By Brooke Carter

I am halfway through what is shaping up to be an incredible semester exchange at UC Berkeley. The campus is in sunny California and only a short train ride from San Francisco. I try to go into San Francisco with friends and explore a different area of the city each weekend. On exchange, I have been living at International House with over 600 other residents from 82 countries. Mealtimes are a highlight in I-House and you will often find me and my friends sitting in the dining room for hours in the evening, talking to people from all over the world. I-House often reminds us that this is the most diverse environment we will ever live in, and I feel extremely lucky to be able to learn so much about other cultures and lifestyles. One of the differences I have found between New Zealand and most other countries, particularly European countries, is the value placed on studying abroad. Other international students I have met here come from universities where 2/3 of the student body will study abroad at some time (I have met one other Kiwi exchange student here). After experiencing studying abroad for myself, I can understand why students are so highly encouraged to take the opportunity to expand their horizons.

Another realisation that I have had while on exchange is that life in American movies is not as fictional as I thought! My dorm room faces fraternities and sororities which are the norm here! I found it very interesting learning about ‘Greek life’ when I arrived here because the process of joining a frat or sorority is very extensive. Students have to ‘rush’ for a week which involves lots of activities and challenges where they try to impress the ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’ in the house they are hoping to join. This concept was so foreign to me when I first arrived but now it seems so normal. Student life is a priority at Berkeley and other large US universities. On football game days, the atmosphere around campus is buzzing. There are pre- and post-match functions/parties which, along with the 3+ hour games, takes up your entire Saturday. Lots of locals and most of the student body dress up in their Cal merch and go out to watch the games. The Cal marching band and cheerleading squad perform during the games and there are game-day staff whose sole job is to hype up the student section of the stadium.