The first week of this new experience started off pretty rough for me. Getting lost for over 40 minutes and constantly getting wrong directions was not how I expected my first day at AYA to go. I was glad I made it though it was nerve-wracking walking in already late and everyone already seated. Besides that, I was still greeted with kindness from everyone, so soon after all the nerves finally went away.
Besides all of this, I had a great time on my first day. I figured out my way around some of the campus, but it is huge, and I have barely explored it all. It was very interesting meeting all of the guest speakers and learning about what they do. One thing that stood out to me was the PR talk. I had heard of the phrase but never looked into it, and I was surprised by how much went into such a simple term.
The college experience has been very different for me. I feel like I have a lot more freedom compared to regular school, and I’m still getting used to going to the restroom without asking. Everything feels so new to me, but I’m getting used to it. I have met new people, and I’m getting out of my comfort zone. I’m hoping to raise my hand more and speak up next week. It’s hard for me to think of things and speak without thinking of all the bad possibilities, but I’m trying to fix that.
We have gone on two field trips. We went to the CAAM (California African American Museum) along with a BBQ from a place called Earl’s BBQ before we left to celebrate Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest national holiday; it celebrates the freedom of enslaved African Americans in Texas. I saw a lot of new things there, and it was interesting to see all of the art pieces. It was also nice to be able to freely explore and not be limited to stay in a huge group of people like on normal school field trips. I was able to actually look at everything and even read the descriptions without the feeling of being rushed. Below is a picture of one of my favorite pieces at the Museum. The colors of this piece really stood out to me; it is called Kool-Aid by Simone Leigh
The other field trip we went to the JANM(Japanese American National Museum) This field trip was great as well. I learned about some history I had never before. Although, this one was a tour it was amazing. It was cool hearing about the stories from the volunteers who had first hand experience from some of the things there. It gave the field trip way more depth to hear the personal stories that we couldn’t hear from anywhere else. It really helped me understand what was going on. I would never forget this experience. Also me and my friends explored around little Tokyo. We went into different shops we went to the bookstore, the mini market, and a few places that had things like figures. We went to this restaurant but I don’t remember the one of it but we had ramen. I sat with a new group of people instead of my friends and it was nice meeting them and they made me feel very welcome. It’s been nice to step out of my comfort zone and I’m hoping I will be able to meet everyone here and get to know them personally. That concludes my first week! I had an amazing first week and I’m really having a great time in this program and I know it will only get better from here. See you next Friday! :3
Communicating Change 