Berkeley Study Guide

Mingzi Xi, 2016 Humanities

Six-week communication is neither too long nor too short.Time fleeting,I wandered between freedom of independent life and nostalgia. Against the stream of time, I want to share my personal experience in US with late-comers.

Clothing

The weather in California is almost the same as that in Lanzhou.Temperature almost depends on whetherit is sunny or noton that day;However, the temperature fluctuation in California is larger,and there is no air conditionerin the dormitory,thereforea thin quilt is not enough on summer nights. Although I brought some shorts there, I wore pants for most of the time.Thinking back to my days in Berkeley, it never rained.Partly owing to its coastal location, weather is not that dry.

Food

Although most of the time our choice is the canteen, the student's meal plan is not enough for us to eat.Hencewhether forced or voluntary, students tend to enjoy the delicate food outside the canteen. Berkeley happened to be a small town full of delicious food: Thailand flavor, Japanese flavor, French flavor and motherland flavor. Theice-cream shop on the street corner is our frequent patronage. Pizza and hot dogs are also good choices. At first,local food seems not to to suit our appetites,butthings turn out to be better after a period of time. Of course, ifyou don’t favor American food, you may find your sanctuary in a Sichuan restaurantaround the corner.

Live

The accommodation here is better than most of the universities in China, but it was not as luxurious as I thought beforemy journey. There were independent bathrooms and showers,and also self-study rooms on the other floors. I actually felt the same way with larger spacebecause of too many obstacleswhereI often knocked myself. There was no balcony in the bedroom, but the laundry could be directly dried offby the dryer. However, the $2laundry fee is muchhigher compared with only 3 yuan in my own school.I brought a laundry soap and always washed with my own hands. It's not becauseIhave to save money. It's mainly because there weren’t so many clothes needing washing each time during summer.

Travel

If you want to hang out, the public transportation in the big cities of the United States is not so convenient. The instruction of the subway was not specifically marked.It is possible that two subway lines share the same platform, so you need to take care of the ride. In addition,there are buses and taxis,Uber. Whenever I needed to go out, I envied those who have bicycles. They were so happy. Besides, the airport in San Francisco was on the water side. Before the plane lands, it will glide above the water for a long distance,which is a beautiful scenery.

Study

As is almost known to all, the learning methods and content at home and abroad are quite different.Strolling through the vast Berkeley campus, you can see students in two or three on the vast lawn, sitting or lying, resting and reading, doing their ownstuffs in the relaxing and free sunshine of California. There are many libraries on the Berkeley campus. Moffit is one of the most typical ones. The internal design the library is modern, simple and colorful, and the ceiling consists of a variety of pipes and rustic reinforced concrete structures. Through the huge glass windows of the library, youget tohave a superb view overlooking the grass in front of the door.Readingand studying here,you can enjoy yourself greatly both in body and mind. There are also areas in the library dedicated to students to eat and discuss, and the free and active elements are bouncing in the air.

Insuch a campus atmosphere, Berkeley's classroom learning isunique and relaxing. Learning abroad does not require much memory as at home, but more emphasis onabilityis needed. The teacher will give a lot of explanations and interactions beyond the textbook in the classroom, such as discussing on certain topics, watching videos together, grouping assignments, and so on. There are also a lot of fieldwork after class, you need to go to downtown San Francisco or go to the park to watch performances, investigate the status, participate in activities, and so on. Teachers will scorebased onstudents’feedback, and scores will be instantly displayed on the online educational system. Before the start of the semester, the teacher will send each student a detailed syllabus with specific arrangements for each class. Living in a foreign country can make people feel a little uncomfortable, but foreign classrooms require students to over come such awkwardness, boldly present their own ideas,listen to other people's ideasand communicate calmly.

Although the homework after class is varied, it does not mean that it is fun and easy. Street interviews, shooting creative videos, watching a musical or dramatic performance, investigating the condition of a house in an area, etc.Theyall require a lot of effort to complete.

Conclusion

Although I haveexperiencedtravelling far away frommyhometown, the moon on the other side of the oceandidn’t seem to be any rounder than in the hometown. Whether the learning environment at home and abroad is appropriate depends onindividual and professional characteristics. For liberal arts students, reading a hundred volumes is common, and leisurely enjoy history books with wine is a pleasure.If we don’t need topursue hardware facilities and experimental equipment, there is another feeling.

Regardless of whatever I have said, you should go abroad to broaden your horizons.On another land, looking for another undeveloped self.

Before arriving at Berkeley, I was anxious and worried. After that, my horizon was wider and my experiences are enriched. Reading thousands of books, traveling thousands of miles. I think that's what this proverb means.