Today we travelled from Stanford to Berkeley, and I took some time to finally have a proper rest. Others went off adventuring in Palo Alto and San Fran, or explored the areas around the Berkeley campus.

Berkeley is stunning. We’re staying in the guest rooms in The Faculty Club, which is a beautiful set of connected buildings nestled within a small grove of trees and lush lawns. The interior features wood-panelling, dim and moody lighting, plush armchairs and cute reading nooks. I am in love with the place.

This evening a small group of us went in search of ramen, and were served Maggi two-minute noodles with some chicken and veg added. We were not impressed. But then we found Tammy’s Chicken in Waffles, which is this cute little waffle place run by a trans woman who has fought her way up from homelessness to successfully running two businesses and supporting her local trans community.

The campus here is so beautiful. It’s a lot more organic and free-flowing than Stanford. And oh my gosh, the library. The library. They have a small reading library on the main floor which honestly looks like something out of Harry Potter, and upstairs there’s a massive hall filled with desks where students sit and read their textbooks. No sound allowed. One of the other Scholars took a photo for me and the click of my camera was enough to send grumpy looks our way.

This evening I’m relaxing in bed and reading while a men’s choir sings in the room beneath us and one of the other Scholars rushes to finish her thesis. Tomorrow evening I’m hoping to attend a lecture by Professor Stuart Russell, a computer scientist whose work I cited in my exegesis!

What an amazing place.

Our room in The Faculty Club at UC Berkeley