Living in Santa Cruz, CA (Part 2)

By Alicja Banasiak, University of California Santa Cruz, US

In this part of living in Santa Cruz, I will discuss activities to do on campus and downtown, local wildlife and the International Living Centre on campus. In my first post I spoke about grocery shopping, money spending and saving, commented on the local weather and free student facilities at UCSC.

 What Can You Do in Santa Cruz?  

Santa Cruz town is much smaller than Manchester, and there aren’t too many activities to do in town or without a car. However, there’s enough to keep you busy at least once a week for three quarters. The famous boardwalk, downtown area, and numerous nature spots are worth a visit. The bus to San Jose is only $7 and takes about an hour, where the possibilities of things to do become endless. You can even commute to San Francisco for an extra $10 and 2 hours!  

What Can You Do On Campus?

The different accommodation colleges organize events weekly. Events include plant pot painting, watercolor painting, Lego building, karaoke, video game nights, movie nights, study sessions, sundae making, and many more! They are definitely a fun way to spend your evening and meet other students in your community. For some events, the turnout can be a little low, but everyone is still really friendly and welcoming.  

Where To Live On Campus?

I’d recommend living on campus at the International Living Center! It’s very close to science hill (a popular location for STEM based classes), has the best dining hall on campus, reliable backup power generators (handy during power outages, which can last a couple of hours in other parts of campus) and lots of international students! You live in apartments with a communal kitchen and an average of six people. It is definitely the place where most exchange students choose to stay. The ILC even oragnises two one day trips to Berkeley and San Fracisco for only 20$ each!  

Wildlife!

The campus is filled with wildlife! Most of the wildlife is harmless and includes rabbits, turkeys, racoons and squirrels. However it is possible to see mountain lions and cayotes although, as long as you don’t provoke or approach them you will be safe! You are likely to see deer on campus too. Fun fact: UCSC has a yellow banana slug mascot because in the campus forest you can spot yellow slugs, especially after heavy rains! By the shore the wildlife gets much more abundant. UCSC has a marine mammal research centre on campus where they keep dolphins, sea lions and seals for research, training or rehabilitation! It is free to visit for students and I would certainly recommend it. You can also spot California sea lions beaching out by the boardwalk and a small boat trip out to the bay can bring you tons of marine mammal species including dolphins, whales and sharks!