Just 10 miles west of the country’s capital, Santa Ana is a small community with a population of 34500. I arrived on Sunday afternoon and was greeted in the customs terminal with a heat of 85’F. My host dad and his daughter came to welcome me (more detail on my host family soon), and after I ate lunch with them, unpacked and had a 2 hour power nap, we headed to the main street for the Santa Ana Street Festival. I have yet to figure out what the significance of this date is for Santa Ana, but I liken it to a street fair or farmer’s market (in terms of size and layout). After being there for a few minutes, I got nostalgic for those summers at the Monterey County Fair. Cruisin’ the vendors with my high school buddies, grabbing quick eats from the food carts, hollering at neighbors and friends… My first evening in Santa Ana and it already felt a little familiar.
