Recreational Life
Track and Field
It was six in the morning and my roommate gently shook me awake. I was very drowsy and struggled to get up, but I finally found myself putting on my running clothing and heading down to the quad. As everyone finished gathering in the quad, we finally started for the OPERS field for our morning run. As we prepared to leave, I couldn’t help but notice the tall trees and fresh air that surrounded our group. Waking up early in the morning to explore nature gave me a new perspective that I never had before as our environment was very peaceful. This in turn gave me a great opportunity to not only appreciate the nature surrounding me but also my friends. During the track and field activity, I decided to run several laps around the track and observe my environment. There were deer on the field, peacefully munching on the grass. Despite the heavy mist and fog clouding the sky, many people were still willing to either work out in the calisthenics park or run laps on the track alongside me. There were also many people simply hanging out with each other and having a great time. I met many new people and made some new friends. People were running laps with their friends or walking at their own pace. This event is a great activity because not only is the OPERS field a great place to work out, it is also a great place to meet new people with similar goals as mine. By: Ayala Wang |
In the Silence
During one of our recreational times, we had a chance to visit one of the many libraries at UCSC, McHenry Library. Along the trail to the library, we were amazed by the tall trees and chirping birds surrounding the trail. The trail finally met its end when we found the library located in the middle of the forest. Nonetheless, the library filled us with even more amazement. As soon as we entered the library, we all got a different feeling — not that of a COSMOS student, but a feeling that we had become actual college students. All of us used the time valuably with various resources to achieve the best academic success. Tons of books, premium desktop computers, and a peaceful atmosphere was provided for the most optimal concentration. In silence, the sounds of flipping pages and typing on the keyboard filled the library. With the smell of antiquated paper around us, time passed quickly. After recreational life in McHenry Library, the way back to the dorms was absolutely beautiful. Despite there being more energetic activities, recapping what we learned in COSMOS or accomplishing individual goals was an excellent way to start the first week of COSMOS. COSMOS has just begun — and we are looking forward to other memorable moments and broadening our horizons. By: Andrew Woo |
"Blonde" Album Listening
The recreational/evening activity that I had the pleasure of attending was the Album Listening on Tuesday, July 12, where a large group of COSMOS students gathered in the lecture hall for a relaxing run-through of the album blonde by Frank Ocean. I was interested in attending this specific activity because I enjoy Ocean’s music, and the listening session sounded like fun! I arrived with 150 other students at the lecture hall and sat down for the evening event. It ended up being relaxing, and an overall enjoyable experience. The atmosphere was tranquil, with the lights turned off and colors projected on the walls. In addition, the album itself was excellent, and a perfect choice for the activity. I encourage anyone to check out the album and more of Ocean’s work, such as his other album channel ORANGE. I hope COSMOS will organize more album listening sessions in the future! This one was the perfect place to rest, do homework, or read. However, talking was not encouraged, so do not come if you are hoping to do so. I would recommend bringing a sweatshirt, pillow, comfy clothes, and a blanket in order to make the most of the experience. All in all, I would love to go to another listening party if it is offered and I would highly recommend it to the rest of COSMOS. By: Helena Spydell |
Night Hike
We capped off our eventful first week at COSMOS with a fun Friday night hike around the beautiful UCSC campus. The weather was perfect, in the high 60s, and the skies were clear as we explored the campus under the moonlight. The hike was a popular choice amongst students, so we split into groups of about 30 students each. During the hike, we saw lots of wildlife, learned a bit about the UCSC campus history and caught a beautiful sunset! We started down the path we normally take to get to the Discovery Lectures and crossed many bridges along the way. Along the trail, we spotted many deers grazing in the shrubs. We then walked through the residential buildings in Porter College and got to talk to college students who were preparing for their exams. We spotted a painting of koi fish on the wall just before we came to the koi fish pond. Students were thrilled to see the koi fish pond and grouped around to take many pictures with the fish. The pond also had a small stone statue of a koi fish, a mini waterfall, and a variety of plants. The fish kept coming to the top of the water to get some air and students were thrilled to see their tiny mouths open up. Many students started choosing favorites out of the fish based on their color and motions. The RA’s told us a story that took place at the koi pond a long time ago: There was a frat who took a koi fish from the pond and fed it to his other friends in the fraternity. The campus officials found out and banned the frat. We were shocked and disgusted to hear this — how could someone eat a fish from the pond that was such a beautiful attraction for all the students? Afterwards, we went to see a huge artwork of a red squiggle, the mascot of Porter College. We walked through some more colleges and through the woods until we reached the music center, where we got a clear view of the beautiful sunset. The serene hues of the light wowed all of us. On the way, we saw some bunnies, and more deer. Many people took pictures and soaked in the sights. After stopping for about 20 minutes, we continued our walk back to the campus. It was starting to get dark as we walked through the woods, but we were guided by the moonlight. As we got back to the part of the campus we were familiar with, we were greeted by a banana slug, UCSC’s mascot! The hike was about 3.5 miles and 7,000 steps, and it was full of numerous conversations between COSMOS students and faculty. It was a great way for us to meet new people and relax after our busy week! We learned a lot about the different activities happening in the other clusters and got to experience lots of UCSC’s scenery. Overall, it was a great time, with many beautiful sights, and interesting wildlife. By: Sneha Narayan |