“Interview with Fam” Series – My Sister, Amanda Lee Lopez

Posted on December 24, 2009 by MAL

Amanda Lopez is the much much MUCH older sister of mine. OK, she’s not that much older. Plus, I have to put that in in case you are like many other people who assume I’m older. So annoying!

Not Much Has Changed

: Seriously, Don’t Ask

Amanda now lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her five-year old son Brayden who is probably the coolest five year old I’ve ever met. He seriously makes me look like Martha Stewart. Watch out ladies because he will be a heartbreaker!

She went to high school at a British International School in Mexico City called Greengates International while I stayed in Baltimore to study theatre. It’s there that she became fluent in Spanish (whereas I never learned), and developed her love for fashion and culture.

She now runs her own green realty company called style|house realty, and also delights every once in a while in the social media tool that is twitter. She goes by @style_house

She’s vivacious, driven and always makes me laugh. She’s my gorgeous older sister, it’s A-MAN…DUH!

1. What was it like to move to Mexico at the age of 15? How did you adapt to another culture? Did you find it difficult or easy? Do you feel it was easier being so much younger?

I guess the initial decision was pretty easy. without much thought, i kind of figured that ‘sure, why not?’ i mean i could always come home. actually getting there though and trying to fit in was a whole other issue in itself. i remember getting there and arriving to school and the instant icy looks from all of the girls who were instantly jealous that an attractive american girl was now their competition for the boys attention… needless to say, i HATED it when i got there. i couldn’t wait to come home. so that Christmas was my first chance at coming back to the states and that is when everything changed. I remember going back and seeing all of my friends and realizing at that moment that everyone was still doing the exact same things and here I was living in another country. So that is when i decided to come back to Mexico and make the most of it and I ended up staying for another 2 years. Perhaps it was easier being younger although i think i could do it again, have the same problems, realizations and really be fine with it again.

2. Once you moved back to the states, you decided to go to University. Did you find the reverse culture shock any harder or easier? Were Americans all of a sudden strange creatures? Explain.

yes, coming back was a huge shock! being in Mexico, i had gotten used to people dressing up for every occasion and wearing nice clothes. and then coming back here i was seeing people grocery shopping in their pjs! and wearing old flip flops, hair messy and just plain bad fashion all the way around! it took me awhile to stop judging people on their overall sloppy appearance but that was probably one of the most noticeable things. i guess too the overweight issues and just people not really caring about their health and well being and the clothing was ultimately a reflection of this. i did however enjoy coming back to a place where the mail was delivered daily, people showed up for their work when they said they were going to and the much more high intensity at which expectations of the work life were made. i did greatly miss all the social aspects though like parties, mariachi’s, going to clubs at the ripe old age of 18 too!

3. You’ve mentioned that you’d like to continue to travel a little bit every year. (As we did with you this past February going to Spain.) However, now you have a five year old son, and many people would say it’s much harder to travel with children, and especially as a single mom. Do you agree or disagree? How did you do it and how will you continue to? Any advice for other single moms out there with an interest to travel.

of course it is going to be different, but i guess it’s what you get used to also. no, you can’t sight-see the nightlife, bar hop around town or things like that. but you can still have nice meals, as long as you don’t give in to your child only eating pizza, but that is another blog entirely! i tried not to cater completely to him and everything that he wanted to do because afterall, it was me paying for this trip and i wanted to do things that both of us would enjoy. you also realize that being in the same place, children experience things that perhaps you would never had paid attention too. like every playground that was passed, or the colors on the walls of buildings.

so it is also interesting to see the world through the eyes of the children and they make you go slower as to where you HAVE to pay more attention to your surroundings.

i will surely continue to travel. we went to Washington DC a few weeks ago and are spending Christmas in NYC just the 2 of us. We plan on seeing the Rockettes show on Christmas day, ice skating in central park, the natural history museum with the dinosaurs, FAO Schwartz, Rockefeller center and much more!

Advice? just do it. be prepared with some games for the travel time, but you are the adult, make the decision to travel and your child will learn. that that is the way of life and that’s just what you do.

4. You run your own business now as a realtor. (You can see style|house here!) Explain the challenges (good and bad) you face as a business owner. Do you prefer it over working for someone else?

i love working for myself! not because it’s any less work, and often times it’s more, but i had too many ideas swirling around in my head as to what i wanted a company to be like and maybe it’s a control thing i have going on but I had nothing and everything to lose and well… i decided to jump ship and go out on my own. time will tell as to whether or not i am crazy but in the meantime, i am super happy!

5. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

in five years…i plan to grow my business up to a point where i am mostly managing and opening up new offices and attracting awesome people to come work for the company. i want to franchise my brokerage firm and have style house realties all over the country. ie style house nyc, style house dc, etc.

in ten years… i plan to have several offices that i have either sold off and am recieving residual checks from or a much larger company will see my vision and buy me out and i can enjoy my life and continue to travel the world and provide the best education for my son.

6. As a fellow Lopez sister, what would you say the best thing about being a Lopez is? And, you can’t say being related to me because that’s too obvious!

damn meagan, you stole the words right out of my mouth!! haha. best thing about being a lopez? well, it’s really just about being me. and whether i was a lopez or a jones or whatever, i think i’ve always found my place because i have a strong sense of me. and you do realize that lopez is really the ‘smith’ of the latin last names don’t you? i mean the only thing that makes us different is that we are PALE and lopez!

Surprise!

Posted on June 10, 2009 by MAL

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Saturday – my mom’s graduation. The day of my unveiling. She basically almost pooped her pants when she saw me. I called out her name “Judy Judy” as she descended the stage after receiving her degree, and, with a blank stare on her face she waved vaguely in my direction – like Miss America being blinded by too many hard questions. I called again, “This way – Judy!” She briefly smiled until it came “Oh My God! What are you doing here?!!” she screamed. The arms fluttered up and down as if she were a bird being shot at, and she ran over to me enveloping me in her arms. We both got teary eyed, and I suddenly realized Uncle Bobby wanted me to take some pictures of her shocked reaction. I fumbled with the camera trying to sputter out “Act surprised – need picture” and got an extreme close up of her face instead – at least she was smiling wide. She then had to re-enter the queue to go back to her seat. She said she cried at her seat. Good job everyone who knew and kept the secret this time! It worked!

I have returned from the United States – barely. I know, I know. I never mentioned I was going to the United States in the first place. I went for about ten days – four of which I was in hiding at my sister’s house. My Uncle Bobby called me a couple of months ago to discuss a trip to Baltimore for my mother’s graduation from college at Community College of Baltimore County – Essex. He wanted it to be a surprise for her. The entire family has not been together in one room since before I was born, so I knew this would mean a lot to everyone.

Apparently, she found out about the surprise three weeks in. So, we double surprised her by telling her I could no longer come due to unforeseen circumstances. She admitted to knowing I was coming, and now was more upset that I couldn’t come. I felt bad, but it had to be done. She had to be tricked.

Surprise set in place.

Forward to May 26th when I landed in Baltimore.

It was so nice to be back to where I grew up. The longer I was there, the more I realized I hadn’t been back for a significant amount of time in nine years, and didn’t really know Baltimore anymore. Since I had to be conspicuous for four days before my mom’s graduation, I ran Lake Montebello around my sisters house, roamed through the haunted cobblestone Thames Street of Fells Point and took in the rancid smell of the dead fish killed by algae in the inner harbor. I was able to catch up with my Best Friend since I was 5 – Courtney! I also found out how popular soccer is in Baltimore when I tried to watch the Champions League Final at the Slainte Pub and realized I had no chance of fitting in that tiny bar. Luckily, Koopers Tavern next door was the secret spot to be – empty and with good food. I also applied for a UK Visa – we’ll come back to this bad idea later.

Thursday night Courtney took me out to dinner at Carrabba’s in Hunt Valley, MD. A nice chain restaurant that she had left over gift cards for. I forgot how big the portions are in America – and how good the service is! We really are spoiled.

Friday evening my Uncle took my sister and I out for crabs at Ocean Pride Restaurant – one of the staples of crab picking restaurants in Baltimore. My absolute favorite type of eating – picking apart the entire animal to get to the meat on the inside…slaving through the intestines, poop, and eyeballs are just a few of the things that tickle my fancy when eating crabs. Honestly, I love it. There is no other animal I would enjoy doing this to, but I always say “You aren’t a Baltimoron unless you know how to pick a crab, hon.” While Brayden, my nephew, banged on the table with his mallet and entertained the father next to us who kept saying ‘Oh, how he reminds me of my boy,’ and ‘he’s a handful, isn’t he?’ but at the end said ‘Well, now I can walk away. Just wait til he’s a teenager – that’ll be some trouble’ (we didn’t know whether to laugh or be insulted) – Uncle Bobby, my sister and I stuffed our faces with crab meat. Although, that’s the problem with crab – you work so hard to get to the meat that you end up working off all the calories you’re putting in.

I love my sister and my relationship now. It’s so easy with her, and we can just be. With a bit of knowledge that I am sounding completely cheesy, I have to say it – she’s the greatest sister any sister could ask for.

Monday we headed to Cape May – the WHOLE family. My mom, my two uncles Bobby and Jimmy, Jimmy’s girlfriend Kathy, my aunt Donna and her husband Larry, my sister Amanda and her son Brayden, my grandmother Lee, and my two cousins Becky and Sam with Becky’s boyfriend Sean. Little drama, lots of alcohol and good times had by all!

Bad idea this whole applying for a visitor Visa for longer than six months, I found out. I got refused entry. But now I am back in the UK for a bit until we figure out what’s next!

Oh, and thanks to Phil and Alison for letting us stay in their house back in February! We really enjoyed the alone time!

The King’s Hotel, but Fit for a Queen

Posted on April 2, 2009 by MAL

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The King’s Hotel (previously King’s Arm Hotel)

I had to leave the hotel room to let the maids come in and do their cleaning bit. Amanda (my sister) and I learned this when getting a hotel in Bristol this February – maids here do not touch your things! This could be a majorly good thing, because who really wants a maid to touch their dirty clothes, or rummage through their suitcase, right? I completely see the point. On the other hand, when you can be as messy as Amanda and I can be; part of the joy of staying in a hotel is that you can leave your clothes strewn all over the place, only to come back to find them all neatly folded in a pile on top of your made bed. Not in England! They will leave those pajama bottoms on the floor where you left them next to your dirty socks.

All that said, it has made me learn to get in the habit of always picking up after myself. And, that we are very spoiled in America. That being said, there’s nothing like staying in a hotel that is over 500 years old, and imagining what it must have been like with the horses and carriages outside and women in their petticoats. It was a 16th Century Coaching Inn!! I don’t even know what that means!! But it just sounds cool!! Not to mention the pure marble bathrooms!

Early 20th Century Version of Hotel

Anyway, as I was getting back from my walk, and about to enter my newly cleaned room, a couple walked by, and the woman in her best posh English voice asked, “Can you tell us where room 113 is? You do work here, don’t you?”

My first reaction was to slap her across the face, but then I thought that would be a bit harsh, so I just politely said, “I don’t work here, but you can find a sign right here with the room numbers on it.”

She just mumbled quickly “Oh, sorry,” and quickly twiddled by me. Toodle Pip!!

As I entered my room, I started thinking why that bothered me so much. What does that say about me if I get so easily offended by what someone thinks of me, or that I look so down upon others who do work in hotels? I had to reassess my view on this.

So, I made myself a cup of coffee, and wrote this blog. I think I have come to the conclusion that it was actually her that I was so offended by, and if I had actually worked in the hotel and she came up to me that I still would have thought she was a twit.

I’m glad I reflected on that.

London Bound

Posted on February 16, 2009 by MAL

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Trafalgar Square with Blue Balloon

Trafalgar Square

As afraid as I was to have my sister come visit when Jocko had no job, we had no place to live, and the weather was still cold – things seem to be working out! While I’m sat quite contentedly at the Premiere Inn Hotel in Potters Bar (the very north of London) on my beautiful Mac Notebook, my gorgeous boyfriend is interviewing for the 3rd time this month, and he has 3 interviews to follow this week.
Sis comes in town tomorrow after a fairly relaxed 6 hour plane ride from Baltimore with her 4 year old son Brayden at the completely reasonable hour of 7AM. Maybe that hour would be reasonable to someone who hadn’t been sleeping in until 11am every morning for the past 2 months, but to us, it’s killer. Not to mention waking up this morning already at 6am. We were lucky enough to get a ride from Jock’s pops who was heading, unfortunately, to London for a funeral. On the way, we picked up his great Aunt who is 86 years old. What a clever lady.

Just at the moment when you think you have everyone nailed down, this spritely 86 year old striking lady with a slight hunch back but a pep in her step sits down next to you in a 2 hour car ride. Jock and I both rolled our eyes when we realized she would be sitting next to us in the back meaning we would have to come up with some conversation. I think Jock’s size got to him being crunched in the back, but she and I chatted about everything from Obama to traveling through Kenya and Australia. She spoke about the social implications of overbuilding too quickly with not much though in the process, about youths with knives, and I hear Al Green in the background crooning away to “Love and Happiness.” I look out the window and see a small castle pass me by one second, and 2 dozen cows the next. I’m beginning to love England, it’s old people and taking off my shoes when I enter a home.

They drop us off at the prestigious hotel 3 hours before Jock’s called in to interview, and I begin editing my website, editing photos, and creating a movie with all the small videos I have uploaded from my Canon Powershot SD500 Digital Elph. I have had that camera for over 3 years now (10 years in camera time), and it is still going strong and taking gorgeous photos. I don’t care what anyone says about the size of it – it’s staying until it dies. It is so dirty, dinked and you can barely see anything through the viewscreen, but it works god damn it! And that’s all that matters.

Tonight we got a great deal at the Crowne Plaza Hotel! So we will be relaxing in style ALONE! This will be the first night where we won’t be staying with someone else, worrying about messing up anything or being quiet after a certain hour in almost 3 months! I feel like I’m a teenager again who just got given freedom and is about to use it to the utmost of her ability. You nasty responsibility ridden adults better watch out because here comes Jocko and MAL in the Crowne Plaza!

Looking forward to seeing my family tomorrow. Keep updated for Barcelona news!