The Beach

14 January to 16 March 2020

Called this place home for three months and I wish things hadn't had to be cut short. Fell so deeply in love with this city, the people, the immaculate vibes.

School

Went through induction, sorted out the courses I would be taking, and had a couple of organized night events at the school bar for us to mingle with fellow exhange students. Being the only person from let alone my school, but country was hard as everyone had a buddy with them. Nevertheless, my extrovert hat came on and I managed to make friends with a couple of Korean, Peruvian, French, German girls. By then, everyone had formed their friend groups so naturally.

Moving in

For the week-long induction, I was putting up at a quaint AirBnB near campus/traffic center while my dorm room was being prepared. On the weekend before actual classes began, L came down (by bus from San Diego!) to help me get settled with the beddings and checking in, familiarizing myself with the city and buying houseware, etc. Was a good time catching up and having yummy Vietnamese food. Truly felt like the good old days, with a familiar face in a new city so far from home.

Friends

The souls that I have met throughout my stay here are those that I will never forgot till the day I perish from this Earth. Initially worried about the cultural/language barriers, all my worries were put to rest when we found personality commonalities and similar travel interests. Not only did I make many memories with our international friends, but also with the locals from Cali. Honorable mentions for my travel group girlies, E+J for their kindness and friendliness, and even B & K for showing up weekly (on Sunday...) to complete weekly assignments.

Places

PJ's (Panana Joe's) was our hangout spot on weekdays, weekends, whenever. We went over to a Korean bar and had a good night of soju, and made our way through house parties and shopping malls. Everything we did was similar to just living at home - oh, except for JW & I's weekly trip to Marshall's and Ross to buy new clothes, shoes, EVERYTHING.

Long Beach, you will forever have my heart, mind and soul. Body will follow when I make it big. I'll be back home soon.