5 Reasons We Love To Travel ft. Marichuy

Traveling has been on my mind lately and I can't figure out where I want to visit next. There's so many places to see and do that I try to keep an ongoing checklist of places that I have previously visited or have been told to check out. I have a few trips lined up for this month and next month like a trip to Las Vegas that I'll be doing for one of my friend's 30th birthday next weekend (Yay!) and my cousin's wedding in Indiana in May. A lot of fun events coming up and I can't wait to experience them all. 

For this blog post, I collaborated with one of my good friends and lifestyle blogger, Marichuy from The Real Marichuy, as we share with you all 5 reasons why we love to travel. Read all about it below!

1.) Planning aka "The Logistics"
I think planning is a fundamental thing when it comes to traveling. I learned about this whenever I would plan trips to visit my family in California. One of the things that I started doing is that I started creating an excel sheet where I would write down a list of activities that I would want to do out there and an estimated budget of how much I might spend. Majority of the times I'm with my family but other times I may go out with friends or go sight seeing. It helps me to see the big picture and the details that go into my trip. There may be times where my travel plans may not go the way that I planned it like a delay or something, but it's good to have an idea and/or a visual of your overall trip. 


2.) Packing
Ah packing. I think the process of packing is different for every one ha ha. I enjoy packing because I get to put outfits together and see what patterns go well with eachother. I also enjoy it because I get to pick out items that are comfy and that can be easily used for a day and night outfit. I know weather is a big thing especially depending on what season you're flying in, but I usually look at the weather to get an idea of what I am expecting or in other times I usually bring a light-heavy jacket, just in case. 

3.) Checking into your hotel
There's something about staying in a hotel that is just a perfect weekend or vacation getaway. I don't know if its the feeling that I am away from home for a small amount of time or that I'm staying in a new city, but it's always a good start to any trip. One of the things I do once we (my boyfriend and I) reach our hotel room, I always run to the bed and just star fish it (where your arms and legs stretch out like a starfish.) If you've never done this before then I recommend you do it because it feels awesome. It's like the best feeling after a long drive or flight. Another thing I love doing whenever I stay in a hotel is opening the blinds and seeing the view. It's a perfect Hello!


4.) The Cool Spots
Whenever my boyfriend and I are traveling, my "duty" is to look for the cool spots. This is one of my favorite things to do because I get to find places or things to do based on our interests and then we go check them out. Majority of the time we're pretty spontaneous. We usually drive around and if we see something that grabs our attention we go. Other times we use our handy dandy Yelp app for reviews and helpful tips. We may even ask the locals for suggestions, which is also pretty helpful. My favorite places to visit are vintage shops, art museums, record stores, capturing graffiti art, etc. 


5.) Live in the Moment
Last but not least is to have fun and to live in the moment! The feeling of being in a different place and to be able to share that experience with family and friends is what makes your adventure priceless!


There are many more reasons of why I love to travel but I will save that for next time. For now, head on over to Marichuy's blog to read about her awesome adventures and her 5 reasons why she loves to travel!

Until next time,
Fati <3

Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You!

Happy last Friday of 2016 everyone! 

Wow! I can't believe that it's going to be 2017 already. I know 2016 had a lot of ups and downs but I am hoping that this new year is filled with new opportunities to grow in whatever our goals may be and I hope that we can continue learning about one another and continue educating ourselves on things that are happening locally and around the world. Gotta stay optimistic, right!?

Talking about goals, one of my friends had asked me today, what my New Year's resolution was. It was a hard question to answer because l am always looking for ways to better myself and to be confident in what I do. I think ultimately, one of my goals is to continue being active on my blog. It's difficult because I work a full time job and also take classes on the side, so I'm more of a part time blogger than anything. But I would like to continue sharing with you projects that I am working on and possibly do more collaborations with artists/brands. So we shall see what this new year brings! 

In the mean time, I wanted to share with you all a little bit about myself with these get to know me questions that I found online. Enjoy!

1. Age: 26
2. Degree: BA in Global Studies
3. Job: Educational Navigator (helping families to find resources in the community, establish educational goals, etc. It's kinda like a social worker but not really.)
4. Sign: Leo :)
5. Piercings: 6
6. Tattoos: 3
7. Language(s): Spanish, English, Spanglish and learning some Urdu. 
8. You Might Not Know: I am the oldest of my siblings. My brother is 22 and my sister is 20. 
9. Special Talents: I doodle random characters 
10. Sports: I enjoy running marathons. 
11. Hobbies: Painting, photography, going to the gym, painting my nails, going to concerts/shows, traveling, etc. 
12. What I Miss: My family, the beach, and going dancing.
13. Qualities I Value Most: Honesty, compassion, confidence, having an open mind 
14. Favorite Color: Black, dark purple, mint green
15. Favorite Food: I'm open to trying new things 
16. Favorite Song: I don't really have a favorite song, but I am really diggin' "Greenlight" by Pitbull. 
17. Favorite Bands: The Cure, Arcade Fire, The Smiths, Cafe Tacuba, etc.
18. Favorite Concerts: The Cure, Toro y Moi, The Growlers
19. Favorite Flower: Sunflowers :)
20. Favorite Show(s): American Horror Story, Game Thrones, and Jane the Virgin to name a few.
21. Favorite Book: Always Running by Luis J. Rodriguez
22. Favorite Quote: "Tu eres una luchona"- My mom 
23. The reason I started blogging: I started my personal blog, On The Streets with Fati about 2.5 years ago. I had just moved to Omaha from Los Angeles and I needed something to keep me occupied. I know that throughout the transition of moving from home to living the "adult life" and trying to find a job, I got really depressed and home sick. I had the idea of starting a blog before, but I just never did it. My boyfriend, Daniel encouraged me to JUST DO IT. It was easier said than done. It was a scary feeling because I didn't know if people were going to like it/ read it or if I was even good enough to start one. After a few hours of contemplating and getting those negative thoughts out of my head, I just went for it. I started blogging because I wanted to share with readers about my travels, personal style, about my culture, and connect with other like minded people!
24. Fears: This is a bit of a weird phobia but I am scared of waterfalls and giant water fountains. I don't really remember why or how it happened that I got scared of waterfalls but all I know is that whenever I hear one or see one I get really anxious. Don't get me wrong I think they're beautiful but nope, can't do it. Ha-ha
25. Last thing that made me cry: Reading a Christmas card my tia sent me 
26. Last time I said I loved someone: This morning 
27. Meaning behind my blog name: I have always been influenced by city life and by living in LA I had the opportunity to get to know about different events that were going on. I called it On The Streets because whenever I would walk around I felt like there was so much more to see than when you're driving. You don't really get to capture the culture or overall environment. I think it represented me because I'm always going out and looking for events to go to. And 'Fati', well that's short for my name, Fatima. A lot of people can't pronounce my name so I gotta give them some options, but a lot of my close friends called me 'Fati'. 
28. Currently Reading: Good to Great by Jim Collins & Mindworks by Gary van Warmerdam
29. Places I want to visit: India, Egypt, Mexico, pretty much anywhere! 
30. Last place I traveled to: Kansas City & Chicago 
31. Any Instruments I play: I'm a pro at playing the air guitar and air drums! haha I used to play the violin and flute when I was in elementary and middle school.

P.S. I want to THANK YOU for your continuous support and for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate you all very much! If there is anything you would like me to write more about or any suggestions/words of wisdom to help me improve my blog and your reader experience, feel free to comment below!

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!

Until next time,

Fati <3

My Experience with AncestryDNA

I've been interested in learning more about my culture and my family history lately that I ordered an AncestryDNA test kit from Ancestry.com. One of the reasons why I wanted to try it out was because I wanted to learn more about my ethnic background. I probably haven't shared this with you all where my family is from but my mom is from El Salvador and my dad is from Burma. I thought it would be cool experience to see where else my family members originated from and get to know their story. 

Before buying the kit, I had to do some research since there are a variety of DNA test kits out there that you can buy. I thought this article gave a pretty good breakdown of the differences, http://read.bi/2g7YTOC.

Below are some of the items that the DNA test kit came with: 

When I opened my package I found a brochure that showed me step by step instructions on how to activate my kit and where to send my sample. I thought it was really easy and self-explanatory.

Once I activated my DNA kit on the AncestryDNA website and entered my 15 number code, I was ready! One of the things I noticed about these DNA testing kits is that some require you to use a cotton swab to collect a DNA sample from your cheek but this one came with a tube where it collects your saliva sample. I'm not gonna lie, it felt weird spitting in this contraption but after a while it wasn't so bad.

Once my saliva sample was collected, I then placed the tube inside the collection bag and into the prepaid mailing box and off it went! Now the waiting game begins.... I will share with you all what my results are in 6-8 weeks, so stay tuned!

Have you ever tried an AncestryDNA test before? What was your experience like? Share with me on the comment box below!

Until next time,
Fati <3

Weekend Adventure to Minnesota Part 1

This weekend my boyfriend and I decided to get out of Omaha for a little bit and venture out to Minnesota; home of the Minnesota Vikings and known for its largest city, Minneapolis! A few things I was looking forward to seeing in this trips was the Mall of America, art around the city, and just things that we had never seen before. 

Look here's a photo of us looking pretty excited!!

Our first stop was the Mall of America. When we first got to the parking lot I couldn't believe how big it was, I felt as if we were going to Disneyland cause of the traffic and the rows of cars waiting to find parking. Alright, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit but, it was pretty big. As we entered, I saw people sitting down with their bags on the floor and their faces looking tired as if they had been walking for hours.  Once we got to the center of the mall, I was speechless. Four stories filled with 520 stores, 50 restaurants and attractions, and the nation's largest indoor theme park! Also did I mention that there's no sales tax on clothes or shoes! Crazy right! 

There are so many things to look at, where do you start!

Welcome to the jungle, I mean mall!

When you walk to the south end of the mall, towards the south food court you are able to see this giant Transformer figure made out of Legos. It was a sight to see! I wonder how many Legos it took to make this and the other creations around it.

Giant Transformer made out of Legos!

The indoor amusement park was just breathe-taking, I'm still wondering how they fit that all in one mall!

Indoor Amusement Park & Nickelodeon Universe

After we made our rounds around the mall, I spotted this cute vintage boutique called Tatyana, a retro inspired dress shop. I had to go inside and take a look. And of course try on some clothes!

*Those high-waist pants would look great with some wedges and a red belt. 

Pants: Carpenter Capri- $134.00

Blouse: Tie-N-Go Flower- $45.00

Dress: Windward- $132.00

They even have men's clothes!

Shirt: Anchor Mustard Diamond Bowling Shirt- $60.00

One of the girls there had on this lovely cherry dress! 

She's wearing: Wild Berries dress- *On sale for $84.00

After our mini detour at Tatyana's we continued to walk around and see what other things this mall didn't have. My boyfriend had been wanting to get some nice dress shoes and a minimalist wallet, so we found a store called Johnston & Murphy. This store is known for their craftsmanship in shoes, classic style clothes for men and women, and leather goods such as wallets & messenger bags. We met this delightful gentleman who helped us out and posed for me for a photo! I gotta say, I really like his mustache!

Briefcase/messenger bag: Vintage Collection Flapover Briefcase- $395.00

After 4.5 hours of walking, going on roller coasters, seeing the different stores, and meeting cool people, we decided to leave. What I liked about the mall was that there are different themes on each floor that you go on. At one point we saw a giant chandelier dangling. One of the things I should of brought with me was my walking shoes, because you can walk for hours and not even realize where the time has gone. Then again time flies when you're having fun right!

 More to come on part 2 of my weekend in Minnesota!

Happy Blogging!

From LA, With Luv

Fati <3