Sarah WallockIt has been three days on my semester abroad program, which started in san francisco. I have been staying in a hostel in union square and spending my days from 8am-5pm in classes. monday was full of introductions and logistics. tuesday a fraction of the group of 28 ventured to mexican-korean food for lunch and after class to a gym and later to mediterranean food. today, wednesday, we had our first anthropology class and went to oakland to visit a food justice organization and ate freshly made venezuelan food. the director of phat beets spoke to us about the systemic racial oppression in oakland, which manifested in political policies, social groups and economic inequality from the 1960s until present day. phat beets works to create a more equitable food system in oakland by providing urban youth the education and access to healthy food. it was inspiring and interesting. after oakland, we headed back to san francisco for another round of mediterranean food. tomorrow is another long day of class. i am looking forward to heading to vietnam next sunday and a weekend of exploration.
one of the quotes that stuck out to me on the first day of class was “it’s either a good time or a good story.” that seems to be applicable so far and i hope to hold myself to that notion.
I currently have two backpacks that i will be living out of for the next four months. it seems like a challenge considering i usually have a full closet and dresser and an abundance of space and stuff. but as i gain access to laundry machines and begin to rely less on the consumer-obsessed way of life i used to engage in, i am excited to see how my perception of the two backpacks change, or if i cave in and pick up another duffle along the way.
