Student Blog
Living in LA

New Occupations ⟩
September 10, 2012, by Paula

Life Hacks Living in LA School/Life Balance

With the start of another new semester, I was concerned about missing out on the luxury of free time that I enjoyed during the two-week break between summer fieldwork and the start of classes. As a result, I have made a goal for myself to find one new, fun activity to enjoy each week so that I don’t get too comfortable or bored with my routine. First of all, so you know a bit more about me, I am a list person. When I feel stressed or busy, I make a list! You don’t want to know how many different lists I have floating around in different notebooks & sticky notes. It is how I maintain structure and balance regardless of my everyday chaos. 😊 Luckily I have been making a “bucket list” of sorts involving activities in Los Angeles that I have been meaning to get around to but always end up putting off, so I have many, many options of activities to choose from. Last week, I finally went to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for a movie with some friends! For those of you who are unfamiliar with this location, movie screenings are regularly shown by projector in a grassy area of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Viewers attend and picnic prior to the film’s showing. I found this experience to be enjoyable on so many levels! The abundant culture, energy, and the shared appreciation of a new experience in such a unique environment was felt throughout the evening. I highly recommend it to those who are looking for something new, or for those of you who have attended in the past but haven’t been back in a while.

I look forward to continuing to make new occupations and adventures a part of my week and finally crossing some of those items off of my list(s).

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Time for Rest! ⟩
May 8, 2012, by Kimberly

Living in LA School/Life Balance

Wow. What a year it has been! If these blogs have been any indication of what it’s like to be a student, then you know it’s a crazy, busy ride! We have now all finished the comprehensive exams, some of us are in the process of moving home or elsewhere, all are prepping for graduation, and some of us are even getting married (refer to Alix’s previous blog 😊). I have to admit it is a little strange not having days planned out to a tee with school and social stuff alike. But I’m going to try and take advantage of at least a couple days of rest before graduation. My calendar for tomorrow literally says “sleep.”

I’m house sitting all summer, so I have already moved my things into storage and am currently residing in Santa Monica. The house I’m at has a nice porch that gets some afternoon sun and is literally a 5 minute walk from the sand. It will be nice to take runs at the beach for at least a couple of months. Of couse it won’t stay quiet for too long with fieldwork on the agenda for Monday morning . . . but for now . . . rest. If there’s one thing we’ve all learned it is the importance of restful occupational engagement to refuel and keep our bodies healthy. So Happy Summer everyone! Hope you can find some restful days yourselves.

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LA Times Festival of Books at USC ⟩
April 23, 2012, by Floyd

Getting Involved Living in LA

This past weekend was the annual LA Times Festival of Books at USC and it was a lot of fun! It was great to see and meet so many avid readers and distinguished authors at the central of Los Angeles. Every morning, we started off the grand sunny day with the music played by the one and only, USC Trojan Marching Band. This starting was a great lift for the day full of amusement, reading, and delicious food from food trucks.

USC OT had a booth in the center of campus that marketed what OT was and how people can learn more about our program. We also occupied the health tent that focused on health promotion and education on OT. Inside the tent, we welcomed participants to learn more about the different services that OT had to offer. We had for areas of practice: Low vision, weight management, stress management, and sensory integration. People received quick assessments of low vision, weighed themselves and learned what their BMI scores mean, create their own stress-relief balls and heat packs, and play in an obstacle course (Kids only please). Everyone had a lot of fun and we got a lot of great feedback from the participants and staff.

What a wonderful weekend full of good books, great company, and occupational therapy!

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Hiking for OT Month ⟩
April 19, 2012, by Kimberly

Getting Involved Living in LA

This month the Division has hosted and helped promote a variety of events to celebrate OT Month. As students, we have done a couple of our own as well. I put together a hike this past weekend in Runyon Canyon for anyone who wanted to join. Hiking is one of my favorite occupations and so I wanted to share with fellow hikers or non-hikers alike. We all met up Sunday morning for a couple of hours and took in the California sun. Since it had rained a few days earlier, the views were breathtaking. If you’ve never been to Runyon, I would highly recommend it for a leisurely-paced morning hike. There are 3 different trails you can chose from and the park allows dogs to hike the trail as well. Definitely a needed dose of the outdoors amid end-of-semester stress.

Happy OT Month everyone! And Happy Hiking. 😊

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LA Times Book Festival ⟩
April 17, 2012, by Alix

Getting Involved Living in LA

Before I came to LA, I worked as a book editor in New York City. So my past and present lives will collide this weekend when the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books comes to USC. We’ll have a booth there to showcase USC OT faculty books and spread the word about OT, and we’re also hosting a health tent with free stress management, weight management, low-vision, and sensory integration stations (free stuff!). I’m looking forward to exploring the festival and possibly seeing some of my old publishing co-workers, this time from the completely different perspective of an industry outsider.

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