Study Abroad Year Report: Conclusion

As April rolls around, my year abroad and therefore my SAY blog enter their final stages. The entire process has been an overwhelmingly positive adventure with new lessons learned, friends made and perspectives developed on a daily basis. I would therefore like to briefly reflect on my experiences of living and studying abroad and the process of documenting my year through the SAY blog.

Reflections on living abroad

Having grown up in London it was to many people’s surprise that I chose to study at UCL. My response to suggestions that I leave the city to experience somewhere different was that London is an enormous and beautifully varied city. Moving from N6 to WC1 would therefore be an exciting change which indeed it was. However it was not until I moved to Los Angeles that I realised how thrilling living in a new city and country could be.

Los Angeles, my home for the year

Before coming to the US my father graced me with one piece of advice: ‘don’t be deceived; the only thing Americans have in common with the British is our language and even that we don’t really share’. While this is partially true, it has been the differences between our two cultures which have made living abroad such a rich learning experience. These differences have also encouraged me to adopt new lifestyles and philosophies. For example the slower pace of life here in Southern California encourages you to enjoy the moment rather than worry too much about the future.

There are of course many things I do not like about living in Los Angeles. As mentioned in several posts, poor public transport infrastructure and horrific congestion make moving around the city a constant challenge. I have also found the insular views of many Angelenos to be quite frustrating. These are often facilitated by a belief that the US is the single most important country in the world with everywhere else being its subordinate. This outlook is mostly held by those who have not travelled beyond its borders. However I can only see these as positive experiences for helping me appreciate other places and people, and making me more aware of our differences in opportunity.

Reflections on studying abroad

Studying for a year abroad is a fantastic and refreshing experience, one that I would recommend to anyone for whom it is available. I think it is very different to studying full time as an international student. Having already spent two years studying Geography at UCL, I came to UCLA with prior experiences and future expectations that would shape my entire year of studies.

Throughout my time here at UCLA I have been constantly comparing my studies with those at home: the size, length and content of my classes, their various forms of assessment, and the overall major/minor degree structure adopted in the US. While I was initially critical of a system that forced students to extend their degree by a year* in order to take a wider breadth of classes, I have come to appreciate the opportunity to broaden my academic horizons by taking courses from a range of different departments. Many of these have supplemented my geographical studies while others have allowed me to engage with passions I would not have been able to explore otherwise.

Numerous UCLA clubs and societies advertising on Bruin Walk 

The experiences of studying abroad extend beyond the classroom to the whole university. At UCLA I have been exposed to many aspects of college life that are not present in the UK. These include extraordinary pride in college sport, ‘Greek life’ (fraternities and sororities) and an enormous variety of different clubs and societies. Taking part in these and many other aspects of American university life has been both fun and deeply insightful, allowing me to draw my own conclusions on what I believe is conducive to a positive university experience in both countries.

Reflections on the SAY blog

As a geographer living and studying in a new place, I am always making comparisons between life here and at home. My SAY blog has not only enabled but also encouraged me to do this. By providing me with a platform to write about my thoughts and experiences, it has helped me understand and explain many differences between the UK and US both at university and beyond.

My favourite spot for working on my SAY blog

The flexibility of the SAY blog has also allowed me to explore themes and topics that are of particular interest to me, urban transport being a key example. While I initially intended to write a single post on the matter, this blog has encouraged me to look further into the subject by writing a series of linked posts. This has been of wider use in helping me choose a thesis for my dissertation. The SAY blog has also encouraged me to examine topics I had previously not studied at much depth, fortification being an example. All of the issues examined in my blog have been formative as I generate views and opinions about UCLA, Los Angeles and the US.

Working on my blog has developed my ability to write concisely (this post perhaps being an exception) and passionately about things that matter to me. It has also opened my eyes to how something that appears mundane, such as a food truck, can in fact be a fascinating topic when forming an argument. The end result has been a series of blog posts that reflect how my thoughts have evolved throughout the year. I am therefore grateful for all the fantastic and formative experiences I have had along the way.

* Undergraduate degrees in the US are typically four years, one year longer than undergraduate programmes available in the UK.

Spring Quarter Classes

After a short yet sweet Spring Break, I enter my final term here at UCLA. My choice of classes for the spring quarter are as follows:

Geography 6 - World Regions: Concepts and Contemporary Issues
Convened and taught by the controversial Jared Diamond, Geography 6 explains the importance of geographical circumstances on our lives. It does this by examining the varied histories and environments of the different regions of the world. In this class we will examine what geographical factors have led to such stark differences in income, health, education, etc. between America and Haiti, Nigeria and Germany, and North and South Korea. Jared Diamond is known for holding views sympathetic towards environmental determinism, a concept we at UCL have learned to approach with an especially critical perspective. I therefore hope studying under him will be a particularly interesting experience.

Assessment: 25% attendance and participation, 25% mini papers, 25% mid-term exam, 25% final exam.

Music History 68 - Beatles
This class will allow me to study one of my favourite bands while also offering a fantastic chance to study the social geography of Britain from a specific perspective. This perspective will be contextualised by the Beatles' rise to stardom during an era characterised by drastic changes to the country’s social climate. It will also be interesting to study the UK, my home country, from an American perspective. Already the concepts of terraced and semi-detached housing have caused confusion. While this is amusing, it is also a great chance to see which aspects of life that I consider quite normal appear to be fairly unusual to an outsider. It is classes like this that make me truly appreciate the extreme flexibility of the US higher education system.

Assessment: 15% attendance and participation, 20% online writing assignments, 15% mid-term, 20% final paper, 30% final exam.

Psychology 88 - Mind over Health Matter: Social Psychology behind Modern Health Controversies
As students we are frequently exposed to many health controversies that affect both our peers and those in wider society. These include access to healthcare, vaccinations and the abuse of substances, especially those popular among students such as Adderall, Cocaine and Ecstasy. Psychology 88 encourages students to look at the cultures, practices and beliefs behind western health, while also examining the psychological phenomena that drive them. Almost entirely made up of discussion seminars, this class will once again provide a fascinating opportunity to learn about American perspectives towards such issues.

Assessment: 20% attendance and participation, 30% mini papers, 50% final paper.

Critiquing Mike Davis

Having made extensive reference to the work of Mike Davis in this blog, I realise I may come across as heavily sympathetic towards his views. This is not the case and, for the sake of balance, I feel it is important to briefly critique his work and contrast it with the views of some other urban theorists and activists.

Davis’ analysis of Los Angeles in his polemical City of Quartz has been described by Andy Merrifield (2002: 172) as ‘gloom-laden’ and ‘deeply pessimistic’. Immediately Davis’ use of quartz - a diamond-like mineral which sparkles in the sunshine but is also hard and cheap - as a scornful and subjective metaphor for the city warns readers not to take his work too literally. Throughout this piece Davis purely focusses on negative narratives of the city and, as Alan Hunsaker (1992: 506) points out, ‘provides no plan of action or short-term objectives to attack the identified problems’.

This leaves readers with a defeatist view towards the city and its future. It is therefore important to highlight that Davis’ analysis contrasts with the work of many other Marxist urbanists, for example Marshall Berman’s Adventures in Marxism which occasionally ‘spots the positive and empathises with the good little guys as much as raging against the evil big guys’ (Merrifield 2002: 170). Reyner Banham’s Los Angeles: The Architecture of Four Ecologies also offers a far more positive view of the city as he examines the ways Angelenos from all communities relate to its four ‘ecologies’: the beaches, freeways, flatlands and foothills.

Davis’ account of Los Angeles as being fortified and deeply divided has also been undermined by the work of many social activists across the city. One such example, mentioned earlier in this blog, is the Great Wall of Los Angeles. This project not only aimed to raise awareness of the city’s diverse history, but also to bring people together from all communities in its creation and restoration. Since the wall's completion in 1976, 105 other murals have been painted around Los Angeles (SPARC 2016)*. This has brought people from all levels of society together to form a new, city-wide community that transcends traditional social barriers.

For his relentless attack on Los Angeles, Mike Davis has been dubbed an ‘anti-urban’, ‘overly apocalyptic’, ’city-hating socialist’ (Angotti 2006: 961; de Turenne 1998; Merrifield 2002: 171). However, in order to cultivate some positivity in his work and justify my frequent referencing of it, I turn to Hunsaker's (1992: 507) point that City of Quartz also challenges readers ‘to examine their own values and priorities with respect to Los Angeles and the future’. Like many geographers, I fall into temptation to write about the negative, rather than positive aspects of the city. Davis’ work has therefore encouraged me to scratch beneath the surface of this often superficial city, while also underpinning my arguments surrounding what I have found. However, as I hope this and some of my other articles have demonstrated, there is also much cause for optimism in this vibrant, if at times perplexing megalopolis.

*I encourage anyone to explore some of these beautiful pieces here.

References

Angotti, T. (2006) ‘Apocalyptic Anti-Urbanism: Mike Davis and his planet of slums’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 30, 4, 961.

Berman, M. (1999) Adventures in Marxism, London: Verso.

de Turenne, V. (1998) ‘Is Mike Davis' Los Angeles all in his head?’ (WWW), San Francisco: Salon (http://www.salon.com/1998/12/07/cov_07feature/; 17 April 2016).

Hunsaker, A. (1992) ‘Book reviews - City of Quartz: Excavating the Future in Los Angeles by Mike Davis’, Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 14. 4, 502.

Merrifield, A. (2002) Metromarxism, New York: Routledge.

SPARC (2016) ‘Neighbourhood Pride’ (WWW), Los Angeles: Social and Public Art Resource Centre (http://sparcinla.org/neighborhood-pride/; 17 April 2016).

Kogi BBQ

While food trucks have been present in the US since the early 20th century, their recent post-recessionary resurgence has made an enormous splash in the gourmet food industry (Lempert 2010). An iconic player in this food revolution is Kogi BBQ. Established in 2008, Kogi prepares and sells Korean/Mexican fusion tacos on the streets of Los Angeles.

Patrons of Kogi BBQ in Abbot Kinney, Venice

At first glance Kogi BBQ appears to capture everything quintessential of Los Angeles: mobility, the boosting and consuming of food culture, and the coming together of different ethnic groups. While also being a delicious combination, the fusion of these two ethnicities is of particular significance in Los Angeles. With Latino workers making up more than half of the employees of Korean-owned businesses in the city and comprising three quarters of Koreatown’s residents, Korean-Latino relations are a socially and economically fundamental aspect of Los Angeles (Gap Min 2013).

Kogi BBQ also brings people together in public spaces, a rare occurrence in Los Angeles. As Mike Davis (1992) argues, the coming together of people has been heavily discouraged by city councils through the reduction and restriction of public spaces.

Unlike its food, however, Kogi does not appear to encourage the mixing of social or ethnic difference amongst its patrons. Rather, it draws in a relatively homogenous crowd who at a superficial level appear to be wealthy members of the city’s middle class. Thus following a visit to the notorious Kogi BBQ, I realised the aspect of Los Angeles it most clearly reflects is the city’s stark class divisions.

It is both Kogi’s prices and choice of locations that I believe both symbolise and encourage these divisions. With tacos costing $2.29 each and burritos starting at $6, Kogi does not offer an affordable alternative to other expensive Korean or Mexican eateries. It therefore only attracts a clientele with greater expendable incomes.

To match its customers, Kogi only frequents wealthier parts of the city (see map below) such as Oakwood, Westwood and Silverlake. It never ventures into poorer neighbourhoods such as Inglewood, Compton and Southgate, and is therefore unable to bridge social and ethnic gaps in the city like it does in its food.

Kogi BBQ's planned locations for the next week on a map of median household income in Los Angeles (Kogi 2016)

I find this particularly interesting considering a series of recent posts I wrote discussing how fortification, through a variety of mechanisms, divides people in Los Angeles. Food trucks like Kogi BBQ hold the potential to break down social barriers in Los Angeles by bringing people together to celebrate multi-ethnic culinary delights. However it seems they have had the reverse effect. Instead, trucks like Kogi have gentrified a sector of the food industry which once catered to the blue-collar workers of America’s industrial age. Rather than reflecting Los Angeles as it could be, Kogi BBQ is a startling reminder of Los Angeles as it is: characterised by exclusion and division.

References

Davis, M. (1992) City Of Quartz, London: Verso.

Gap Min, P. (2013) ‘Changes in Korean Immigrants’ Business Patterns’, in P. Gap Min (ed.) Koreans in North America: Their Experiences in the Twenty-First Century, Plymouth: Lexington Books, 57-74.

Kogi BBQ (2016) 'Schedule' (WWW), Los Angeles: Kogi BBQ (http://kogibbq.com; 4 April 2016).

Lempert, P. (2010) ‘Evolution: The Time for Food Trucks Has Arrived!’ (WWW), New York: Supermarket News (http://supermarketnews.com/blog/evolution-time-food-trucks-has-arrived; 3 April 2016).

Fortress UCLA

Following my previous post regarding fortification in Los Angeles, I have become more aware of the ‘militarisation of urban space’ as a mechanism for segregating the city (Davis 1992). I believe that, not unlike the infamously exclusive enclaves of Bel Air and Hidden Hills, UCLA has utilised similar methods to keep ‘undesirable’ people out of its hilly campus.

Like the fortresslike architecture Davis describes in parts of Los Angeles, UCLA tactically employs a wall of tall trees to separate Sunset Boulevard and other access streets from the roads that run through the university. These prevent outsiders from easily entering the campus while also blocking views into it. This creates a private and enclave-like atmosphere both within and outside of UCLA.

The tall wall of trees separating UCLA from surrounding roads 

A rare gap in the trees showing the division between De Neve Drive (inside campus) and Sunset Boulevard (outside)

Similar to the private security forces that guard homes and businesses in the wealthier parts of Los Angeles, UCLA also employs its own police force. UCLAPD patrol the campus in armed and armoured squad cars. They maintain order while also intimidating and on occasion removing unwanted people from the campus.

UC Los Angeles Police squad car

Virtually every corner of UCLA is under constant 24-hour video surveillance. This encourages good behaviour while also warding off outsiders who might cause trouble on campus. In 2009 the Daily Bruin reported the use of over 350 closed-circuit television cameras throughout UCLA’s facilities. This number will have undoubtedly increased significantly since.

One of the many cameras capturing 24-hour surveillance at UCLA

In one of my early blog posts I mentioned that the campus feels like a microcosm within Los Angeles. Unlike the rest of the city UCLA is green, welcoming to pedestrians and features plenty of stunning revivalist buildings. However, while UCLA is undoubtedly a beautiful campus, I would argue that it has also utilised methods of fortification to exclude and intimidate unwanted outsiders. It has no homeless people, almost no crime, and a disproportionately low number of ethnic minority people compared with the city’s overall demographics. (UCLA 2015; U.S. Census Bureau 2010). This is something Davis also recognises in other fortified areas of the city

In a similar vein to my posts regarding El Niño and the marine layer in Southern California, it has been very interesting to experience a geographical phenomenon I am consecutively studying first hand.

References

Daily Bruin (2009) ‘Security cameras monitor campus’ (WWW), Los Angeles: Daily Bruin (http://dailybruin.com/2009/10/13/security-cameras-monitor-campus/; 3 April 2016).

Davis, M. (1992) City Of Quartz, London: Verso.

UCLA (2015) ‘Enrollment demographics, Fall 2015’ (WWW), Los Angeles: UCLA (http://www.aim.ucla.edu/tables/enrollment_demographics_fall.aspx; 3 April 2016).

U.S. Census Bureau (2010) ‘2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates’ (WWW), Suitland: U.S. Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/06037; 3 April 2016).