Helene’s Peace of Mind and All of Mine

It’s a sight that’s far from unfamiliar: on my children’s size pink-handled scooter, I make my way down Trousdale at one in the afternoon, and what would be a quick zip from the Village to class is something closer to driving on an L.A. freeway during rush hour (or at least what I assume it looks like, truth be told I don’t know how to drive in L.A., Godspeed). The walkway is packed, and I’m a sardine on a scooter in a can of college students.

I complete an entire hero’s journey on the way to afternoon classes. It’s moments like these — like seeing an Insomnia Cookie line that twists and turns and wraps around the entire Village square and being filled with a harrowing fear, or hearing how your friends waited 45 minutes in line for a fried rice bowl at Parkside that ended up being just okay — that remind me I go to school with more than five people. As silly as it sounds, when I’m wrapped up in my little classes and extracurriculars, I forget how many people actually go here.

To put it simply, moments like these are just straight up overwhelming. Having spent the past two years of my life doing online school and never having gone to a school with more than 300 people, being surrounded by masses upon masses of bodies often feels like a mortifying ordeal.

On a campus that’s packed to the brim with people, sometimes it's difficult for me to find some quiet and tranquility — so, here are my favorite places to go to when I’m in search of some peace of mind.

SCA Courtyard/Coffee Bean/Bathroom

This place can get pretty crowded — that much is true. However, I believe this is ultimately offset by something I can find nowhere else: the healing properties of drinking a fruity drink, sitting outside in the sun, and then using a nice, clean restroom with a Crazy Rich Asians poster across from it.

Old Annenberg (especially the patio!)

Now, I get why people have reservations about this place. It’s in the name: she’s old. It’s hard to look at her and not think about the newer, fancier, egregious-number-of-Macbooks-filled New Annenberg. However, I pose you this: behind its facade of modernism and technological prowess, New Annenberg is a hollow building full of glass walls, big screens, and burnt out students. But that is just the lament of an overdramatic and ever-angsty Journalism student <3... In all seriousness, while the new Annenberg building is undoubtedly beautiful, it can be a bit of a sensory overload. What I love about Old Annenberg is that it is simply silent and empty and, to me, isn’t even that much of an eyesore. Give her a chance.

Doheny Bookstacks

Simply put, I love reading & I love books. It’s true and it’s true! But being a college student with assignment after assignment, it’s hard to find the time to enjoy a good book. But man, just being surrounded on all sides by books reminds me that one day, sometime in the future, I’ll have the time to read all I want. It might not be now, but it’s coming. There’s so much to read and learn and love and I can’t wait until I experience it all!

That’s it from me! I know this list was short and none of these spots were particularly revolutionary, but maybe next time you feel overwhelmed and need some quiet, try journaling at one of these places :D

Helenes love and all of mine,

Pia