This year I had the honor to go to UC Berkeley for 21 days of study with the help of the college and teachers. 21 days islong: I sat in front of the computer at this time after the end of the exchange, and I could only find out my own thoughts like a cocoon in the pictures of the cell phone gallery; 21 daysexperienceisnotsomuch: I adapted to the rhythm of life in the blink of an eye, and I was nervous about the planning of presentations and weekend trips in the blink of an eye. In the blink of an eye, we adjusted to the pace of life, in the blink of an eye, we planned presentations and weekend trips, and in the blink of an eye, the trip ended like a dream. The time I spent studying at Berkeley Summer School will stay with me forever.

When I first arrived at UC Berkeley, I was stuck in a cage of fear of being criticized by my teachers and classmates for mypoororal English, not daring to try to go out just because Ihavenot experienced credit card payments and the culture in the U.S., and not daring to go out alone. 21 days later, I've overcome these cocooning fears to a large extent. But looking back on these days, I still feel that this process of transformationisnecessary. One of the first things we needed to do during our 21 days here was to integrate into a different environment and try to change ourselves, even though these did not feel good.

In order to get what I expected in a shorter period of time, I chose to take language classes to improve my speaking skills and understanding of American culture. I took two courses which had three credits in total, Academic Speaking and the Berkeley Experience. I was struck by two things: the differences between UC Berkeley and my home country's teaching, and the distinctive, diverse, and inclusive culture of the United States.

The two classes I took were taught with movable desks and chairs, and under the teacher's subtle arrangement (the students were re-grouped from time to time according to the needs of the class, thus ensuring that each student had at least one opportunity to communicate with each other), the atmosphere of our classroom discussions was greatly improved compared to that in China, even though there were mostly Chinese students in this class. When I walked into the classroom, I could see five large activity tables made up of three small activity tables, and chairs arranged in an orderly fashion. There is also an LCD monitor and a whiteboard at each table for shared screen presentations and inter-group communication during the lesson. For my course, Academic Speech, each time we made a presentation, the instructor gently turned the podium and set up his table (he had to grade each student's presentation at the back of the room and recordedour performance one by one, which was ultimately reflected in immediate, highly relevant feedback at the end of the class). Students sat in their chairs, and with their feet, they brought themselves to the right center with a push of their feet, and a proper speaking space was created easily. I think this was quite shocking to me, because in China we often face the embarrassment of silence in our discussion classes, and the silence explodes in our hearts. Here, I would like to sincerely propose an idea: in order to cope with the gradual fixation of students' seats in small class teaching in Yuzhong Campus, some of our classrooms may be able to equip with movable desks and chairs, and try to set up movable round tables and movable desks (normally placedisOK) in different proportions according to the different courses offered, and perhaps a simple operation, supplemented by the teacher's guidance, would have a significant impact on changing the atmosphere of the classroom.

At the same time, I was deeply attracted by the diversity of cultures here. Here students came from all over the world. In the classroom, even when the teacher introduced the story of World War II, you could directly ask the Japanese students of the country's museum experience, or to verify the specific names of the places. Here, you will see different appearance of different temperament of people just like that into the Berkeley school building together. You will see homeless people on the street begging, or even with people talking to each other. There were Koreans in their forties in my program who have vacated their jobs to attend summer school, and there were several graduate students who missed the opportunity to go abroad because of the epidemic even though they justhada short vacation. I have met so many people here, and we all got along so well that we endedup forming deep friendship.

Friendship

"Peach blossom pool is a thousand feet deep, not as deep as Wang Lun sends me love". Entering a new environment is inevitably accompanied by interactions with a variety of people. It is hard to believe that I actually have had so many new friends in just 21 days, and it is even more hard to believe that students from Lanzhou University supported each other and united with each other. Actually, in the college I just know their name. But thanks to this program, I feel that we are so in tune with each other. I cannot tell for a moment that we would have become good friends, just this summer study catalyzed the growth of our friendship; or we have the good fortune to come together because of this Berkeley exchanges. Being with all of you made me feel happy, calm, and energized. Together we saw the outside world and this unforgettable experience of studying abroad. I would always remember that we went out to play together and checked out on how much the tip in the end. I would always remember that my brother gave us timely and various advice on our doubts. I would also remember the laughter of the few of us while walking down the street ...... as if no matter when and where, as long as we are together, the world is clean and lovely, and we embrace the world together.

I will always miss this experience. At the moment of separation, I am calculating when I could meet with you and could see us becoming a better version of ourselves.

Introduction to Excursions

There are very many attractions within the state of California. From the Berkeley campus, Berkeley's Sather Tower is worth a visit. The ancient bell tower often plays music at hour, accompanied by the distant sound of the bells. Walking around the campus, you will often be in a trance whether you are walking in the sacred solemn hall, or Berkeley sunshine-saturated paths. Bring your student card, it is for free. In addition, you can visit the buildings of your faculty to see the deposit of the buildings. Referring to richness, I have to mention UC Berkeley's main libraries: The Moffitt Library and the Doe Library, which are connected underground and have a combination of old and modern, with heavy, high ceilings that emphasize their history. The Botanical Garden is even more impressive, with its ingenious arrangement of plants from Asia, South Africa, California, the desert, Australia, etc. They are both tall and small, blooming in front of you. Again free with a student card. On a personal note, the gym is worth a visit. The numerous fitness facilities inside can put you in a trance. And by the way, it is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the summer, making it the longest open place in Berkeley.

In terms of San Francisco scope, you can go to the Golden Gate Bridge to see the sea mist filled with scenery and Fisherman's Wharf and taste the fresh seafood. But personally, these two attractions may not have too many highlights. You can also check out San Francisco's varied museums. We went to SFMOMA and OMCA. Both of them are very unique, but I suggest that you check the website or learn about them before deciding whether to go or not to see if they are your favorite type. An interesting point is that the United States can open souvenir stores everywhere. UC Berkeley's souvenir store appealed me. But when we went to see the Botanical Garden and SFMOMA, we got stuck in them. Even pizza stores and coffee shops had their own T-shirts, cups, and so on, and were doing very well with their own unique design and selling point. I think the domestic attractions lack this. In addition, you can go to Stanford University to see the various buildings and school landscapes. Students majoring in computer science major can go by the way to Silicon Valley. If you have shopping needs, you can go to the outlet. You can also choose to go to the cinema to spend time and improve your spoken language.

Personal Insights

This study trip allowed me to make a lot of new friends, see a lot of new attitudes to life, but also let myself break free from the cocoon since entering the university and further have the independence of thought. Meanwhile, as far as personal development is concerned, I actually realized the benefits of fitness, and I believe that in the future I can take the initiative to work out instead of forcing myself to gain more initiative in my life. I broke through to a great extent here. I never dared to open my mouth to make a conversation when I first arrived, but when I got on the return flight, I actually unconsciously said Hello to the staff, and I also did an interview with strangers on the campus. I've never been to the gym (I was too afraid of being watched and judged before.) and I've gradually been able to enter the gym with a sense of calm and enjoyed the dopamine reward of working out. I was a worrier when I first arrived, but now I've opened my eyes and been energized. I have realized that there are infinite possibilities in life, and that the best thing to do in these infinite possibilities is to study. I really hoped to be able to get out of my own way and become a diversified, broad-minded, and well-rounded person. I would like to thank ISP for the infinite support and guidance given to us in applying for visas, explaining American culture, providing pre-departure guidance, ordering air tickets and insurance, introducing Berkeley, making daily complicated but important security reports, returning guidance, and taking care of us abroad, etc. After we left the United States, we could appreciate more obviously in our chats with others that ISP is an organization that really cares about students and protects their rights and interests in an all-around way. I would also like to thank Cuiying Honors College of Lanzhou University for its hard work in training me. If it were not for Cuiying Honors College, I would have never thought that I would have the opportunity and ability to go abroad for exchanges. I would like to thank Cuiying Honors College for its efforts in enhancing the internationalization vision of students and encouraging them to go abroad for exchanges with full financial protection. I used to think that all this was out of my reach, but now that I have experienced it and I deeply miss the days of exchange. I am surprised to realize that the college has been teaching us and making good intentions since we first arrived. I am really thankful for Mrs. Du's attentive guidance in the group and Mr. Wang's many exhortations before the trip, as well as Mrs. Huang's teaching. And I am sincerely thankful to all the teachers of Cuiying Honors College for their support. Thanks to Dean He, we will arrive home safely and carry this unforgettable time with us later.