01 Apr San Francisco in March

Written By: Claire Luro-Brana

Almost in the mid-semester, spring break is arriving quickly and I am so excited! My parents and my brother are coming to San Francisco for the entire week and we will do a road trip in California. Our first big trip outside of Europe; I cannot wait for next Friday.

So far, the semester has passed quickly, and I have been able to discover new places in San Francisco. The difference and the contrast with the mountains continue to fill me with wonder. Also, the sunsets here are a beautiful gift offered by Mother Nature. However, I was not able yet to see a sunrise, I am still too lazy to wake up so early.

Recently, I went to Pacifica with a friend. It was a very rainy and cloudy Sunday. There were only a few people, and it was so agreeable, calm, and relaxing. The weather made the afternoon even better, contributing to creating a wild environment. Not only was the walk on the black sand really nice but also the shower that came with it. We were walking close to the sea and at a moment, the level began to rise with a big wave accompanying it. We were literally soaked! and we were freezing but it was so fun.

So far, I have not had much of an opportunity to try restaurants and typical food from San Francisco, even the dumplings, the Bay Area and San Diego are known for their Cantonese cuisine, but I still have not tried yet; do not worry, it is on my list. However, I did try a Nepali restaurant with a friend. It was outstanding, the quality of the food, the atmosphere in the restaurant, and the varied menu with all these curries, cashew curries that I did not know about. Also, they had momos, these ones are Tibetan ravioli, steamed or boiled. They are stuffed with meat or vegetables and served with a spicy sauce. Do not think that I did know this, it was my friend who advised and initiated me to the Nepali cuisine. For the curious, the name of the restaurant is Base Camp in the Mission District.

Furthermore, during the past two weeks, there are two places I began to love and go to often; Dolores Park and the Palace of Fine Arts. Dolores Park is the Mission District; from there the view is wonderful; you have a panoramic view of San Francisco. It’s really agreeable to see the sunset or even in the daytime to have a picnic or just walk. Regarding the Palace of Fine Arts, I feel like this is my favorite or one of my favorite places in San Francisco. Coming from Europe, we do have a lot of old monuments, museums, and buildings that create the cultural richness of the cities. Here, in the United States of America, everything is new, the buildings are new, and the cities also. Therefore, it is rare to see old buildings. Even if the Palace of Fine Arts “only” dates from 1915, its architecture is interesting and makes me think of our European buildings, which I love. The Palace of Fine Arts is dazzling during the daytime. However, it can indeed be crowded during that time, many people enjoy it. Also, I have already seen people taking pictures for their marriage there; and on the Internet, I saw that doing a marriage there could at least amount to $25,000 the day! Just to use the place. After all, this building merits this luxury. However, I prefer to go there during the nighttime. There are no people, it is quiet, the building is wonderfully illuminated, and when the sky is clear enough, you can watch the stars. With my friend, we spent almost one hour observing the stars and trying to figure out which stars where were, which constellations we could identify, etc.

Now, in terms of academics, the courses are good, the university is nice. However, it changed a lot about the university I was at last semester in Raleigh, North Carolina because I feel like at SFSU, people just come to classes and go back to their homes or work. It is understandable, given that life on all points is so expensive there that people do not have the choice to work as well as study here. Consequently, I feel like this is more of a commuter university in which it is therefore quite difficult to meet people than a campus where you can easily meet and hang out with people. When I compare it to the NC State campus in Raleigh, the campus in Raleigh was huge, like in the movies. There were many club sports, student organizations, big football and basketball games and students literally lived on the campus. The campus for us was the city and vice-versa. Here, it is totally different, almost the opposite I would say. But it is good to see the difference, and the city here is so much better than Raleigh. For me, it is unquestionable.

Recently, I applied to the Mentorship program that the Family Lam College of Business proposes. I was selected and it will be useful to develop networking opportunities and maybe find an internship here. I think this program is a great experience; having a mentor is valuable on many points. Mentors are precious in advising one’s career, helping to assess strengths, weaknesses, and potential axes of development to guide a career. It is also helpful to enhance leadership and communication skills that make sense when looking and applying for a job.

I have to stop here and see you in one month, after spring break!! Only seven days and we will be on holiday. For my part, the first stop will be San Luis Obispo.