First Weekend

My first official weekend in Los Angeles was definitely one to remember. Friday night was spent seeing a TON of Ithaca alumni that now live and work in Los Angeles. These alums all participated in the Ithaca Los Angeles Program as seniors and turned their internships into jobs or made connections that led to a job. It was truly exciting to see all of these familiar faces in LA- it made me appreciate the amazing network of Ithaca students, past and present, that I am fortunate to be a part of. I also understand now why so many people in LA know about Ithaca College; the city is crawling with Ithacans! It's really wonderful.

A terrific part of being here, besides the awesome opportunities, is the proximity of a million beautiful beaches. Saturday morning and afternoon my roommates, Rachelle and Abby, along with my good friend, Megan, and I explored a lovely beach called "Zuma" in Malibu. Going to the beach here is a big part of the culture. It was interesting to see the number of families there; of course there were several tourists as well.

In the evening the RAs and the ICLA program planned a beach bonfire with s'mores and hotdogs at Dockweiler Beach State Park. In theory it was going to be an amazing night, but... in execution it didn't fare so well. The RAs didn't realize that Saturday night was a huge night for families and friends to get together on the beach to cook out and camp. No one else anticipated that either! It was another example of the big part that the beach plays in LA/California culture. In the end, there were no more designated fire pits open for the bonfire, the beach was crowded and everyone ended up heading in different directions. We did enjoy a beautiful sunset (see picture)!

On the other hand, the barbeque that they planned for Sunday evening went off without a hitch! There were more than enough hotdogs, burgers, veggie burgers, brownie bites, chips, dip, and potato salad to go around. Jon, the Programs and Services Coordinator, along with the RAs were grilling up everything and had quite a spread prepared for the students. It was an afternoon of great weather, yummy food and swimming. *Awesome*

Tomorrow I start my internship at TBWA\Chiat\Day, an incredible advertising agency that is part of a global network. I'll be working on the Pedigree account. The accounts are very impressive: Anheuser-Busch, Energizer Battery, Gatorade, Infiniti, Nissan, Pioneer, VISA, Shutterfly, Mars...and the list goes on! I am so very happy and fortunate to be an intern with them. Tomorrow an update is definitely in order!