Belated UCLA Bruin's Day! from Erica the Scholastic Adventurer

This should have been posted on April 13, 2013, but I was swamped with schoolwork and travelled somewhere FUN! every weekend so far! There is lots to share.

I still remember the beginning of that Saturday clearly. I woke up at 7am, absolutely excited and jittery. I remember four years ago my sister was in exactly the same position. She, too, attended her Bruin's Day with high hopes of fun and learning, and now it was my turn. It was my turn to walk the UCLA campus and down Bruin Walk as a UCLA admitted student. Not quite that big of a deal, true, but this was an adventure nonetheless. During the car ride, my parents and I talked endlessly and dreamed about the upcoming tours we were to participate in and that wonderful food UCLA has boasted since my own sister applied five years ago.

We finally arrived. The parking lots were almost full, but we were lucky to snag a spot before the car behind us spotted it. Cautiously, we left the parking complex and began to seek out the beginning of the orientation. In my mind, I was solely focused on finding the location of the "Welcome Tent," but my parents' minds were on something bigger: FOOD. Once we found the "Welcome Tent" my mom and dad asked the volunteers endlessly about the different cafeterias available for the Bruin's Day guests. All I remember was the utter hilarity I felt at the volunteers' flustered answers and responses to my parents' over-enthusiasm over food. Since we only arrived at UCLA around 10am, I was able to convince my parents to look around before attacking and raiding the kitchens.

I was lucky. We went to visit the anthropology and archaeology building at UCLA. There I met a graduate student who gave me a tour of the laboratory. I finally came across a ancient skull of a dire-wolf that was stuck in the tar pits in Brea. It was a fortunate find because I have always wondered what a dire-wolf was as compared to a normal wolf. Let me just say: I learned a lot! Through this trip I was able to distinguish the animals through the sagittal crest and the age through the teeth.

Finally, my parents called me out and we embarked on a journey towards the cafeteria. While there were many choices, my parents and I decided on the De Neve Plaza Cafeteria. On Bruin's Day we paid $6 to enter a food paradise, where we ate to our hearts' content.

De Neve Plaza

I later met up with an old friend, Willa, who attends UCLA. It was a nice "catch-up" as we both walked down Bruin's Walk toward the parking structures. We finally parted ways as we approached the giant bear.

Well UCLA, I hope to see you soon, if only just to eat your delicious cafeteria!


Love,

Erica the Argonaut