My Debate Trip to California Part 5
Despite 4 days of ranting to the contrary, I had a blast at Berkeley. I went with Chris and Stephen, a couple debaters on the team. Since it was just the 3 of us, we got to just hang out a lot of the time.
First, the Hotel. It was not a corporate hotel like Hilton or Marriot. It was almost like a bed and breakfast, but it was walking distance from the campus. Plus, it was within walking distance of just about everything else. Clothing stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. Lots of restaurants.
Restaurants. There were so many locally-owned restaurants where we were. We had a different ethnicity/style every night: Thai, Vegetarian, American, Italian, and Indian (at least, I think bubble tea is Indian. I could be wrong on that one.) And they were all great. It was the best Thai food I’ve had in a while, and without a doubt the best hot dog I can remember having. Now I’m going to have the same problem as with the Italian Sandwich.
People. The other schools were really cool. We met some people from others schools and hung out with them during most of the tournament. Everyone was really nice. Plus, me, Chris, and Stephen got along superbly. Our conversations were always interesting, and we never had trouble making decisions on where to go. I looked forward to watching them in rounds (since I wasn’t judging) and I looked forward even more to the time in-between rounds when we were just sitting around. They’re cool dudes. Also, it doesn’t hurt that they regularly told me how awesome I was (and they were being sarcastic less than half the time, so I’ll take it.)
Change-of-Pace. It was something different. It might not have been my annual vacation to Tom-and-Monique-Land (aka Ohio), but it was time away from work. It broke up the monotony that has become my adult life. I spent 4 days doing stuff I don’t normally do. I even remembered how much I love being at speech tournaments, and the effects that can have on me (I’m not exactly sure how it works, but just being at a tournament makes me more charismatic. Like, noticeably more charismatic.)
Overall, I liked the trip. I had a good time, and I made some friends. I’d do it again, and that’s really the measure of any trip.
First, the Hotel. It was not a corporate hotel like Hilton or Marriot. It was almost like a bed and breakfast, but it was walking distance from the campus. Plus, it was within walking distance of just about everything else. Clothing stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. Lots of restaurants.
Restaurants. There were so many locally-owned restaurants where we were. We had a different ethnicity/style every night: Thai, Vegetarian, American, Italian, and Indian (at least, I think bubble tea is Indian. I could be wrong on that one.) And they were all great. It was the best Thai food I’ve had in a while, and without a doubt the best hot dog I can remember having. Now I’m going to have the same problem as with the Italian Sandwich.
People. The other schools were really cool. We met some people from others schools and hung out with them during most of the tournament. Everyone was really nice. Plus, me, Chris, and Stephen got along superbly. Our conversations were always interesting, and we never had trouble making decisions on where to go. I looked forward to watching them in rounds (since I wasn’t judging) and I looked forward even more to the time in-between rounds when we were just sitting around. They’re cool dudes. Also, it doesn’t hurt that they regularly told me how awesome I was (and they were being sarcastic less than half the time, so I’ll take it.)
Change-of-Pace. It was something different. It might not have been my annual vacation to Tom-and-Monique-Land (aka Ohio), but it was time away from work. It broke up the monotony that has become my adult life. I spent 4 days doing stuff I don’t normally do. I even remembered how much I love being at speech tournaments, and the effects that can have on me (I’m not exactly sure how it works, but just being at a tournament makes me more charismatic. Like, noticeably more charismatic.)
Overall, I liked the trip. I had a good time, and I made some friends. I’d do it again, and that’s really the measure of any trip.