san francisco

Last Day at Berkeley

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I took most of today to rest, as the fatigue was catching up with me. A group of us walked to a café across the road to fetch breakfast, which we brought back to The Faculty Club to eat at the long tables in the dining room. I love the atmosphere of this building and the surrounding gardens. If someone could transport this whole place to Perth for me that would be great!

I went back to bed for a few hours in the middle of the day, then spent the afternoon reading and listening to the goings-on outside my window. Others trekked into San Fran for one last hurrah or went to meetings with academics.

In the late afternoon/evening we attended a graduate admissions information session and a mixer with some of the graduate students here. It was interesting to hear about their different fields of study. All the Scholars are getting very good at their elevator pitches; I’ve started watching people’s responses for any surprises. Guests are always very interested in those of us incorporating culture in our studies—that doesn’t include me at this stage, but hopefully when I’m back home I can make the most of my family’s knowledge and start my own cultural learning journey!

This evening I had a lovely dinner with two of the other Scholars, the scholarships coordinator, and Richard. I ate four ribs and a lot of kale salad and a lot of cake! And finished it all off with a nice cup of tea.

We have to be down in the lobby at 4.50am for our ride to the airport, so I’m going to jump in the shower and head to bed. This time tomorrow I’ll be writing from New York!

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A t-rex skeleton in the Sciences building! (I love dinosaurs)

Berkeley Day 2

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Today was supposed to be another busy one, but the fatigue hit hard. We had a tour of the campus this morning followed by a lunch hosted by the American Indian Graduate Program. Two presenters discussed their research into Native American culture and history—there were many parallels between their struggles and those of Indigenous Australians.

In the early afternoon I met with a graduate advisor from Berkeley’s English department, and had a nice chat about the program and campus life. Unfortunately I don’t think this one is a good fit for me, which is a shame as I absolutely love the campus. The focus of the course is a bit too narrow for my liking; I’d really love to explore the intersection of science and writing in my PhD, and I don’t want to be limited to only literature.

But there are plenty more universities to visit on this trip! And plenty more opportunities to learn about amazing courses.

I had a nap in the afternoon and woke up in time to go to a lecture by Professor Stuart Russell, who is a computer scientist who specialises in AI, and whose work I cited in my thesis. His talk was fantastic and I’m so glad I got to go. Like most AI researchers I’ve heard of, though, his view of the development of AI leans a little on the utopian side of things. I left the lecture with so many new sf and sci-comms ideas.

We had a group dinner at a restaurant 15 minutes’ walk from The Faculty Club, then grabbed an ice cream from down the road before hopping in an uber back to the Club for an early night.

Oh, and I just sent an email to MIT asking for a meeting while we’re in Boston… eep!

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Professor Stuart Russell’s AI jokes were solid

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This little guy delivers food around the campus!

Berkeley Day 1

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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.

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Our room in The Faculty Club at UC Berkeley

Stanford Day 2

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It was another long day today. I caught the bus to campus at 8.05 for a 9am group breakfast and info session. We learnt all about applying for graduate programs at Stanford and what we would need to include in our applications.

Following breakfast I met with a student services officer for the PhD program in Modern Thought and Literature. She had a dog in her office who was the sweetest little dude! We talked about my research interests and she suggested some other academics who might be a good fit for supervision, and she told me that MTL is where all the weirdos end up—sounds like my kind of place!

Then it was off to lunch at the Native American Cultural Centre, which was such a warm and welcoming space. We met more current students and learnt that Stanford offers courses in four Native American languages! MTL has a language requirement that you learn two other languages during your course, so if I were to come here I’d definitely consider one of the Native languages.

I got terribly lost on my way to my next meeting and arrived fifteen minutes late, but thankfully the academic I was meeting didn’t seem to mind all that much. She spoke with me about the Stegner Fellowship, which is Stanford’s non-degree writing program. It sounds absolutely amazing but I’m not sure if I’m in the right place with my writing yet to tackle something like that. I will definitely keep it in mind though.

I wrapped up the day with a meeting with another current MTL student, and we got along like a house on fire. I think I’ve made a friend! Maybe one day she’ll visit Perth and I can show her all my favourite cheap eats.

Tomorrow we’re bussing it across to Berkeley, but it’s pretty much a free day. I’m planning to do boring things like wash my clothes and track my expenses (woopsie! I haven’t done it yet…), and maybe find a nice spot outside to do some reading in the afternoon. I also have a bunch of emails to reply to and an article to write…

It’s just go, go, go over here at the moment!

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The view from my lunch spot on Sunday. There are so many cool cars here!

Stanford Day 1

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So today we went to Stanford!

First impressions: the campus is beautiful, the book shop is well stocked, there is A LOT of merch, and the PhD in Modern Thought and Literature sounds amazing.

We started the day with a bus ride in to campus and killed time in the book shop for an hour until the start of our tour. Our guide showed us landmarks such as the library and the church and the edible blackberries. We also learnt about fountain hopping, a favourite pastime in the warmer months.

We had lunch with some current Aussie students, then split up for academic meetings. I spoke with a student studying in that amazing PhD program I mentioned and left feeling energized and excited. PhDs are between five and seven years here though, so I’m not super keen on the length.

We had another get-together in the afternoon at the Bechtel International Center and chatted with more students, and ate more food. Then it was back on the bus and home briefly before heading off to an NBA game. I was surprised by the atmosphere—it’s exactly like it is in the movies, larger than life and somewhat surreal. It was a good experience but I think once is enough for me!

Tomorrow is another early one, with a day full of information sessions and meetings. I’m learning about the Stegner Fellowship (a creative writing program) in the afternoon which should be super cool!

Also, I picked up a (signed) copy of Markus Zusak’s new book today, and had a nice chat with the guy in the bookshop about Australian authors. And maybe ranted about sf to a few people, as per usual…

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Golden State Warriors vs Phoenix Suns

Today was a BIG day

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After breakfast (consisting of a banana, half a bagel, a boiled egg, and a black coffee) a group of us headed in to San Francisco, first stop: Golden Gate Bridge.

I tell you, I could have spent all day by that bridge. It’s beautiful, and a wonderful place for just sitting and thinking. After a foray into the gift shop the group split up, with the four other girls hiring bikes to ride across the bridge and myself finding a nice sunny bench on which to sit and wait for a bus into Sausalito.

On the journey I chatted with a lovely woman from Austria (who said she likes Australia much more than the US, and thought Perth was fab). Once in Sausalito I found a little burger joint where I ate my lunch by the window and watched the world go by.

The girls joined me not long after and we wandered around Sausalito, found some more food and some ice cream, and a SOCK SHOP! I may have bought six pairs of socks today…

Then it was onto the ferry, past Alcatraz, and on to Pier 39 for dinner at Mangoes. We dramatically underestimated the size of American portions and all ate only half of our dinner. Next time we will share. The burritos were huge!

We’re off to Stanford tomorrow for a campus tour, then in the evening we’re all heading in to San Fran to watch an NBA game (the sporty ones among us assure me that this is THE NBA game. I mistakenly called it the NFL. Nobody heard though so it’s all good).

Again I am writing from bed, so now it’s just a matter of closing this laptop and getting some shut-eye. I know I will sleep well tonight!

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Being a cool cat by the Golden Gate Bridge

Hello Stanford!

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I’m writing from my bed in the Stanford Guest House (pictured below) where I am sipping a cup of tea and listening to the sounds of crickets outside.

I heard a crow earlier today, nothing like the ah ahh ahhhhhh of our Aussie ravens; it was the caw caw that I’ve heard so much in movies but never quite realised was a sound made by real animals.

The trees are different here. The shape of them on the Stanford logo is accurate.

The flight from Sydney to San Francisco was about thirteen hours, most of which I spent napping. We had a bit of turbulence at one point which gave me a bit of a fright, but I’m back on solid ground now so I’m happy! I watched the movie Hereditary on the flight and thought it was odd—I’m not sure I really understood what was going on, or even what genre it was supposed to be. But it kept me glued to the screen the whole time so I guess they did something right.

Tomorrow a bunch of us are thinking about taking the train in to San Fran proper, about a two-hour trip, to go see the Golden Gate Bridge and some other attractions. If I have time later in the week (maybe Thursday or Friday) I’d love to go do a tour of Alcatraz as well.

But for now I’m going to finish my tea, read a bit of Leviathan Wakes, and have an early night.

And then tomorrow, adventures!

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My room in the Stanford Guest House, near the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (we’re down the road from a particle accelerator!!!)

Last Day in Aus

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Tomorrow we’re leaving Australia at 10.45am and arriving in San Francisco at 9am. Real world time travel, guys!

It is a thirteen-hour flight though, which I am not looking forward to. But I have my trusty sf books to keep me company and my own imagination if reading gets too exhausting.

The reception last night was amazing. I was expecting to go back to the hotel early (thanks fatigue) but I ended up staying for the whole thing because everybody was just so fascinating to speak with. I particularly enjoyed speaking with past scholars, two of whom are inspirational Indigenous writers, and one WHO STUDIES AI AND ROBOTS!!

Today we did the last of our workshops and Aunty Doris came to share her story with us. What a phenomenal woman. (Give her a google, she’s worth reading about).

We also learned more about the outreach program and how to give back to our communities at the end of this trip. Teacher friends, hit me up if you’re interested in supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at your schools and I’ll connect you with Aurora.

This time tomorrow I’ll still be on a plane. Wish me luck!

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Group shot from the Sydney reception. These are all the 2018 Scholars!