If you want to understand me, start with my love for a good Cortadito…

I march into Colada - the kind of place that’s earned its rank as my true safe haven. Embarrassingly beaming with confidence in my oversized hoodie and droopy sweatpants, I approach the counter and salute the heroes who’ve conditioned me into a full-blown Pavlovian dog. You’d think I would be used to the wait by now, yet I still find myself impatiently chipping at the bits and pieces of the receipt, jumping to my feet every time I hear the brewer churn. I yearn to hear my name shouted over the counter. “One cortadito for Angela!” is underwhelmed by the ethnic cuban music playing through the speakers, begging one to move their body in compliance with the serenading sound.

All my senses are attentive and alert. Colada is a surge of adventures. The smell of my warm cortadito, steeped in caffeine, delivers a lifetime of absolute bliss. My very own fountain of youth. As a perfectionist, I catch the tiny details that slip past the average eye. Details in my encounters make me appreciate life’s smaller moments. Details in my surroundings spark curiosity, urging me to explore more. Because of that, I develop deeper interests and build unexpected connections between the things I live, the things I notice, and the things I learn – internalizing every bit of information that I consume.