Alma Mater

Pepperdine University, Malibu, California

Why does the university we graduated from hold such a special place in our hearts?

Pepperdine University, my alma mater, the university that holds that special place in MY heart.
Everytime I go back and visit (which isn't very often), I get to relive my past. Its amazing how being in a place brings on a flood of memories of  "the way we were". Some good things, some not so good things, but generally its just an amazing walk down memory lane. I remember walking to my classes on the hilly campus (since I was in the communications section I usually had to go to the top of the hill for my daily classes...thanks for the thighs of steel!) looking out at the amazing view of Malibu and the beach. Pepperdine University is hands down one of the most beautiful campuses around.

The view i had to see every day....

Sure we had it good at Pepperdine....amazing weather year round, hanging out with the stars at Malibu Country Mart, a two minute drive to the beach, an amazing mix of international students. A very hard life....but we managed to get through it ok!

As I walked around the campus and took in the sites and smells and students that catapulted me back to my university years, I couldn't help but wonder how they're living their university years. Are they living the life I lived when I was there? Are they getting the most out of life in LA? Are they living the same "Malibu experience" we lived? To be honest I dont really think so...The Malibu (Malibu Country Mart) we know is the small town that had 4 shops in total....Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea leaf, Tra Di Noi (Italian restaurant), Taverna Tony's (Greek), Marmalade cafe, John's Garden (Tuna melt and Grilled cheese!!) and a few small things here and there but not much else.
Now, it has been transformed into a shopping haven, with some top brands owning/renting prime real estate!! That small simple "Country Mart" feel has totally been swapped for an up market, LA style open shopping mall....

Nobu and Mr.Chow have also opened shop (Nobu for a while now, though they moved to a beach location a while back).
So the moral of the story....places change, and evolve and become something they weren't...sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, but the Malibu I have in my head will be the Malibu I knew in college, and will remain with me forever!