By Siyan Chan (Class of 2021)
Photography: Sola Long (Class of 2021)

The warm rays of sunlight illuminated the sky, marking the beginning of the long awaited Sophomore class trip. Stepping out of the dormitory building, we were pleasantly greeted by the crisp morning air on a clear Saturday morning of April 6^th. Quickly splitting ourselves into two groups, we entered the cars and began our long ride to San Francisco.

Chatting excitedly throughout the ride, we soon arrived at our first destination: Pier 39.

After a short discussion, we decided to have brunch before taking a walk around the area, settling on crepes at a small cafe.

After the light meal, we took a short tour around the area before going to purchase tickets for the main attraction: Aquarium of the Bay.

By then, it was already noon and the midday sun radiated heat from above, chasing away the dark clouds that had previously covered the sky in a thick blanket and prompting us to seek shelter in the cool aquarium ahead. As we entered the aquarium, we were surprised to discover that the small area could hold so many animals. First, we visited the jellyfish tanks, housing various types of Cnidarians. Watching these jellyfishes propel themselves forward with their umbrella-shaped head and trailing tentacles, we were also amazed by their bright colors and fluorescent bodies under the dim lighting.

Next, we moved on to the underwater tunnels where we watched sharks and stingrays glide above us, and colorful schools of fish travel through stalks of seaweeds. The ambient lighting with a light bluish-purple hue also provided an excellent spot to take photos while admiring the sea creatures around us.

Lastly, we concluded our aquarium tour with the otters as we watched them perform tricks and dives, along with other exhibits of mammals such as the adorable chinchillas, snakes, toads and other mammals.

Our final destination was Japantown where we concluded our trip with savory Japanese food, like matcha taiyaki, agedashi tofu and vegetarian gyoza. Overall, it was definitely a memorable trip filled with fun, laughter and good food.

Video: Iris Ng (Class of 2021)