EF Stories: Andrea from Austria in EF Los Angeles

I can tick off one of my dreams on my to-do list, namely the dream of traveling to North America one day. I really wanted to go on a language study trip and after doing some research on Google, I came across the provider EF.

The 10 highlights of my EF trip to Los Angeles

Los Angeles was my dream destination! After a great conversation with an EF employee in Vienna, I decided to go on a language study trip to Los Angeles. I am still thrilled and had the best time of my life! Here I tell you about my top 10 highlights!

Unfortunately, I can't summarize all my experiences in a single report. I don't have the words to do that. So I've complied a list of 10 highlights from my time in California.

Griffith Observatory

There is a fantastic view in the direction of the legendary Hollywood sign. I was there at sunset and it was incredibly beautiful. I have never seen such a beautiful sunset.

I was sitting on the ground enjoying the view and the incredible California weather when suddenly a man proposed to his girlfriend. My eyes were filled with tears, it was just a wonderful moment. Every time I think about that evening, I can't help but smile uncontrollably.

Walk Of Fame

There are these huge buildings in the sunlight, about a billion people next to them. Just kidding. There are thousands of people, but they don't seem that important because you're too focused on what's happening. WALK OF FAME! There are names and stars, you see so many names and it seems like you know them all, even though you don't.

But there was one name that caught everyone's attention: the destroyed star of Donald Trump. Someone destroyed his star for the third time and I was there and I saw people angrily jumping on Trump's name. And it was so crazy hot in downtown Los Angeles that I can't even put it into words.

University of California, Los Angeles

UCLA is the most famous university in California, a huge campus with lots of male and female students. Insider tip: the museum is great! There are pictures of so many famous people who attended this university. Lots of trophies and certificates, all from people who studied there. I bought a sweater there, my favorite for chilling.

Hollywood Sign

I went to the Hollywood Sign when it was 44 degrees. It was soooo hot! But it was worth sweating, I had a fantastic view over Los Angeles, it was really, really great. But our bodies are definitely not made for such high temperatures. Don't worry though, there are showers in the park where you can cool down with cold water.

San Francisco

My weekend in San Francisco was a little different than I expected. I thought that every city in California would be like Los Angeles: hot, sunny and sweaty. But it definitely wasn't like that! In San Francisco, it was about 20 degrees and we were not prepared. It was a very cold weekend. But we had plenty to do. Shopping and sightseeing.

We went downtown and to Chinatown. We went to the Golden Gate Bridge, but unfortunately there was too much fog. I mean, we all know San Francisco is known for its foggy weather. Still, it was sad not to see the bridge all at once. My recommendation: Visit Pier 39! There is a fantastic view of the famous Alcatraz there and so many stores that I fell in love with. I have to go there again!

Marriot Hotel in San Francisco

The hotel was great! We arrived there at 10am and the people were so nice and helped us with the WIFI. After that they took us to our rooms. And now I have to talk about the bed for a minute. It was so comfortable! I was even in pain because I was laughing so much: we listened to music a lot and used the bed as a trampoline.

Breakfast was also really great, I don't eat anything in the morning but I usually have a hot drink and there was tea and coffee from Starbucks and I love my Starbucks coffee! So my day started off really well.

In'n'Out Burger

I love fries and burgers! When someone asked me what my favorite food is, I always answer BURGER! When I was in the US, I experienced a new level of burgers and fries. Fast food in the United States is so different than I imagined.

It's really great. At In'n'Out, you have to wait about 10 minutes for your order to be ready, but it's worth it. There are only three options, but those three are incredibly delicious!

Target store

The biggest and most amazing shop in California (as far as I know) is Target. I went there so many times, I think I went there every day. I bought almost all my souvenirs and spent hours there. The most incredible thing was that all the people who work there are so friendly every day!

I went in there in a normal mood and came out happy because of those nice people.

A cashier once asked me where I was from. I said I was from Austria and he said, "Ah, I know where the kangaroos live." It was so funny to stand there and finally experience that this stereotype is real.

Venice Beach

It's incredible to think about California. To think about being there and realizing that I was in located on the beach in California. Everyone always says that Venice Beach must be really great and it would be awesome to be there, and then all of a sudden you're there. There are thousands of people lying on the beach in the California sun, and I was one of them. I loved it. We walked down the boardwalk and were so happy to be here.

Cafeteria

I love food. The best place to get something to eat was the cafeteria on the EF language school campus. They had everything. I was there for four weeks and had Italian, Mexican, American and French food. It tasted really good, I especially liked the variety. And I loved the sweets: There were different cakes almost every day, and for the healthy people there were always apples, bananas, strawberries and mangoes. It was balanced, really nice!