Spring Break: Earthquakes, Boat Rides, Laguna Beach and Big Bear.

Spring Break in the US has quite a reputation for being a week full of partying. My break wasn't quite like that, but it was very exciting nonetheless. On the Friday night after finishing for the week we went to see some friends who major in music perform in their concerto. Their flute performances were amazing, and the night was made even more memorable by experiencing my first earthquake. We were in the concert hall at the time and the whole building seemed to shake and it felt like it lasted for such a long time. I had thought Americans would know what to do in that situation but they all just looked confused, so looking to them to figure out what to do wasn't much help! I was surprisingly very calm throughout and I actually thought it was quite the adrenaline rush!

The next day we went on my friend Tori's boat around the Naples area of Long Beach. We had great weather and it was very relaxing cruising around the canals between the houses. I even steered for a minute!

On the Sunday we took a trip to Laguna Beach which, as one of the most upscale places I've seen here was very nice! It was a lovely day and we had lunch by the beach and explored the town a little. It'd be great to go back there and see some more!

Interesting little sign:

A mural:

A nice little passageway with some shops:

This is what it looked like from inside:

That night we watched the sunset at Huntington Beach and then went for a drive down to Newport Beach and walked around Balboa Island. The next morning, on Monday, eight of us were leaving to go to Big Bear Lake where we had rented a cabin for 3 nights. It was very cold there and snow was even forecast. When we got there we had a great lunch in the village at a restaurant called the Peppercorn Grille and then moved into the cabin. It appeared to be exactly like something out of a horror film! We decided we would all be sleeping upstairs in the attic room as no one wanted to sleep on the creepy first floor. We made pasta for dinner and then with the help of some alcohol, Trivial Pursuit and Game of Life the night turned very entertaining. We ended up dancing around the living room to 90s classics.

Big Bear:

Our cabin:

House rules:

It had snowed overnight when we woke up on Tuesday morning although it was not the deep snow that had been forecast. We had prepared to be snowed in all day drinking hot chocolate but we actually went on a hike up a mountain which had some breathtaking views.

Snow:

 Amazing views:

The lake:

We had some lunch in the freezing cold weather next to the lake and then headed back to the cabin to relax and begin the task of making a roast dinner. After months of no English food we were eager to try to recreate what we were missing. Three hours later we started eating and I was especially proud of the Yorkshire Puddings I made from scratch!

The rest of the trip consisted of playing poker next to the fire, roasting marshmallows, going to the village to look around the shops, more alcohol and packing up to go back to Long Beach. On the way home we stopped at Lake Arrowhead for breakfast which had the best waffles ever!

Before leaving the cabin (photo courtesy of Vicky):

Lake Arrowhead:

Although not the stereotypical Spring Break full of massive parties I had such a great week as I saw new places, had new experiences, good food, and a lot of laughs!

Thanks for reading!

Until next time!

Universal studios, classes, hollywood, tea, frat parties, red cups and a baseball game.

A lot has happened since my last post, but I just don't get the time to regularly update. I'm so busy, the massive amount of homework they give here is nothing like English University. Its been a bit of a shock to the system that we actually have to do the reading. So when i'm not doing that I'm trying to make the most of every minute. Its a bit tricky planning my time so I can actually do fun things, as now I have a TON of homework to do tomorrow! However, I've had such an amazing weekend that I don't mind. But I should start from where I left off, Universal. 30 August: got the metro train from Long Beach to LA for the first time. It took about an hour and is so cheap. At Universal we first went on the studio tour, which was really interesting for me, seeing as I love film. We saw the sets of many films and tv series, but I think the highlights were definitely Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives, the Bones set which had a simulated earthquake and a 3D King Kong experience. After that we went on the other rides, like the Simpsons simulator which was fun, and also the Jurassic Park log flume. We also saw the Waterworld performance, and saw the interpretation of London streets, which was so weird and wrong. We then went to have dinner (who am I, now saying dinner? it's tea) at the Hard Rock Cafe on City Walk.

Universal Studios:

Me and Mr Bean:

 Hard Rock Cafe:

 Amazing California Sunset:

The next big thing I did, was the next friday, 6 September, when we went to Hollywood. We saw the stars on Hollywood boulevard and the handprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. We then went to see Rodeo Drive, the expensive shopping part. We didn't stay long as we didn't want to be back late. That night, when we got back, there was an event on campus, called Smorgasport. It was kind of like a fair with free food, and lots of different things going on. There was a Photo Booth there which was fun!

Hollywood:

 Capitol Records:

 The Hollywood Sign:

 Me and Mickey:

 Grauman's Chinese Theatre:

 Rodeo Drive:

Photo Booth at Smorgasport:

So, Monday night, 9 September, we had a movie night in my hall, and then I was introduced to Cha for Tea, which was so goooood (I've been back since, and now i'm kind of addicted..) We also went to Signal Hill which was amazing. You can see everything! The photo doesn't do it justice at all.

Now, this weekend. On Friday 13, we went shopping in Orange. On the way we saw a car crash in the lane next to us, it wasn't bad but was so weird to see, it felt like it was happening in slow motion. I bought a few things when we got there, oh and there's a skate park in the Vans shop. Amazing. On Saturday, I skyped my parents, then headed to the pool at the rec center to hang out there for a while. Then had Chipotle for the first time, which was really good. THEN, our first Frat party. This was exciting. Guys had to pay $5 to go in, and then for girls "go ahead, go straight in!" The sexism actually kind of works in our favour. Crazy! The party was really fun, there was a big group of us so it was a laugh. The stereotypical red cups and beer pong were used, just like the movies. I counted the night as educational for my degree (American Studies), after all the reason I'm here is to embrace American culture, right? and this was definitely interesting haha!

Today, Sunday, we went to a baseball game, the LA Dodgers vs. the San Francisco Giants. We had prepared and bought jerseys! The trip was organised by housing, and it was only $10 for the ticket, transport and all you can eat food and drink. It was great to get into the spirit, even though it was hot, and I mean really hot. Sat in the sun for like 5 hours, still no tan (i'm just too British). We ate food, drank a lot, took lots of photos, joined in the songs.. well tried, and in-between all that saw some of the game. The Giants won, so some of our group from Northern California were happy. The rest of us didn't mind, we just liked getting into the American sporting spirit for a day! It's been a great weekend!

The Dodger's Stadium:

 The Game:

 Group Photo:

And, - Some things I've learnt:
 - American English is A LOT different from UK English. More and more differences keep coming up. It's fun explaining it all.
 - Americans are generally so much more chilled than the English.
 - There's way to much homework!
 - Red cups are actually a thing.
 - Frat parties are fun.
 - I'm never ever going to be tired of this lifestyle and the weather.
 - I never want to leave... Sorry Mum (but at least you know I'm having a great time).

 Until next time!