Graduate school is more than just school — it’s a lifestyle. And, for me, that lifestyle centers around the sun.
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From San Diego to Corona del Mar to Malibu, and every beach in between, I have spent countless hours at countless spots along the California coastline. I often hear the argument that, “a beach is a beach,” and I must agree, beaches do share some things in common: namely the sand and water. With that being said, beaches all offer something different: different views, activities, scenery, and atmospheres. Consider, for example, Pacific Park at the Santa Monica Pier: the thrill of the rides and the sights and sounds of the street performers backlit by the lights of Los Angeles. Or Surf City USA, which hosts the annual Vans US Open of Surfing: world-class surfing, skating, and biking all in Orange County’s very own backyard. Or the serenity of Little Corona: where nothing but clouds get in the way of a great afternoon. There’s not too many other places in the country where one can write their dissertation to the beat of the waves in mid-January (an opportunity which I seize at every chance I can).
And Southern California offers more than just the beach. The parks, both regional and national, offer boundless opportunities for exploration. There may not be forests filled with century-old western red cedars, Douglas firs, and bigleaf maples, like what I’m used to in Vancouver, but there is no shortage of wilderness. Like beaches, I visit parks for different reasons. When I wish to blur the lines between the city and the wild, I visit Griffith Park: the largest municipal park in Los Angeles which houses the Griffith Observatory and miles of trails which lead to the infamous Hollywood sign. If I’m looking to broaden my horizons, I visit Balboa Park: home to a handful of museums and, of course, the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
As I progress through another quarter at UCI, I cannot help but reflect back on the Tourism California commercials I once watched from rain-soaked Vancouver. Little did I know at that time it would only be a few months until I, too, would become California’s next tourism advocate.