Life@UCBerkeley:Berkeley

カテゴリ：Berkeley

• 立ち上げから丁度一年
  [ 2011-05-02 16:17 ]
• Cal Day & Me
  [ 2011-04-20 06:34 ]
• Trader Joe's
  [ 2011-02-13 19:06 ]
• Back to berkeley and fresh start on 2011!
  [ 2011-01-25 15:58 ]
• So study hah.
  [ 2010-10-31 09:51 ]
• 久々の更新になりますが
  [ 2010-09-16 13:04 ]
• Chancellor's reception party
  [ 2010-08-31 11:51 ]
• Good or bad. It depends.
  [ 2010-08-22 16:35 ]
• Campus & Berkeley Hill
  [ 2010-08-19 08:58 ]
• アラーム。
  [ 2010-08-17 02:40 ]

立ち上げから丁度一年

去年の四月このブログを書き始めたから、丁度一年になりました。
グーグルでバークレーと交換留学のキーワードで検索したら、ひとページ目に自分のブログが出てきたのに驚きました。
お世話になった同じくバークレーに交換留学をされた方々のブログに比べる、内容がほとんどなく後輩に役にたちそうなこと何一つ書いていませんでした。
あと二週間ちょっとで帰国ということですが、ファイナルのみならず、一年間の交換留学全体を締めくくる段階に入ってきました。結論から言えば、失敗した交換経験だったかもしれません。個人的な成長はあったものの、一般の方々にも共感してもらえるようなものはおそらく無かったと思います。

加えて卒業論文をアメリカで完成することは不可能だと判断されました。
帰ってからまた一年間学校で授業を取り、ゼミに参加し、地道に努力を積み重ねてやっと卒業ができるということが判明しました。

仕事も見つけ、必ず４年間で卒業もするという野心的だった私にとっては、挫折といっても過言ではありません。
長ーい夏休みを利用して、せめて授業で勉強になったことをブログにまとめようと思っています。

Cal Day & Me

...

Trader Joe's

バレンタインデイ。ハハハ

Back to berkeley and fresh start on 2011!

So, the new semester starts! Unlike last semester-being nervous and anxious about everything, I am rather excited about the new semester. Despite the lack of over 6 units I need to obtain, I enjoy a quite meaningful school life

Stay health is one of the main targets of this year.
The average time getting up is 7-8
The average time going to bed is before 11
Keep eating breakfast for the past week



You might want to check these out !

Jet lagged and forgetful? It's no coincidence

Holiday travel can leave people cranky and tired, in part because of jet lag, the
result of your body's internal clock being out of synch with your current time zone.
For chronic travelers, it's more than a passing annoyance, however. A new study
shows that chronic jet lag can cause long-term brain changes that lead to memory and
learning problems for at least a month after return to a normal schedule.

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/11/24/jetlag/

Our brains are wired so we can better hear ourselves

Like the mute button on the TV remote control, our brains filter out unwanted noise
so we can focus on what we're listening to. But when following our own speech, a new
brain study from UC Berkeley shows that instead of one mute button, we have a
network of volume settings that can selectively silence and amplify the sounds we
make and hear.

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/12/08/auditory"

So study hah.

I talked to my GSI for American Politics this morning and very unsurprisingly got my terrible grade back for the Midterm.
It was around average, and it seems that I can get a B or B- for this course(range from A+ to D and F), I should be satisfied but somehow I am not.
Am I happy with being an average student in both Handai and Berkeley? Is language the very reason prevent me from doing better. I think the answer is NO. NONONO
So what was the problem and what is the problem now: my attitude.
I am not treating school very seriously for the past 14 years especially when I come to Japan, I always had an excuse for me not to participate enthusiastically- well Japanese is not my first language. I cannot think logically in Japanese. And now I can use it for my failure for classes here in berkeley as well. English is my third language dude. What do you want.
But that thought is not helpful at all. Not until now that I realised how much did I rely on that way of thinking and being relaxed for that reason.

Now I need a change. REALLY it is the time.

久々の更新になりますが

留学組がようやくそろったので、更新します：）

Chancellorに招かれたパーティーに参加した時に撮った写真



Stanfordに遊びに行った時に撮った写真（教会の長い廊下；地面にスタンフォード設立した年から毎年に年号を記録したタイル？がしかれて写真の向こうには２０１０年のタイルがあるはず、確認はしていません）

ちなみに写真中にバックパックを背負ってる女の子は中国１位の進学校の生徒会会長なり^^さすが'牛人'勢揃いのバークレー

タイルはこんな感じ


disrespectするつもりはありません

某大統領が寄贈したらしい

そうです！！イチローでございます
試合の結果はあまりよくありませんでしたので、ファンサービスせずにそのままロッカールームに帰ったのです。サインもらいたいと想っていましたが、なかなか難しいよう。ワシントンに行く時に是非チャレンジしてみたい



結果としてこの人のサインもらいました

名前も知りませんのにサインまで下さってどうもありがとうございます
この人のこと知ってる人がいたら是非教えてください

Chancellor's reception party

We went to the party.
I introduced myself as an exchange student from Osaka University in Japan, and the chancellor said he had a lot of friends in Osaka. So I asked him are they professors in Osaka University? And the chancellor smiled and said Yes! I had a good friend who has even been the president in your university, but it was half decades ago so you weren't even in the school.
I and some other EAP students took a photo with the chancellor and enjoyed some nice sweets and food and drinks. I made 4 more friends at the party and we went back to I-house right after.

I was happy to hear My university is actually well-known to the world top university facilities. And of course I am always proud to be a student in Osaka University. Even though some of my friends might not be able to understand what is the point to be proud for your school and what is important when it just about its brand. But as someone who was brought up by this conception that we are all belong to a society or group and whether the group is strong and famous enough pretty much decides your fate and future, I became someone who really care about these things. Above that I have to admit that I have had enjoyed being a member in a big group and being proud of it so I always tend to be in one, a famous and undefeated one.

Good or bad. It depends.

Of all the blogs of Japanese students who study in the states I have subscribed, they all share one thing in common; and that always takes up a lot of spaces in their blogs and usually they have high opinions over. Their Chinese friends.
It is so hard not to have one or couple of Chinese friends here in Bay area and probably in all parts of California and big cities in the states.
When I said I listen to Chinese more than English these days, I was kind of tired and disappointed about it. Why I came half way across the world only to end up in another Chinese society? That was my first honest thought.

But after a few days with all of my Chinese friends, I just start to think that having so many Chinese around me is some kind of privilege. As for me, Chinese has always been the language I can express myself easier and more to the point. In Chinese, I can start a conversation much easier and I have less risk of having people misunderstood me.
Above that, Chinese students are really good at their studies. They might not be very alert of other things happen around the world, but at least they are all very serious and diligent in the field of their studies. It is not at all a bad thing to have a Chinese friend here.

The third reason is for those foreign students who study Mandarin. When I see them trying so hard to learn this language and having so much hard time in the practice of pronunciation I just realized (well, I should have done that earlier) how luck I am to be born in a country that enables me to speak the language without any effort. People study Mandarin for a lot of reasons, some of them only do that because they love the language itself, like my mentor partner, he loves Kanji(Chinese characters) and not very interested in using it to travel or do anything. But I believe most learner start this language because they want to communicate with people who only speak Chinese. Why it bothers me so much that I couldn't speak perfect English which I thought would prevents me from breaking into the real English speaking world and society? When that society is really exclusive not only because of language differences (admit it or not)
but also because of all kinds of reasons (Races,Genders even Citizenships). Why shouldn't I take some advantage of being a Chinese in this big Chinese society? I really didn't like those who go to another country only to hang out with their Chinese friends and especially only with their Chinese friends, but in this case, I guess, I have to change my mind. For not that we WANT to hang out only with Chinese, but for the fact that despite of their race of being Chinese, they can be people who are from totally different back grounds and shared little in common. The sense of having so many Chinese around is like there are so many African-American people, who don't have the same background, share the same story and have the same sense of their identities.

It is good to discover that, and I hope I can always have these good Chinese friends while I try to know more about the people from other countries.

Campus & Berkeley Hill

This is what I see from the Berkeley Hill~ If the wether is good (which it is never good in terms that SF is always foggy...) you can see the Golden Bridge~!! I really wanna see it someday~ plus hiking makes you feel really good~
And since I was wearing a pair of Converse, which is REALLY slippery..I couldn't go very fast and I couldn't climb on the short cut way...==But everyone in our team were so nice and they carried my bag for me.
When I couldn't find something to catch in order to pull myself up, a very nice guy from Taiwan(later I knew that..but I forgot to ask his name...what th is wrong with me?><) gave me his hand I pull me up..Just many many thanks here!!
Below is the great great view~ it is totally worth me doing all this~



Tips: No CONVERSE for HIKING...THEY DON'T MATCH.


and Today, which is 18 Aug, after the international student resource fair, I went to University Hall to pay for the SHIP fee.
It doesn't take so long so I just walked around campus...
There is nothing to say...Just as beautiful as I imagined...
Here you go
oh first of all...Starbucks for sweet Mariko~:)


and begins...
1

アラーム。

-----Things to say-----
So far everything goes well! Thank everyone who have offered me help here!
今朝七時くらい、
廊下からうるさいアラームの音が聞こえてきて、ドアをあけ外を覗いたらまだ誰も出てきてないようで、火災の練習かと思ってとそのままベッドに戻ろうとした途端：
'Wake up and get out! Gather outside!'
学生っぽい人がドアを重くただき回ってきたのをみて
ひえ〜〜〜〜
本当の火災だと思いつつも
すぐに動けず他の人の行動を見ることにした
そうしたら向かいの部屋に住んでる女の子が手ぶらで廊下に出て隣の部屋の男の子と一緒に階段に行ったのを見てすぐに自分も着替え、貴重品を持って部屋を飛び出した。
あっパソコン忘れた
あっスーツケースには現金を入れたままだった
あっ＝＝
'もうそんなの忘れて逃げなさい'って自分に言い聞かせ外に飛び出した

みんなが建物のすぐ近くに集まっていたので離れろという指示を受け
ますます本当の火災のように思えてきたのだが
建物からなんの煙もなく関係者のおじさんたちも緊迫した様子がなかったので
先まで緊張して建物をじっと見つめていた住民達（私を含む）は雑談を交わし始めた

結局誰かがタバコを吸ってアラームを起動させてしまったそうだった
でも少し怖かった
無事でよかった

-------Tips--------

サンフランシスコは寒い！！Tシャツなんか着てられないわ！！！
ここに来る人は長袖を多めに準備したほうがよろしいかと思います。
以上