Tuesday, June 25, 2013

California Has Arrived

We arrived at El Cerrito and gave our good-byes, then headed for the airport. After all the security shenanigans, we boarded the plane from San Francisco to Chicago.

Chicago had those walkways that I've always seen in the movies. This is actually my first time seeing them in real life. I haven't been to an airport for ten years! I hardly remember anything from back then. 





I thought the liftoff would be stronger, like a roller-coaster; sadly, I was wrong. I only slightly felt the acceleration of the plane, it was a disappointment. However, the view was phenomenal. The clouds silently shrouded the cities, creating a mysterious and unknown feeling of satisfaction. I felt satisfied knowing that I was among the clouds hovering over these gigantic cities, mindlessly enjoying a game of look-and-see. 


On the flight to Pennsylvania, Mr. Hillyer wanted us to disperse ourselves across the seats in hopes of us meeting new people. Luckily, I met someone who was talkative. Bill, who lives in Minnesota, has been playing golf for more than fifty years. FIFTY YEARS. He's been playing since high school and still hasn't dropped his clubs. That's a great passion to be playing a sport for half a century. Usually anything becomes boring if done for a long period of time, but it seems like Bill is an exception. 

After we arrived in Pennsylvania, we called for a van to drive us to our hotel. While we were driving, I saw how different the East was from the West. Unlike home, buildings were mostly built with bricks, giving them a unique appearance. Also, the East isn't very secretive of hiding its garbage dumps. In San Francisco, or any "big city" in California, it's difficult to find places they dump their garbage, but that's completely the opposite for Pennsylvania. When we were crossing bridges - lots of them - to the hotel, I spotted two garbage dumps that were filled with trash. I wonder why California hides its trash. For the public? 

In comparison to the size of the East, I've barely seen anything. There's much more to see and much more to learn! I've only noticed the small details thus far, I can't wait to explore more of the city! 

3 comments:

  1. Just curious, Jun, do you think that garbage dumps should be displayed like our parks, museums and memorials? Shouldn’t some things remain hidden? That’s why I shove all of my garbage under my bed where it won't be seen.

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  2. I think garbage dumps should be shown to a certain extent. It isn't an attraction so it shouldn't be displayed in the city where it can be seen all the time, but it should be at least obvious where the garbage dumps are, without having to Google it. I feel as if the citizens' sense of responsibility over trash would be strengthened. Philly is much cleaner than SF (I haven't seen all of the city so that may change). I wouldn't say that the dumps are the reason for that, but it may be a factor.

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  3. Wow am I really that big from behind? Also, I enjoy your answer on garbage dumps. Perhaps it would raise awareness but also health issues from the stench and possible decay.

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