Week 24: A Retirement Party and Some Adventures

Week 24: June 11-17th, 2023

I traveled back to the Bay for the weekend and even though I wasn't there for a long period of time, it feels like I did a lot. Each day had an activity planned and felt like a trip down memory lane.

I flew home on Thursday afternoon and arrived just in time for my mom's retirement party. Her coworker held a makeshift celebration at his house in Berkeley. When my mom first announced her retirement, I wanted desperately to take the reigns and throw a massive celebration for my mom's retirement, but apparently renting out the Monterey Bay Aquarium and inviting everyone we know is "being too extra" and is "unnecessary...." The smaller event at my mom's colleague's house turned out great. I spent the afternoon reassuring my mom's colleagues, old students and her adoring fans that yes, I am the youngest daughter and yes, I have grown so much! It was amazing to hear how many people have been positively impacted by my mom's hard work in environmental justice.

The next day, my parents and I took a day trip up to Philo, CA, which is about 2.5 hours north of the Bay Area. Philo is a small town in Anderson Valley in Mendocino County. We used to go every summer and I have fond memories of swimming in the Navarro River with my cousins, going to Lemon's Market for candy, and exploring Booneville. This week's trip to Philo was a great dose of nostalgic comfort, warm summer weather, and family time. A new generation of grandkids, both human and dog, is slowly making its way up to the annual Philo trips, and I can't wait to see more changes next year.

The fun and adventure did not stop when we returned to Berkeley. On Saturday, my parents and I met up with my mom's cousin's daughter and spent the day roaming around the Oakland Zoo.

My cute parents at the Oakland Zoo

While we didn't get a chance to visit the shiny, new "California" area only accessible by a fancy, new gondola, our zoo day was still full of incredible stuff. An elephant named Donna was having a farewell party, complete with elephant-safe cupcakes and tons of fruit. Donna is being transferred to a sanctuary in Tennessee, and her fans at the zoo will miss her dearly. The crowd went wild every time Donna demolished a watermelon in one bite.

We also were lucky to see another animal on the other end of the size spectrum - a baby gibbon. The charismatic gibbon parents put on a great show for us. Between their gibbon hooting and hollering, we caught glimpses of the adorable baby holding onto the mama gibbon's belly as she swung through trees.

The gibbon parents (mom is blonde) with the baby

Obviously, I've been to the Oakland Zoo before, but this was the first time in a long time, and overall, my trip home felt familiar, but different. It felt like I was doing something new, because I have new perspectives and life experience under my belt that shape how I move through the world.

This trip home was a nice trip down memory lane. The nostalgia from seeing familiar faces and visiting familiar places was comforting and helped me to open up to more introspection. It was great to celebrate my mom's retirement and Fathers' Day with my dad. I loved revisiting some great places like the Oakland Zoo and Philo and getting to spend time with extended family and friends.

See you next week.