UC Berkeley Exchange: Prologue

On the 15th of August, I flew to San Francisco (which also happened to be my parents' 26th wedding anniversary), getting ready for my next semester at UC Berkeley. I wanted to arrive earlier in hopes to look around the area as much as possible, so I would have more time for more activities during the semester.

Honestly, San Francisco only has a few iconic tourist destinations: the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, the Fisherman's Wharf, and the Palace of Fine Arts. Regardless, I still tried to find other activities to make the most out of my time before orientation. I was glad to have gone for a stroll in the Golden Gate Park as well, as it had a lot of beautiful, natural scenery, where you could just sit back and relax. There's the Dutch Windmill, the Ocean Beach (where you could see the Pacific Ocean and scare seagulls and albatrosses away).

The Dutch Windmill: a good place to kick back and relax

As I relaxed near the Dutch Windmill, I overheard some interesting conversations on campus life in the United States, relating to student debt. Student debt is such a common phenomenon in the U.S., which is quite sad. A lot of students would have to take loans as well, and it could take several years for them to finally clear everything off. Although the United States sure is a place with the best education institutions, it also has its imperfections and could be improved to give a better quality education to students who deserve it.

Chasing seagulls in Ocean Beach

Orientation is starting tomorrow. I have so many plans during my stay there, and I look forward to recording my adventures and experiences in this blog. I’m going to write about everything, including the academic life, entrepreneurial experiences, moments with friends, and simply my journey around the area. I'm going to keep my goals for this exchange to myself, but I'll make sure to post them once I have brought them to life, and hopefully, it'll be a nice read for you all!

I really REALLY hope that I can accomplish everything before I get back to Hong Kong. There are so many opportunities to try new things, and if you only have five months to get it done, along with all the studying I still have to do, you have to be wise with your time. But regardless, I will make the most of it and update you all as frequently as I can!

As for final words to this post, there was a writing in chalk on the ground while I was at Golden Gate Park that motivated me to truly make the most out of this exchange.

"You gotta dance like there's nobody watching, love like you'll never hurt, sing like there's nobody listening, and live like it's heaven on Earth."