There are a lot of activities (of course other than research and studies) I have
been involved in during my stay here at UCSB.
Cooking:
An art which every graduate student has to learn. Though for a lot of them it starts and ends with Maggie and Top Ramen, at our home we have indulged ourselves in a little more. Actually a lot more. As my mom recently said, there is almost nothing which she prepares at home that I have not tried preparing here.
Thanks to the plenty of Indian stores in LA and Bay area, our kitchen shelves are full of every kind of spices you would expect to find in an Indian home. On top of which the special homemade spices gets us the authentic taste. A brief list of recipes include:
Santa Barbara is a very beautiful location. It is between the sea and the hills thus having numerous trails all around. Trails to top of the hills give a great view of different parts of the coast line. The hikes I have been to include:
SB is conveniently located between LA/SD and SF. Each of these places have quite a few world famous places to visit. It helps greatly when you have a roommate in Kumar who loves driving. It also helps that most of my friends from India come onsite to these places. The places I have visited include:
UCSB has very good recreational facilities and activities to be involved. May be not as much as the big universities but still a lot compared to what we have seen in India. I have been involved or tried the following:
Cooking:
An art which every graduate student has to learn. Though for a lot of them it starts and ends with Maggie and Top Ramen, at our home we have indulged ourselves in a little more. Actually a lot more. As my mom recently said, there is almost nothing which she prepares at home that I have not tried preparing here.
Thanks to the plenty of Indian stores in LA and Bay area, our kitchen shelves are full of every kind of spices you would expect to find in an Indian home. On top of which the special homemade spices gets us the authentic taste. A brief list of recipes include:
- Bise BeLe Bath
- Pudhina Pulav
- Menthe Soppina Bath
- Varieties of Chitra-anna
- Paneer Tikka Masala
- Paneer Butter Masala
- Varieties of Dosa
- Palak Paneer
- Varieties of Palya
- Varieties of Masale Saaru
- Varieties of HuLi
Santa Barbara is a very beautiful location. It is between the sea and the hills thus having numerous trails all around. Trails to top of the hills give a great view of different parts of the coast line. The hikes I have been to include:
- Gaviota Peak
- Mcmenemy Trail
- San Ysidro Peak
- Cold Spring Trail
- Montecito Peak
- Rattle Snake Trail
- Inspiration Point and Seven Falls Trail
SB is conveniently located between LA/SD and SF. Each of these places have quite a few world famous places to visit. It helps greatly when you have a roommate in Kumar who loves driving. It also helps that most of my friends from India come onsite to these places. The places I have visited include:
- Universal Studios & Hollywood walk of fame
- Six Flags Magic Mountain
- San Diego - Zoo & Sea World
- San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe
- Las Vegas and Bryce Canyon
- Big Sur (along the Pacific Coast Highway)
- Lake Cachuma, Solvang, Lake Casitas
- New York (US Open 2010), Niagara Falls, Mohonk
- Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend
- Grand Canyon
UCSB has very good recreational facilities and activities to be involved. May be not as much as the big universities but still a lot compared to what we have seen in India. I have been involved or tried the following:
- Racquet sports - Badminton, Tennis, Table Tennis, Squash
- Swimming, Relaxing in the spa
- Bowling, Pool, Carom
- Cricket, Soccer
- Volunteering for Raagmala, Asha and India Association of SB
