UC Berkeley in 6 hours

There’s no denying it; we’re growing up, and we’re doing it fast. The thing about growing up is that the more I do it, the more I see the value in the things I did when I was younger. What I’m really saying is that it doesn’t take much for me to want to act like a kid.

So, I’m almost 20, and I still want to excitedly share what my first day of school was like with my parents. I’m doing that on here because I know they read it and because I am the worst person to talk to on the phone (it’s like phone earpieces turn off the part of my brain that can hold a decent conversation). But I also think that this is a part of growing up too: expanding the world in which you share things.

Here we go:  

It’s 11:07, I pull open the door to my first class, Peace Theories, and of course I’m one of the last people there. For once, though, the collective and penetrating glare of the 40+ people already there didn’t bother me as I maneuvered my way to the awkwardly-open seat in the middle of the room, successful in my attempt to not booty-bump someone’s face on the way. The professor walks in, and I decide that I like him. I don’t know why, but I do.  

My second class, Islam in India, is literally four classrooms away, so I end up being one of the first ones there this time. Not gonna deny that I’m proud. This professor walks in, understated but magnificently dignified, and starts speaking with a voice that compels you to absorb everything it says about the significance of South Asia for Islam as a whole, and the way that plays out in practice. And there are only 17 students to the one professor. This is the kind of class Cal should use to advertise with.

He lets us out with enough time for me to run to this crazy coffee shop where there are like 15 people behind the counter, no one speaks below a shout, and your food is ready in an unbelievably short amount of time. So again, I’m one of the last to walk into my third class (Conflict Resolution ), brushing pieces of lettuce off my shirt. Within the first few minutes, this professor happens to smash her hand in the window. She handled it gracefully, and all she broke was the ice. And everything she did after that was really endearing.

My fourth and final class of the day, Drugs and the Brain, is also the largest. We sit down in Wheeler Auditorium, and the music video for Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by The Beatles starts playing. If you haven’t seen this video on a big screen before, let me tell you, it’s an experience. But really, so is this class.  

It was warm and stuffy, and all I could think about was how much it felt like I was in my mom’s womb (because I totally remember what that feels like). I was pretty tired at this point, but the professor was really interesting. So my mind was engaged and alert, but my body was drowsy. Like if I was on drugs. Cheers for teaching through simulation, Professor. 

Our textbooks read like I’m sure potions textbooks do at Hogwarts, with all the ancient Greek and Latin names of plants. One of them even has the subtitle “Stimulating Plants, Potions and Herbcraft.” If you ask me who teaches this class, my answer will be Professor Snape. Always.

I sat through 6 straight hours of class today, and I can still say it’s great to be back on campus. Thank you for being so good to me Berkeley.

Damn. Reading back over through all the details, I don’t know how my parents put up with me.