From July 23 to August 13, I had a three-week summer schoolatUCB, which was a rewarding and unforgettable experience for me.

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Cuiying Honor College for providing me with the opportunity to participate in a summer exchange program at UCB.Beforeentering university, I never imagined that I would be able to fulfill my long-held dream of studying abroad as an undergraduate student. When I was granted this wonderful opportunity, mixed feelings of excitement and anxiety immediately surfaced. I was afraid that I would encounter difficulties in obtaining my visa, that I wouldn't be able to secure the courses I desired, and that I might struggle to keep pace with the academic rigor there. As a result, I made extensive preparations for this journey, particularly with regard to enhancing my language skills. I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the teachers at Cuiying Honor College and the ISP for their care, support, and guidance throughout this process.

After a long journey of more than ten hours, we finally crossed the Pacific Ocean and arrived in California on the west coast of the United States. I first learned about California in my high school English class, in the songHotel Califoniaby theEagles. The beautiful and crazy California depicted in this song gave me endless imagination of this strange land.

The university I visitedthis time is known as the top public university in the United States,UCB,whichboasts immense academic resources and a highly esteemed faculty. One remarkable aspect of UCB's academic excellence is its extensive library system, comprising more than 20 libraries. Each discipline has its own independent library, such as Philosophy Hall and the Music Library, which I was particularly excited about. Among them, I had the opportunity to visit the DUO Library, and it holds a special place in my heart because our teacher, Michael, personally guided us during the visit. The library houses an impressive collection of books, but what struck me the most was the dedication and enthusiasm of the UCB students studying diligently at their desks. Their unwavering commitment to learning and self-discipline deeply moved me, and I thoroughly enjoyed the vibrant academic atmosphere at UCB.

I think I am very lucky to have chosen a course related to my major Philosophy, Western music in topics, which focuses on animal philosophy in music. The whole course was conducted in the form ofaseminar.The seminaris actually a seminar, and it was organized in this way during the Classics Study I. In the seminar of Classic Study 1, the students in our class were divided into different groups to write and publish papers according to different topics. This course is held five days a week, so although it is also conducted in a seminar format, it is slightly different. My teacher Virginia made about a dozen different topics, discussingdifferent topics every day andwehad homework every dayaswell. To be honest, there was a certain pressure to do the homework at the beginning because in order to finish the homework, we had to finish reading long articles, some of which might be more than ten pages. The homework questions are all essay questions. So this is a great test for my English reading and writing ability. In class, Virginia masterfully guided us to think through a series of thought-provoking questions.Our homework assignments served as a valuable support system that allowed us to exchange ideas and engage in meaningful discussions in the classroom, ensuring that we never ran short of topics. One aspect that truly touched me about Virginia was her consistent use of the phrase "No wrong answers" whenever she posed a question. This simple sentence instilled in me a great deal of courage and confidence.

After slowly getting used to the course pattern, I found that everything was OK. The materials Virgiania sent us exposed me to many new terms, concepts,and theories, such as animality and indigenous nature. These are two concepts that I was very interested in, and I didn't understand them when I read the text, but I was very interested, so I spontaneously looked up a lot of other sources in order to understand them. I enjoy this sense of pursuit of knowledge: it's not someone pushing me, it's me trying to figure it out. This is the first time for me to intuitively understand why people often say that "interest is the best teacher".

Guided by interest and enthusiasm, I studied this course harder and harder. In addition to our daily Homework, we have two big assignments for this course. InAssignment 1, my grades were 23 out of 25 -- only because there were perfect scores in my class.Assignment 2is divided into two parts: presentation and write-up. I successfully got full marks inAssignment 2and ended my three-week study inUCBwith an A.

If someone were to ask me, what was the biggest takeaway from my three weeks at Berkeley? I would tell him it was a desire to explore a question. MytutorDejun Qiu often tells me:thatto do academic work is not to study profound problems, you should do what you are interested in, so that you can stick to it. At that time, I did not understand this sentence, and I only worried about what Iwould doif there was no otheradvance. Now I seem to understand the meaning of this sentence: the academic road islong,andmost people's topics are from scratch, by diving deep, no one's topic is perfect at the beginning. On this long road, the desire to explore is an important factor to support themselves.

During the exchange in Berkeley, I also met many new friends. I got to know some UCB students and also met many students from other universities in China, including Beijing Normal University, Central Finance University, and Southern University of Science and Technology. Through communication with them, I have a clearer sense of the efforts and excellence of my peers. They are all very thoughtful people, and it also makes me feel that I need to study harder, constantly improve my English ability, and continue to move forwardonthe academic road! Go Bears!

I also want to tell you some interesting things about being in California.

The day before I left California, I had an appointment with a student from Beijing Normal University to clock out at a kosher restaurant about four blocks from Berkeley. As we didn't have our bus card, we went on foot. When I walked into the restaurant, I looked around and saw white people.Weare a very special presence in this restaurant. As soon as we were seated, the owner of the restaurant came to ask us in person what we would like to eat. You know, when something is in English, you don't know what it is. So afterthinkingfor a second, we ordered bacon, sandwiches, and a bowl of what I don't know but chicken breasts, spaghetti, and a hodgepodge of vegetables. After a long wait, the dish is finally presented beforeus. After tasting, it can only be said that the flavor falls disappointingly flat,especially the chicken breast has no taste at all. During our meal, the restaurant owner came to refill our water several times and asked us how the food was. Looking at his expectant eyes, I exchanged a look with thestudentof Beijing Normal University and tacitly opened the Chinese courtesy: It tastes very delicious,very nice.

Overall, these three weeks in California have been an unprecedented experience for me. I will cherish this time of learning and living in UCB. But I hope that this is just the beginning and that I will have the opportunity to come back here for further study.

Once again, I would like to thank the leaders and teachers ofCuiying HonorCollegefor their willingness to give me this opportunity, and I would also like to thank the teachers of theinstitutions for taking care of us all the way.