This is the last week I will be in Santa Barbara -- although bittersweet, I am excited to go to Japan to participate in the Choose Hope Symposium with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. The past week has thus included wrapping up projects that we had taken on in Santa Barbara, from digitalizing archives of the foundation to creating posters of old events. We also made great progress on writing a proclamation regarding an event that the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will be hosting this fall to honor Martin Sheen and Pope Francis (posthumously). Hopefully, we will soon work on making a resolution to deem Santa Barbara a nuclear-free zone.

During my free time, I enjoy getting some form of movement in. This may come in the form of taking a walk in downtown Santa Barbara to go get a cup of iced matcha, or consciously getting on the elliptical and exercising for an hour. In fact, over the past weekend, fellow interns (also Laidlaw scholars) Erica, Valeriya, and I went to Los Angeles, where we hiked to Griffith Observatory. Attached is a picture of the trail we took, which also offers a stunning view of Downtown Los Angeles. Such forms of movement help relieve any stress I may be feeling and energize me for any work up ahead. As I write this from the Los Angeles airport, I am filled with anticipation and excitement for the weeks ahead in a new country!