Hey guys!

I know spring break was a couple of weeks ago but I never got a chance to share about it so I figured I would do that this week!

This year, I decided to visit some of my friends at school in northern California since they had a different spring break than we did.  They always visit me because I’m close to home and I wanted to return the favor.

I started the week by going on a roadtrip with my family.  Even though I’ve lived in California my whole life, there were a ton of cool landmarks I had never seen and it was a really great time to both spend time with my family and see some awesome places.  We started the trip by visiting Hearst Castle which was absolutely stunning.  One day I want the same pools he had.  I also loved all the amazing art he collected- my parents loved that I was able to explain all the history.  Also in the area, because Mr. Hearst used to have a zoo, you can see zebras right off the highway! We continued our drive up the coast and drove through Big Sur, Pebble Beach, and stayed in Monterey for the night.  The aquarium was amazing (I love aquatic life).  They had a special jellyfish exhibit which was really scary though.  We also went to a really cute restaurant in the wharf for dinner that had the best clam chowder.  We ended our roadtrip with a day at the Winchester Mystery house and finally made it up to San Francisco.

I spent one more day at the California Academy of Sciences with my parents and also got some amazing Dim Sum in Chinatown.  At the California Academy of Sciences, they had some amazing exhibits, my favorite being the indoor rainforest that housed all kinds of birds and butterflies.

Finally I made it to see my friends.  One of my best friends from high school is also an Alpha Phi up at Berkeley and it was awesome to stay with her there and see what it is like.  I had so much fun exploring the campus and meeting all her friends, and it was really nice to visit. The next day I visited my other friend who goes to USF and had an equally amazing time exploring the city with her.  One of the hardest parts of being at college is missing your old friends and it’s definitely challenging to keep in touch with everyone, so it was great to get to spend some quality time with them.  Overall an amazing spring break experience!

Lyssa Aruda-2015

Lyssa Aruda-2015

Chemical Engineering (Nanotechnology), Class of 2015, Learn more on her profile here!