Update: Somewhere New

As I’ve said previously, I was determined to follow Demi’s goal of going somewhere new. I’m a person who tries to follow through (I’m just that type of person). I had a plan that didn’t exactly work the way I wanted to. Let’s backtrack for a bit, so I stayed up the night before this excursion. I remembered going on a hike with my good friend Zoë a while a back ago to watch the sunset (I thought for some reason it was the Berkeley Fire Trail but maybe I was wrong). Anyways, after some planning and research, I was prepared.

Of course I made some alterations as I went along. I even printed directions from Google Map (which of course I ended up leaving at home later on before I left). My plan was to wake up and try to make it up there before sunrise (that ended up not happening). I woke up and got ready. I headed out the door and got the directions on my phone. I followed the directions exactly and it’s not where I originally planned on going.

At that point I wanted to give up (even on the way to where I was going I wanted to go back home), but like I said before I’m someone who follows through. I ended up where the directions ended and was a little closer to where I wanted to be. I started following some people and was pretty close to where I wanted to end up. I followed the trail and somehow ended up at at the bottom of the Lawrence Hall of Science, a place where I went to when I was a kid. I was going to head back home, almost defeated at that point when I saw a good vantage point. It was exactly what I wanted to see. All I wanted to see was a panoramic view of the East Bay and part of the other side of the bay.

It got a little misty and started raining (luckily I was all bundled up). At that point I sat down and took it all in. I brought my camera along to take some pictures and I took some photographs on my iPhone too. I also brought my poetry notebook to write some things down before I forgot. The trek was exhausting and longer than what I was planning or expecting, but it was all worthwhile. I met Demi’s goal (which is also mine).

Keep scrolling!! You’ll find some pictures and a poem, describing my experience. Enjoy!!

Somewhere New

A view worth seeing.
Nothing can capture the
Beauty of my beloved city,
Not even a photograph.
Nothing can beat a
Stunning view of the
Place I’m lucky enough to
Call my home. I live in the hustle
And bustle of the city I grew up in.
It’s not until you get away from
The city noise and traffic
That you explore
Something new. You get peace
And quiet up here. You can think
And take a moment or two
To catch your breath after
The strenuous, but so
Worthwhile trek. Up here,
Away from the city you
Disconnect from technology
And you start to look at
Things with a fresh eye.
You gain a whole new perspective
Of the place that you thought
You really know like the back
Of your hand. You start to realize
How big the world truly is.
We become thankful for
The things we have.
We’re the lucky ones to
Live where we live. We have
Clothes to wear, food to eat,
Water to use, and
A roof over our heads. Some
Other people in this world aren’t
So lucky. They’re barely surviving.
We’re lucky to breathe.
I’m taking it all in with a
Mental picture before it goes away.
This is where I am, in this moment.
This is somewhere new.
It’s a place where I sometimes
Get lost and feel stuck.
But I’m still living
And still learning as I go.
As I’ve learned life can go as fast
Or as slow as we want it to go.
I’m forever grateful for
Moments like this in my lifetime.
These are moments to cherish
And to get us unstuck.
East Bay
East Bay
Panoramic view of East Bay.
Panoramic view of East Bay.

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Elena

I was born and raised in the Bay Area. Growing up, I went to Berkeley public schools up until I left California to attend McDaniel College, located in Westminster, MD. I graduated from McDaniel College with a B.A. in Theatre Arts with a focus in Acting.

2 thoughts on “Update: Somewhere New”

  1. Elena,
    What a wonderful way to start the new year!
    I can’t wait for the next piece of your writing.
    Much love,
    Marilyn

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