Thursday, May 16, 2013

Berkeley: counterculture and bones at the campus.


Following the spirit of Haight-Ashbury, and knowing that: "much of the 1960s counterculture originated on college campuses", particularly at Berkeley, I knew we had to visit.

"The 1964 Free Speech Movement at the University of California, Berkeley, which had its roots in the Civil Rights Movement of the US South, was one early example. At Berkeley a group of students began to identify themselves as having interests as a class that were at odds with the interests and practices of the University and its corporate sponsors".

I also wanted to see Telegraph avenue, famous for the student activism of the 1960s and 70s, where many of the protests took place.


While we were there, of course I had to visit the Life Sciences building (the biologist in me was squealing with delight when we found it), and I was not disappointed. We say Lucy's bones (though at this point I am not sure if the skeleton was the real deal or a replica), as well as a T-Rex and a Pterodactylus. I love the fact that Lucy was named after 'Lucy in the sky with diamonds' .Those were the days!


*PS: I had read that when you walk through Berkeley, you still feel a hippie nostalgic vibe. I have to say I felt more of that at the Haight and at some other neighborhoods in San Francisco (maybe around Valencia street, or Dolores park but the vibe at those places was way more hipster than it was hippie). What we felt at Berkeley's campus was old! I remember my university days like it was yesterday, and yet, all the students, even those who were graduating, posing in their toga, looked so young. (It did not help that there were high-school kids touring the campus, they seemed to be there to make us feel as ancient as the dinosaurs). They all looked very content, not really against the system. (Except for some posters plastered along the walls). And, just like in the movies, there were stalls recruiting members for all kinds of clubs, including a Glee-like choir (they were singing too :) )

6 comments:

  1. Amanda! You're an amazing human being. Thank you so much for your thoughtful and considerate words. You were right about so many things. It's love and friendship making me smile and look forward to my future. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! I hope to see you soon, and if you ever need to talk / vent / rant / have coffee, just let me know, I'll be all ears.

      Delete
  2. That last paragraph made me laugh! I know that feeling. When I was completing my masters degree I would often feel ancient around the "general" student body. "Academy Days" made me feel even older since there was a sea of high school students everywhere! The "Organization Fair" was also rather amusing since you would always see a whole bunch of random clubs trying their best to recruit people. The Asian Club always did the best, and it was definitely the most popular club on campus even though it was a predominantly white school. Those Asians definitely knew how do their stuff! lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha yeah. I am curious about the Asian Club. Mark has a big group of (Asian) friends from university and they did all kinds of fun stuff: karaoke outings, play cards... they really know how to have fun.
      And yeah, time passes so fast, we don't even feel it.
      I was talking about it the other day, the baby sister of my best friend (I say baby because we actually took care of here as a baby, she was born when we were 11 or so) is now going to university. Wow! And the list goes on and on...

      Delete
  3. I love the dress you are wearing in these pictures! I am trying to convince my cousin to apply to Berkley next year. She is Chinese, adopted by my aunt from China at the age of 9. Bilingual and Bicultural and very ready to experience the world (currently living in Oregon). I keep telling her Berkley would be the perfect place for her.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh thank you! The dress is special because it was a hand-down from my mother-in-law, it did not fit here anymore.
      Convince your cousin to apply to Berkeley, oh how I would have loved to study there. The campus is simply beautiful, it is one of the best universities in the world, it seemed quite international, she will definitely feel at home.

      Delete

I love your comments, let's talk .

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...