, and the history of the maker. The beer list contains some of the rarest beer selections I have ever encountered and the taps change almost daily. The invaluable knowledge I gained in my one and a half months working will be carried with me for a lifetime.
I've always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and as I get older my thoughts on that solidify more and more. Sometimes you have to go through something difficult to find something beautiful--and then without even realizing it some people you meet become family.
So today I did not have to go to my class, so instead I decided to take a little walk up into the old part of Santiago. Unbeknownst to me, there is a Medieval Festival going on this weekend and I was caught right in the middle! Apparently it is only going to get bigger and bigger as the weekend continues so I am sure I will add more photos than the ones I have posted. 
One of the acts was street performers and all around the cathedral were people on stilts, snake handlers, knife throwers--all kinds of things! Also, throughout the plazas were shops-similar to flee markets- but with every kind of spice, cheese, pastry, jewelry, and souvenir you could think of. Everyone was dressed according to the traditional medieval customs and having a great time. 
