Semester two: Changes, The Beach, LA and MOCA.

After my Christmas at home in England with my family and then my fun but exhausting trips, I was excited to settle back into life in Long Beach. I had decided to move into on-campus dorms where the majority of my friends live as it is much more convenient. I was even going to be living in the same building as friends, where I had spent a lot of time in my first semester anyway, so I felt very lucky and happy with my decision. I checked into my new room, met my new roommate and with the help of my friends moved my stuff in. That first night was really fun, seeing everyone after so long, it felt like the beginning of my year abroad again!

My new classes started the next day and I was making a change from the first semester in which I had taken all film classes. I was now taking a mixture of subjects, 'Religion in American History', 'The U.S. in the Twenties, the Great Depression and WW2', 'Celebrity in American Culture' and 'Women in the History of U.S. Film'. 

That day we also got some good news (for us anyway) that Steph and Sera had missed their flight connection to Sydney and so would have another day to spend with us in Long Beach. So the next morning, we got up at 6am to pick them up from LAX. It was surreal as we had already said our goodbyes, but they were excited to surprise everyone and I was excited to see them again! We spent the day on campus as we were all tired, them especially, but it was great for us to have more time with them before they went back to Australia.

The only photo I have of the day, Steph sleeping:

The following weekend was Kim's birthday and I tried Sushi for the first time which I enjoyed, but I can't say the same for Sonnee and Sara! It seems to be something that people from California grow up with, unlike us Europeans. The other highlights of the weekend were the basketball game and also going to see American Hustle at the cinema.

At the beginning of February was the Superbowl. I don't really enjoy American football as I still don't have any clue what is going on, but I watched it anyway and the team I was rooting for, the Seattle Seahawks, won 43-8 against the Broncos, a huge victory!

On the 21st February I had a great day when I went with friends from my building to the beach to have a bonfire, play some American football and have S'mores. Then the next day I went with Sonnee and Sara to LA using the Metro blue line. We got off in Downtown LA where we saw the City Hall, the Courthouses and the Los Angeles Times building.

The beach at sunset:

The LA City Hall:

The Los Angeles Times building:

We then went to the Old Town part of LA (El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Park), which has a pretty church and the famous Olvera Street. This is filled with colourful Mexican stalls and restaurants and the traditional music played by live musicians gives the street a charming atmosphere.

The church:

Praying:

Olvera Street:

We then walked up to the Disney Concert Hall which is a very impressive building, designed by architect Frank Gehry. It opened in 2003 and is still one of the most impressive structures in LA, serving as home to the LA Philharmonic Orchestra. It has become an iconic building, and seeing it in real life did not disappoint.

Walt Disney Concert Hall:

We then grabbed a burrito for lunch before heading to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) which had a great student price and some very interesting art including a very eery clown piece.

Some of the artwork:

Heading home at sunset:

The following weekend was rainy, the worst it has been the whole time I've been in California. There was thunder and lightening, making it hard to do anything very exciting, but we did go to Seal Beach for brunch and kept ourselves entertained by watching the Oscars on TV. It was weird that the awards were happening so close to us, if only we could have gone and met some celebrities! 

Thanks for reading, I have more exciting posts coming up! :)

Seattle: Sunsets, Seafood, Seahawks and the Space Needle.

I'm sorry for how delayed this post is, life's been hectic and this semester is flying by!

After a great trip to Hawaii my next stop was Seattle to visit some relatives. I slept most of the flight, still feeling the effects of my jet lag from England and the busy five days in Hawaii, but from what I did see it was a beautiful journey. Flying from warm Los Angeles over the mountains to cold Seattle was quite an amazing sight. The vast landscapes of America still amaze me.

The perks of having a window seat:

After landing at Seattle airport my cousin Devon picked me up from the airport and we went back to her house where I was able to relax a little after my hectic last few days. We then went to downtown Seattle and had a walk around. I'd waited eight years to go back to Seattle so I was very excited to see the city again. Next we went to a restaurant on the seafront to have a snack of delicious fries and saw the beautiful sunset.

We then went to the nearby Olympic sculpture park, and from there I was able to see the Space Needle for the first time since I arrived. There was also an amazing view of the sunset. I was picked up by another relative, Bruce, who I was staying with. After I had settled in that night we had a lovely dinner, and I met another cousin after eight years. We then went to get ice-cream in their neighbourhood which was fun.

Sculptures:

Sunset:

The next day I made my way downtown by bus to explore. The first thing I noticed was the cold, it was so very cold, especially after the heat of Hawaii! I went to the market where the famous Pike Place Fish Co. is located. I had fond memories of going there years before so I was excited to look around again. There are a lot of cool little stores and stalls which give the place a great atmosphere.

The World Famous Pike Place Fish Market:

One of the quirky stores:

The market:

I then walked down to Pioneer Square which is a historic area of Seattle. I explored the area seeing Smith Tower which was completed in 1914, making it the oldest skyscraper in the city and also the tallest building on the West Coast before the Space Needle opened in 1962. I also saw a memorial and the Waterfall Garden park which is a nice spot to sit and relax in the city. It was great to rediscover these places.

A Totem Pole:

Smith Tower:

A Memorial:

Waterfall Park:

I then met up with another relative, Hope, in the Klondike Museum which gives the history of the Klondike Gold Rush. We watched an interesting short film, had lunch in the waterfall park and then went on an underground tour of Pioneer Square which revealed the old city. The original Seattle was one storey lower than it is now so we walked on the old sidewalks and saw where the buildings used to be. In the city's transition the old level was used for a few years as underground pedestrian walkways meaning people had to climb down ladders to get there, including the women in their big dresses… which must have been a pain! Afterwards I went to see my cousin's school basketball game and then was treated to fish and chips for dinner.

An original underground skylight:

The next day I went downtown with Hope. We went to the art museum and had a guided tour of an exhibition of Native American artwork by Haida artist, Robert Davidson. It was great to have it all explained to us as it made it a lot more interesting! We then went to The Crumpet Shop to have tea and crumpets for lunch like true English. After our break we went on the Seattle Great Wheel which opened in 2012 and had an awesome view of the city. Next we went to the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop which is famous for its weird and wacky items.

The art museum:

Example of Davidson's work:

The wheel:

View of the city and the stadiums:

One of the weird things in Ye Olde Curiosity Shop:

That night I saw some more of the family when they came for dinner. It was great to see them all again after such a long time. I then went to stay with another relative, Geneva for the rest of my trip. She took me to the Space Needle the next day which is a cool experience with amazing 360 degree views of the city.

We then walked through the 1962 'Century 21' Expo (World Fair) site to find a place for lunch. We went to a really nice Thai restaurant where we had a great meal. We then decided to walk up to a park which has a really great view of the Seattle skyline. The sun even decided to come out for us!

The next day I went to see even more relatives which was one of my aims of the trip. Then it was time for the big Seahawks football game against the 49ers. The whole time I had been there, there was team spirit and sporting fever around the city, with the no.12 flags everywhere which I found out represented the "12th player," the fans. The Seahawks won, giving them a place in the Superbowl which they too would go on to win! Afterwards we had Mexican food for dinner and later that night, the last of my trip, we went to have frozen yogurt.

I caught my flight back to Long Beach the next morning. The airport was filled with Seahawks merchandise and the airlines were even offering early boarding to anyone wearing a Seahawks shirt! I had a brilliant time in Seattle and loved seeing the family again. I had been waiting years to go back, after falling in love with the place when I was twelve and it did not disappoint, even with the cold weather! I hope I can go again someday in the future!

My next step was to move into my new room on-campus in Long Beach and settle back into SoCal life… shouldn't be to hard!

Next blog post will hopefully be up soon, trying to catch up!

Hawaii

After spending the Christmas holidays at home with my family, I was excited to head back to the USA for more exciting adventures. Before I started my second semester I still had time to explore and had trips planned to Hawaii and Seattle. Flying to the USA this time was made more interesting by having the company of Sonnee and Sara. We arrived in LA at about 7pm after a ten hour flight and then had one night in Long Beach before we left for Hawaii early the next morning. We got up at 5:15am to go to the airport once again, to take a 6 hour flight to O'ahu, Hawaii! I was unbelievably jet-lagged but so excited, not only to go to Hawaii but to see Steph and Sera again!

Flying into Hawaii the scenery was breathtaking, the island of O'ahu looked stunning from above, and the colours in the ocean were amazing! As we came into land I also saw Pearl Harbor.

After settling into our hotel, Steph and Sera came to meet us! It was strange not seeing them for so long over winter break, and they were super-tanned! We walked down to Waikiki Beach to explore a little and realised just how beautiful Hawaii was, and how hot it was for JANUARY! Sonnee, Sara and I had come from cold, rainy Europe to 30 degrees Celsius heat! We soon settled in to the relaxing lifestyle, over 7000 miles away from home!

Diamond Head Mountain:

The beach:

Beautiful ocean:

We decided to get an early dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, before heading back to the beach to watch the sunset and then the firework display put on by the Hilton hotel. The sunset was one of the best I've seen and the atmosphere so tranquil. We had fun on the beach, digging holes and throwing pebbles in the ocean before we sat down to watch the fireworks which were really good.

The Hard Rock Cafe, Hawaii-style:

Sunset:

Fireworks:

The next day we got up and headed to the beach. The weather was perfect, but this would soon change in typical Hawaiian fashion as a rainstorm rolled in. However, we did have some time to relax on the beach before the rain, and when it did come we embraced it and went back to our hotel and got in the hot tub. We definitely made the most of it!

That night after dinner we walked around Waikiki, and saw the changing of the Guards at King's Village. We also saw some Hula dancing, which was great to experience and it was good to see that the cultural heritage is still alive!

Changing of the guard:

Hula dancing:

The next day we got up early and went to visit Pearl Harbor, which I had never expected to go to in my life. It was surreal, as was even being in Hawaii, somewhere I never thought I would get the chance to go. We looked around the museum and learnt some more about that fateful day. We then went on a boat to the Arizona Memorial, which is above the sunken ship. It was hard to believe that so many people died there. There was still oil leaking from the ship, just over 72 years later, as you can see in some of my photos.

The Arizona Memorial:

The sunken wreckage:

The Memorial:

The people that survived the attack have the option of being laid to rest with their fellow shipmates in the sunken USS Arizona when they die, showing their dedication to the Navy.

The Memorial:

In the afternoon of the same day we hiked up Diamond Head Mountain, which was quite a distance and hard work but the amazing views made it worth it. I still could not believe just how beautiful the mountains are.

Mountains:

This was after our walk just to get to the bottom of the mountain; we still had to actually climb it:

View of Waikiki:

View of the crater:

On top of the world!

The next day we hired a car and drove around the island. The scenery just kept getting more stunning; more shades of blue in the ocean, more shades of green in the mountains. We stopped quite a few times to take photos and take in the views.

Kuloa Ranch:

Contemplating life:

We stopped for a relaxing lunch at Turtle Bay resort:

We then found the beach which is renowned for its Turtles and we were able to spot a few!

A turtle:

Then being the big fan of the TV series LOST that I am, I had to see a location that had been used for the show so we stopped at the first beach that was used for filming. This was where the plane wreckage was!

Here it is now and in the show:

Apart from just being the LOST beach it was actually really really beautiful. The others really liked it because the water was SO clear! So my fascination with the show actually meant that we found a great spot that we could all enjoy!

Paradise:

We went for a swim:

While we were in the water a massive rainstorm came and we had to run to the car soaking wet, not only from the sea but also from the rain, with not much hope of drying off in the sun anytime soon. However, this only made the experience more memorable, and it is Hawaii after all!

The aftermath of the rainstorm:

As we had time before arriving back in Waikiki to drop off the car we stopped to see the churches that were used for the LOST finale. They are adjacent to each other and the first, St. Patrick's Church, has been used as the exterior, and the second, The Sacred Hearts Academy was used for the interior where some of the last moments were filmed! I'm so happy I got to see where LOST began and ended, something I never thought I would experience.

The next day, our last day, we spent at the beach and did paddle boarding which was really fun! The weather was really warm and the day was a perfect end to the trip. We had dinner and then Yogurtland while we watched the sunset, before we had to be ready to leave for the airport at 7. My next stop was to be Seattle to visit family!

Paddleboarding:

Saying goodbye to Steph and Sera was hard, we thought we wouldn't be seeing them for at least six months but little did we know we'd be seeing them again very soon...

Also Happy Birthday to Sera, all the way away in Australia!!