Los Angeles

I was born and raised in LA, so it might come as a bit of a surprise when I say that I really don't like it here.

I remember being little and thinking I was so lucky to have been born in LA where I was close to the beach, the mountains, and Disneyland; I thought it was amazing that I was from a place that some people dream about going, when I could have been born somewhere boring in the middle of nowhere.

By the time I was in high school I was starting to feel differently, so when I was applying for college I set my sights on the Bay area and narrowed the search down from there. As most of you know, I ended up at Mills and fell head over heels in love with Oakland and the Bay, which cemented the thought that had been growing in my mind that LA was not for me.

When I was studying abroad in London, I would have a moment at some point almost everyday where something would make me pause and think "I can't believe this is my life. I live here." Whether I was doing something completely routine like swiping my Oyster card to get in and out of the tube or something life-altering like seeing a play at the Globe, this thought was never far from my mind while I lived in London. I had recaptured the feeling I used to have as a kid. Oakland made me happy but London made me feel lucky.

Currently, while I gear up for my next big adventure, I am living in LA. And I don't want to be here hating it, so in an effort to appreciate my hometown more I'm going to start a new series of posts called Fun in LA. (I'm not sure if I'm really feeling that name, so it may change.) I'll be seeking out cool things in LA and posting about them here.

How do you feel about your hometowns??

<3

I graduated!

Did I forget to mention that I graduated?? 

Well I did. 

My last few weeks at Mills were a blur of finals-induced craziness and moving-induced stress. Though compared to other semesters I had probably the easiest finals I'd ever had, when combined with moving out of an apartment as well as knowing I'd be leaving Mills forever and Oakland for awhile, it ended up being very stressful and I am a little surprised that I made it out in once piece. 

My mom had to force convince me to participate in Commencement but in the end I'm really glad she did. Even though graduations are long and boring and the speeches all sound the same, it's much more exciting when you're the one graduating. When I picked up my walking card I saw that I was graduating with honors, which made me feel great. Also, Lena was able to come up to see the ceremony! So all in all it was a lovely day and I was one happy graduate. 

Then the next morning we all got up at the crack of dawn to drive back to LA. Now I'm readjusting to life in So-Cal, unpacking, and frantically applying for jobs. I promise to (try) to post more regularly now! I have a room tour on the way as soon as I get the last box out of here. 

<3

Mama Bear

I would post a cute picture of me and my mom, but
a) the one I had in mind is a physical copy and it's already been packed, so I can't dig it out and scan it right now
b) my mom does not like having pictures of herself on the internet.

So instead here is a picture of the back of her head, which I have special permission to post.



Happy Mother's Day to my favorite person in the world.
<3