Don’t overlook campus beauty, convenience

Have you ever seen the gorgeous purple flowers that grow on
trees in the Sculpture Garden? Right outside Melnitz?

It took me nearly three years to notice them.

Or maybe I noticed them but never acknowledged them.

I was talking to a friend who is also graduating this year, and
she was telling me how she was getting sentimental, especially in
regard to the campus.

“Suddenly I feel like the school’s so pretty! I have
an urge to take pictures,” she said.

While I may not necessarily have the urge to dabble in
photography, I have started feeling a similar surge of sentiment.
Especially with all the commencement banners that have been put
up.

It seems I’m noticing ““ finally noticing ““ the
sunshine, the beach and everything else I’ve taken for
granted since coming here. In fact, the campus and its location are
probably the better things about UCLA, as little as you might
notice them now.

Though I’ve griped my share about the campus — like
thinking how it is lame that UCLA has so many quads — I’ve
come to appreciate it.

While other schools only have so much grass to go around, we
have plenty of lawn space on which to sit and lounge around. I like
how we can just eat lunch on the grass and defend our food from the
overly aggressive squirrels, or even catch up on some sleep … all
while enjoying the generally nice weather that comes with living
near the ocean.

And we do have a main quad, with the Royce Quad area being
“central campus.” And then there’s always Bruin
Plaza, complete with a stage that serves as yet another place for
students to showcase their talents.

Not to say I haven’t been guilty of taking the campus for
granted.

When I helped my brother settle into his tiny, private East
Coast university last year, I realized how lucky I was to go to
school here.

When he came to visit, he called Westwood “heaven.”
I remember saying, “But there are only movie theaters and
restaurants!”

“You don’t understand. There is nothing in
Baltimore,” he replied.

He then likened Ackerman to a mall.

I seemed to remember only how Ackerman doesn’t sell sewing
thread.

I forgot that last week I was able to buy a pack of Sour
Skittles, a birthday card and a padded envelope to send to my
friend overseas. I was even able to mail this letter ““ all in
Ackerman. One building.

My brother probably wouldn’t have been able to do that in
Baltimore.

Sure, we have to trudge for miles to classes on campus while
those who go to smaller schools can simply roll out of bed.

But I bet those campuses don’t have performance venues
like Royce Hall, which seats 1,800 people and has boasted the likes
of Yo-Yo Ma and Elvis Costello.

Or maybe the campus isn’t actually that great, and
I’m just being a sentimental fool because I’m about to
leave.

Nonetheless, don’t forget to stop and smell the
flowers.

Or at least take a look at those purple ones. They’re
awfully pretty.

Lee was a 2003-2004 copy editor.