Looking back at the last four years

Now that I’m leaving what has become more “home” to me than my parents’ place in SoCal, I’ve started noticing things about Berkeley that I’ll miss when I’m gone (and other things I’m glad to be leaving behind, to be honest). Here’s a fun little list that those of you in Berktown– or Cal alums–will appreciate:

Things I’ll miss:

• Gamedays. The thrill, the sense of community, and of course, the free food
• Sunny days on Memorial Glade or in Willard Park
• All the cute puppies that people bring to Willard
• Sandwiches from Sam’s Deli
• Speaking of food, Gypsy’s (mmm cheap italian), La Med, La Bu (for disgusting but cheap mexican food), Smart Alecs despite their health code violations, cheese from Cheeseboard
• The seediness that is Kips
• Bear’s Lair and Honey Wheat Beer
• Random streakers/naked people– while not so pleasant to see, it’s so stereotypically Berkeley
• Pointless protests and people living in trees (see above)
• Tutoring my athletes :*(
• Going out with athletes, even though I was always the shortest and most out of shape one
• Becoming great friends with a few athletes and then celebrating their athletic successes along with them!
• The Main Stacks– we have a love/hate relationship, but they’re just so pretty
• Memorial Stadium. I’m leaving my heart there.
• World-class professors: Dr. McQuade, Prof Moran, Prof Picciotto, Prof Justice, Prof Muller… definitely my top 5!
• Random adventures, like finding a steering wheel on Durant
• Telegraph Avenue… what more needs to be said?
• Beat the Clock!
• The laid-back college culture in general. This holds true much more so on campus, than in the townspeople themselves.
• It being acceptable to wear leggings, a sweatshirt, and Uggs to class. Guilty as charged.
• Feeling great when I’m the only one in class who did my hair/wore makeup.
• Having a set goal/purpose. That’s a biggie.
• Catching the 1/51/7 just as you arrive at the bus stops
• Seeing 3 51′s arrive at the same time
• Happy Happy man!
• The dude on Telegraph and Bancroft who always says “Good morning beautiful” and makes me smile
• The seagulls that fly in when the weather is nice
• Oh hai, Campanille
• The lawn outside of VLSB on sunny days
• The ever so creepy “Campaign for Berkeley” posters- I want one of me, damnit!
• Playing in Ludwig’s fountain, especially when someone soaps it
• Chicken strips from late night. Yum!
• Getting dressed up for Cal Day/Gamedays and reppin’ my school.
• Oski. Particularly when he hits on me. So inappropriately hilarious.
• The Big C
• Bonfire
• Big Game!
• Go Bears chants and Cal songs
• The Men’s Octet (so good!)
• Ridiculously-themed frat parties
• Shopping for said parties/halloween
• Having to explain to my mom “Where the rest of my costume” is (thanks, mom!)
• Huffing and puffing by the time I get to Wheeler, oops.
• Ready to die by the time I get up to Evans/LeConte
• The creepy owner at the Derby Mart who was always a little tooo friendly
• Sandwiches at Sacks coffee
• Natalie, my English bff for 3 years now and my source of sanity this semester
• The other friendships I made that will hopefully last for a long time
• Scheduling classes so I don’t have to be productive until 2. Man, I’ll really miss that.

Things I won’t miss so much:

• Always being accosted for money by street kids
• Walking everywhere in heels when you go out
• Naked hippies
• Hippies
• People who make you feel bad because you’re not a vegetarian
• People living in trees
• Ridiculous protests that interrupt class, grr
• Midterms
• Finals
• Papers (so, all the stuff I came here for)
• Telebears
• Waiting for grades to be posted
• The bureaucratic red tape when you need to get something done asap
• Students who flaked on tutoring sessions
• The lack of chain stores… I wish Target were closer!
• No parking. Oh wait, I’m moving to Boston… crap.
• The crazy lady who lives above me and calls her kitty at midnight every night
• Construction in the building next door
• High school dramaaa (yeah this is #1)
• Bipolar Bay Area weather
• Earthquakes!
• 9.75% sales tax
• $3+ gas
• The Tang Center. No, I’m not pregnant, and I’ve had mono twice, so I don’t have that either. Now can we figure out what the real problem is?
• Hipsters
• Driving behind bicyclists going .5 mph in a 25-30 mph zone
• Driving in Berkeley, period.
• Moving every few months. Also, roommates/housemates from HELL. Never again, I tell you!
• Comcast Internet. Hellacious and expensive. RCN, here I come!
• Rain in May. What the eff?
• Crazieeeees. Although they’re often good for a laugh or two.
• Did I mention homework?

I’ll update as I come up with more

• 

  One of my first ever gamedays!

Things I’ve Learned in College (part 1)

My time as an undergrad is rapidly nearing its end… yikes! In the spirit of the insane things that have happened the last 4 years, I thought I’d start a list of the good (and not so good) things I’ve learned… within reason, of course

• Pick a school you love. If you don’t love it, transfer! It’s your home for the next four years.

Oski! Go Bears!

• Living on your own is great, except for having to cook, clean, do laundry, and pay bills on your own
• PGE requires an ungodly deposit every time you open an account at a new residence
• Comcast will make you want to hurt someone. Repeatedly. Particularly when you find out how expensive they are!
• Ramen noodles are God’s gift to college students.
• Rainboots are a necessity in NorCal.
• Hella is not, contrary to popular belief, a word!
• Ikea is amazing. The end.
• Target is almost as amazing as Ikea.
• Cooking for yourself means lots of leftovers.

We had LOTS of leftovers from making gingerbread houses!

• Parallel parking (on the right side of the street) isn’t SO awful in a Corolla. With a bigger car and/or on the left side of the street… all bets are off.
• The city of Berkeley’s meter maids are pure evil.
• Job hunting sucks.
• Resume and cover letter writing suck as well.
• Sadly, the above 2 are necessary evils!
• Facebook is the best procrastination tool, second only to Chatroulette (or Stumbleupon)
• If you don’t remember what you did last night, go on Facebook. There will be pictures.

Embarrassing pictures like this...

• If you don’t remember what you did last night, check your sent text messages.
• Being under the influence + any form of social media (or phone) = bad news.
• Bring toilet paper in your purse to bars and frats.
• Wear flip flops if walking to your destination, put your heels on right before you enter. Your feet will thank you.
• Ants are indestructible. And they keep coming back. Ant tins are good though!
• If you’re nerdy, be nerdy. It’s ok. You’ll find people who love you for it.
• Game Days are amazing and one of the few things in college that I will truly miss.

Emerald Bowl, 2008!

• Common sense is, sadly, not so common.
• Make friends if you know you’ll be moving, because moving solo is awful (particularly when there’s furniture moving involved!)
• Living with roommates off of Craigslist can be great (love you, Robin!) or the worst experience ever… it’s definitely hit or miss.
• Adopting a pet is one of the most rewarding experiences ever.
• Join clubs and groups early. Network early and often. It’ll pay off.

Rally Comm... my life for freshman year!

• Get to know your professors in office hours. Don’t be scared of them, they’re people too! (Just very smart people, is all…)
• Always spellcheck papers before turning them in.
• If you ever want to work for Facebook, consider never going out/doing embarrassing things that will be preserved on film. Despite your profile settings, Facebook can still see them!
• Tutoring athletes is trying, but can be very very rewarding. I suppose that goes for all kinds of tutoring.
• Take classes you enjoy, even if it means you have to do your requirements during the summer. Give yourself time to experiment before locking into a major. Otherwise, you’ll start with one (English), add a second (Linguistics), then drop the second and add a third your senior year (American Studies)!
• Having a car is a blessing if you can afford it… it makes grocery shopping, laundry, and Target/Ikea runs so much easier.
• Not having internet is not an option.
• Yelp is a great resource, as is Craigslist.
• College boys are silly. I’ve decided that dating in college is largely a wash.
• People in general can be silly. It’s important to surround yourself with good people who will add to your life, not detract from it.
• Getting sick– especially serious things, like gallstones– can be really tough when you’re away from home.
• Blogs, LinkedIn, and Twitter are awesome for creating networks of people outside of school, especially if you ever go to meetups/conferences or move somewhere you’ve been talking to people!
• Online dating is… interesting. Very hit or miss, mostly miss. There are some weiiiird people out there!
• It’s ok to be a tourist in your own town. You discover things you pass by during your day-to-day routines.

become a tourist... you'll see things like this!

• In the real world, you can’t wear sweats in public!
• Showering/grooming/putting on makeup is not overrated (this is a particularly Berkeley thing)
• Take advantage of free trips and events. Going on the Birthright trip to Israel was absolutely amazing.

Jerusalem, Summer 2008

• If time/your major permits it, study abroad!
• Be nice to people in your classes. You might meet some of your best friends that way!

And remember, always wear sunscreen