Flying to Berkeley From LA and Back
When I got to Berkeley, I was so excited, but it also meant that I would have to move away from home. Moving away from home has been a brand new experience, but I have to say that that there truly is nothing like home.
I’m from Southern California, which means it's a six to seven-hour drive or one-hour flight to get to Berkeley. It’s not that far if you compare it to out-of-state students or international students, but for me, it’s more than enough.
The one thing that I quickly learned when I moved away from home was how dependent I am not my parents. My parents did a lot more me and I did recognize it when I lived at home, but even more so when I moved to Berkeley.
My parents took care of me more than they should have. They do a lot for me, especially when I was in community college, so that I would be able to focus on school and work. Although, now that I’m at Berkeley, living on my own, I have to focus on school, work, and taking care of myself.
So, now when I have the chance to go home, I very much look forward to it.
Majority of the time, I fly home, rather than my parents coming up to Berkeley when I want to see them. That’s just because, while I would love to show them around Berkeley and spend time with them, here I just want to go home.
I don’t have a car up here (not that I would willingly drive six hours by myself to go home), so I always take a trusty Southwest flight home, from the Oakland International Airport to Long Beach Airport, and vice versa. I always choose to fly in and out of Long Beach when I’m back home because it’s a smaller airport compared to LAX. Deboarding the plane and getting my luggage from bag check is really quick and easy, because it is a small airport. There is also the factor that I tend to choose to take early morning flights so the airports are on the less busy side.
The hour flight goes by quick, even if I don’t sleep through it. I tend to close my eyes and just listen to music during that time. Then, near the end, I tend to get antsy, because I’m ready to be off the plane and reunited with my parents.
Southwest flights, I believe, are the quickest and easiest way to fly from and to LA and back again. 24 hours before the flight, I would check -in on the app and get my boarding number. Southwest flights do not have assigned seatings, but rather first come, first serve. So, you want to make sure you check-in on time so you’re boarding number is on the earlier side. Especially if it is a crowded flight, even if it is a one-hour flight, I do not want a middle seat. Window, preferred.
After my flight had landed, my parents would pick me up from the airport and drive us home.
The best part of going home now is that home is a reminder of doing nothing. When I’m at my apartment at Berkeley or just in Berkeley, I think about school and my classes and assignments. However, when I’m in LA, I don’t think about school, because I’m usually there for break, even if I have an assignment or two.
’m always excited to go back home. I look forward to it and I count down the days. While I like living on my own, being back home just has a different level of comfortability.
I love Berkeley, but there is truly nothing like going home.