Student Blog
Living in LA

Holiday Break Balance ⟩
January 10, 2014, by Jen

Living in LA School/Life Balance

With almost 4 weeks off from classes, I made sure to catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation. I spent the beginning of the holiday break in my hometown in the bay area. I was able to catch up with friends and families as well as engage in some of my favorite occupations: hiking, playing with my dog, and eating. After spending time in Northern California, I flew down to visit more of my family in San Diego. It did not feel like winter in San Diego’s 70-80 degree weather and I enjoyed every moment of my time there. For New Year’s Day, I went to the Rose Parade in Pasadena. I had never been before, but because I now live in Los Angeles it made it very easy (and fun) to attend. One of my favorite floats was the Cal Poly Universities Float (although I am a little biased since I attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for undergrad). The float, titled “Bedtime Buccaneers”, won the Crown City Innovation Trophy. I was very proud of the work they did. Since the New Year, I’ve been spending time with friends and preparing to return to school. My break was full of balance which is one of the most important things to have.

⋯

It’s Winter Break Time!!! ⟩
December 18, 2013, by Ryan

Living in LA School/Life Balance

Well, finals are over and it is time to relax . . . and I mean relax. I had a final on Thursday so that afternoon I went to get my nails done with a friend of mine. It was just what I wanted, something relaxing. And I never treat myself like that. I usually do it myself. It was great! I felt relaxed and had some great girl bonding time.

Then after our last big final on Monday, a bunch of us went to brunch and celebrated the end of our fall semester. I can’t believe I only have one more left! We had a blast! The restaurant was empty (because it was 12:30pm on a Monday) so we would rotate seats around the large rectangular table so we could all talk and catch up after the crazy busy 2 weeks we just had.

And yesterday I went on a hike in the Pacific Palisades, up Temescal Canyon. It was a beautiful day and does not feel like Christmas is just next week. After the hike, we all got frozen yogurt and ended the day playing Balderdash at a friend’s house. So, I would say my vacation so far is going great!

⋯

Snow Day! ⟩
December 13, 2013, by Rob

Life Hacks Living in LA

Last Friday I was giving a tour to a prospective student when what should we stumble upon but a giant snow pile next to Tommy Trojan on the main campus.

I’m always open to the unexpected when touring students on both of our campuses — you never know what might happen — but I was not prepared for snow! Being from Chicago, snow is nothing new to me, but after almost two years of sunny southern California, it certainly was a surprise.

Turned out, they had trucked in a load of snow and dumped it in the middle of campus for everyone to enjoy.

So naturally, I indulged my Midwestern roots (and my inner child) and had a good old fashioned snowball fight. I would love to brag about how I “won,” but the prospective student somehow managed to get snow down the back of my shirt. Fortunately for me, the snow fell between my outer shirt and inner shirt, which made the situation even more comical. Afterwards, I juggled snowballs for the first time!

Such good-natured fun was exactly what I needed in the middle of preparations for finals week. We had a big project due that morning and an essay due that afternoon. I was tired and just a little stressed. After playing in the snow, none of that seemed to matter. A little bit of occupation-based snow therapy was exactly what I needed!

⋯

The Greatest Feeling in the World: WINNING!! ⟩
November 19, 2013, by Kate

Community Living in LA

Alongside other great feelings like being with family, making someone laugh, having a fulfilling purpose in life and studying at USC, there is the best feeling in the world when it comes to a USC football fan: WINNING. This weekend was our annual Homecoming. The USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy put on a bunch of different events this weekend to celebrate our alumni as well as our current students. There was a Casino Night on Friday and a tailgate before the football game on Saturday. Our football game was against #4 ranked Stanford University, and we were, no doubt, the underdog. I attended the game with three friends from out of town, whom I had met while I was an undergraduate at USC. We celebrated our reunion on campus with other friends whom I haven’t seen in a while. It was truly a great day catching up with familiar faces!

The best part of the day, however, was being there to witness USC beat Stanford, 20-17. Our Trojans played a great game against the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal. Going into the 4th quarter, we were tied 17-17; it wasn’t until the final 2 minutes that we scored the game-winning field goal. And magic ensued. Fans rushed the field and surrounded our team and the coaching staff. It was such a celebratory moment full of happiness, and I could not have been more excited to be there. I’m still feeling the high from being there in that amazing moment with my old friends! What a great way to be reunited!

⋯

Los Angeles: Tales from a (wannabe) Foodie! ⟩
November 4, 2013, by Kate

Living in LA

I love to eat. It is definitely in my top three favorite occupations, alongside sleeping and shoe-shopping. One of the best things about living in Los Angeles is that you have some of the best restaurants and food available to you in one city. Some of the best Mexican food is located right near the University Park Campus. I also love to find new taco trucks; last spring, two of my classmates decided to compare their two favorite taco trucks by creating a social event out of it and asking fellow OT students to vote and declare a winner. Some areas in the city have a specialty cuisine, for example, Glendale is home to many Armenian-Americans and Lebanese-Americans, and you can find DELICIOUS places for Middle Eastern food. Korea-Town specializes in, you guessed it, Korean food, and there are a ton of great Korean barbecue places that are yummy and have a great atmosphere. With all the great options, I have to say that this weekend, I discovered one place with a life-changing pretzel. Yes, a pretzel.

I have never been a fan of large pretzels because I find the salty bread a bit odd to my palate. But, my opinion changed on Friday night when my friends and I went to a new restaurant/bar to watch the USC football game. A friend of mine ordered the “Giant Pretzel,” which I was not too excited about. I took one bite to appease my friend, and I’ve got to say, it changed my mind forever about pretzels. The pretzel was salty and the honey sauce was sweet. Just perfection! I’ve uploaded a picture of the pretzel so you all can ogle over my culinary discovery as well. I think the lesson I learned this weekend was to never judge a food before tasting it, or at least, that not all giant pretzels are created equal. Just another reason why I LOVE LA.

⋯