This spring break, I was fortunate enough to follow my mother and sister to Las Vegas, somewhere they hadn’t been for more than ten years.  As an international family that moves around every few years, over the years we have had scant time to fly across the world to Las Vegas to stay for enough days that would make our trip “worth it,” especially when time difference and jet lag are all factored into the equation.  Now that my new home is in Los Angeles and only five hours away from fabulous Las Vegas, I found it imperative that we all visit it together before my time here is over and I find myself somewhere else in the world as the next chapter of my life unfolds.

As it turns out, they flew into LAX and we drove to Vegas all together and stayed for four exciting days.  I was reunited with my biggest obsession in the world, Cirque du Soleil, and was reminded of why I loved them so much.  Their heart-wrenching music, symbolic characters, flawless logistical fluidity, and painstaking attention to every detail of each show gives me plenty of reason to be a die-hard fan.  My favorite of all time will definitely be “O”, because Cirque went all out on a 1.5-million gallon pool and hand-drilled stage that rises above it, allowing the pool to disappear for “dry” scenes but opening into a deep pool for ones that involve synchronized swimming, diving, and props that float on water.

My obsession with Cirque aside, as we strolled down the shopping street from our room in Monte Carlo, something dangling from the ceiling caught my eye immediately.  It shone of a brilliant blue and gold, and the Bruin in me snapped to attention.  As we came closer, we saw that it was a UCLA flag!  What a pleasant surprise to see in Vegas.  Go Bruins!

Eleanor Fang