berkeley pt. 1: the city


(Originally sent as an email)
Hopefully this will get out in one piece; last time I tried to email you all, there was a glitch toward the end of my first attempt, so I had to retype it. I’m really praying that doesn’t happen this time, because there’s a lot I want to say! So much, in fact, that I will try to organize things under the following subtitles: Berkeley, community, walk with God, work, ministry, research. There will probably be some overlap though. :)

For starters, I should probably explain a little about how we got up here. :) We did the road trip thing. Two of my friends from ASU, Joe Golike and Jen Swinford, hooked up with two of the Midwesterners coming here, and the five of us made the 12-hour trip in one day. We left Joe’s parents’ house around 2 a.m. June 20th, and drove through the night to LA. We had breakfast at a Denny’s somewhere in California, and drove pretty steadily up to the Bay area from there, arriving mid-afternoon. I ended up doing a lot of the driving for our car (maybe 7-8 hours), which I think was a blessing for the other two. Jessica and Angie had already driven out to Arizona from Indiana/Michigan, so they’d had plenty of driving already.

So we got to Berkeley, hauled our stuff into the house, settled in a little bit, and went off for a dinner deal at Bruce McCluggage’s (he’s our project director. And that’s kind of where it all began.

Berkeley
Berkeley is a very eccentric place; very cool. It’s one I’m coming to love (more about that later). We are staying in a large house operated by the Presbyterian church, that’s just south of the campus. Westminster House also happens to be right next to one of the most awesome coffee houses ever, called Caffe Strada. A couple blocks down from here is Telegraph Avenue, one of the craziest places in town. For those of you familiar with Tempe, it’s kind of like a much longer, edgier, crazier, less-trendy Mill Avenue. Telegraph really gives you a feel for the history of the place, and the rebellious nature. Not a whole lot of franchises in this town; Gap and Bath & Body Works stick out as rare intruders.

I wish I could describe this place better, but it’s so unique and yet so clearly etched on Kodachrome slides in my brain that words barely suffice. Worst of all, I can’t even show you pictures when I return, because I couldn’t find my camera to pack it before I left. I had wanted to buy a manual here, but that still hasn’t happened. Anyway, I suppose I should talk about the things that endear me to this place. Weather. BART. Recycling. Architecture. Hills. Open-air flower shops. Passion. Swing dancing. :)

First off, the weather is fabulous. I don’t think I realized how much I was indifferent to frustrated by the summer heat in Arizona until I came to a place with mild summers. The temperature range here is remarkable, depending on which part of the Bay area you go to; I’m discovering they have a thing called “microclimates” here. Berkeley happens to be one of the coldest, so the highs are never warmer than mid-80s. We get plenty of sunshine, but I usually take in a gloriously overcast sky on my walk to the BART station every morning. I’m drinking it in, let me tell you. :) The other thing that’s awesome is that I get to wear wool and layers and warm sweaters in the evenings and early mornings. For this Seattle-born girl, it’s pretty exciting to wear turtlenecks in July.

Moving on they have much better mass transit here than in Phoenix. While the BART is nothing like Singapore’s MRT, it’s still pretty “chill,” as I find myself saying. :) Basically it’s just a subway/train that connects various parts of the Bay area. Could be better, but it’s been a more than adequate means of transportation for me this summer, as I go to and from work and occasionally venture into the City (as locals call San Francisco).

Another thing that’s huge here is recycling. For me that’s pretty cool, as I’ve slowly gotten guilty about not sorting my recyclable paper from other trash at home. Here it’s a cinch to do recycling, because it’s expected of you, and most places have all the right bins for plastic, glass, aluminum, mixed paper, whatever. In general, there’s a strong emphasis on healthy things, organic things, stuff like that. Pretty much your stereotype of the California health craze, I guess.

Architecture is, of course, incredible. I love living in a place as quirky and old as the Westminster House is. And there are just tons of old buildings around. I really like the sense of history that gives. It makes the place feel more settled and enduring somehow.

Lots to explore at far as this feature is concerned, but that’ll have to wait for another time.

Same for swing dancing. The swing scene here is huge, but I’ve only had the chance to go once. Our schedule is simply too busy to allow much of that, even though the swing culture is/was supposed to be my focus subgroup (more about that later).

One thing I have been able to enjoy is the open-air flower shops. It is just great to me that you can buy fresh flowers on the street and assemble a bouquet however you want. I love being able access beauty on a whim, if I choose.

So that’s pretty much Berkeley. Now let me tell you a little about the people I’m living with, and what that’s like. Or rather, why don’t I finish this email and tell you about community in the next one. That way, if you want to take in my “report” in bite-size snatches, you can. (I know I’m known for super-long emails.)

Christi

Afterthought
It’s funny to re-read this email now. Those of you who know me better will recall that Berkeley was the site of an enormous turning point in my life. Despite the rather happy picture painted above, it was an immensely difficult summer for reasons I’ll probably never sort out fully. Living in Berkeley was wonderful, and I’ve never called such idyllic environs my home — before or since. In stark contrast to that pleasant geography, however, was a slowly building storm in my interior life. Funny my blithe commentary could reveal so little of that. But then, it was also a summer of functioning with much emotional numbness (this later ripened into the full-out agony of the subsequent fall, as I again to absorb my inside troubles).
-Feb. 6, 2003

Keep reading: Pt. 2, community; Pt. 3, walk with God.

posted @ 06:59 PM on Sun - July 25, 1999 remark! Email |  as quoted:
before I said ...  but more recently: 

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