Many of you have probably noticed that midterm season at Viterbi is well underway. While not the most enjoyable part of college, test taking constitutes a necessary and sizable part of any student’s academic life. That being said, it’s important not to allow studying to consume your whole life. For me, one of the best ways to relieve some ~midterm stress~ is to get outside. Enjoying greenspace makes us happier, more active, more focused, and of course allows us to soak up the wealth of vitamin D in sunny southern California.
Last weekend, in a break from studying for midterms, I went with my aunt to one of my new favorite greenspaces in Los Angeles, the Huntington Library and Botanic Gardens. The gardens are in San Marino, which is a beautiful area near Pasadena. They span 120 acres and have flowers blooming year-round. Each garden within the garden has a theme, like the Australian Garden or Rose Garden, for example, and there are 16 themed gardens in total. On the day I visited the gardens, they also had their plant sale going, so I was able to purchase smaller versions of some of the plants on display in the larger gardens! The Huntington’s manicured gardens are absolutely breathtaking and provide a peaceful environment you can’t easily find in LA otherwise.
This weekend, I also made sure to get some time outside. My roommate and I woke up around 5:30 this morning and headed to Manhattan Beach to catch the sunrise. Manhattan Beach is always beautiful and particularly peaceful at this time of the morning. On our drive back to campus, however, clouds of smoke from the fires devastating southern California became more apparent, serving as a harrowing reminder to keep those affected by the nearby Woolsey and Hill fires in our thoughts.
