Cruising the Bay

                

So, school officially starts in 10 days…I’m not okay with that. However, on a more cheerful note, today was awesome! In the morning, we took a field trip to the SF Bay for a cruise to see The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, and then we had lunch and shopping by ourselves at Pier 39. It was great to be able to relax and let loose for a little before the madness of class started back up on campus. Plus, it was a Sunday, so we deserved a break. Even though the day was chilly, and the wind form the boat ride didn’t help, it was worth it to risk the frostbite for the pictures. And also because later, we warmed ourselves with clam chowder and bread bowls for lunch and it was amazing:)
                                                                                                                      
        
 {Those seagulls had no problem flying like 2 feet away from us}

                                   
                              
 {Alcatraz in all it’s creepy prison glory…}

                                                                                                                           

Though it was gloomy in the morning, the sun finally came out for us in the end! At the Pier, we had lunch, and then went into some crazy stores like an entire shop dedicated to socks, and another to magic. We also went and saw some sea lions! Getting some down time to hang out and talk with everybody was incredibly fun and rewarding today.

Back at Berkeley, we had guest speaker Laki Sarah (find her at lakitalki.tumblr.com) speak to us on the topic of media consolidation, the growth of online media, and how we can take advantage of that and start encouraging our own talents by doing something such as starting a YouTube channel or blogging (woop woop!). She was a very interesting speaker that had us considering the ways in which we use media today. This led perfectly into the Workshop, New Media Convergence, that came next. There we spoke about whether it is a positive or a negative thing that power over the media is in control of less and less people, but also the idea that regular citizens are now becoming “reporters” of sorts as they take the broadcasting of media into their own hands (think Instagram, YouTube, Vine, etc.) Lastly, we had another Leadership session with Mike Walsh, during which we spoke about the difference between discussion (the root of the word coming from concussion, meaning there is a winner) vs. dialogue (meaning that instead of a winner, there is mutual understanding and compromise) by roleplaying several polarizing topics. As a whole, we learned that it shouldn’t matter that the other person doesn’t agree with you because those are their beliefs, and instead of arguing, we should learn to appreciate the fact that their beliefs are deeply rooted and that no matter how hard we try, we will not change them. Just as, they will not be able to change ours.

Tomorrow, I have 2 field trips on the schedule so I have high expectations:)

                    
Also, I just wanted to brag and show off this awesome Panorama I got of the Golden Gate! The entire cruise was an awesome experience and I’m glad NSLC organized it for us.