December thoughts

Written by Svetlana Zenkin

Finals are almost finished, and we have a month-long break ahead of us. As my ERG cohort's first semester draws to a close, it's time to reminisce a little bit. I feel like a lot has happened since September, but also have perfectly vivid memories of our first meeting in Barrows Hall as a class.

It's been a challenging, yet rewarding few months. A big part of the challenge was that I had worked for six years between undergrad and grad school, so it took a while to re-adapt to student life. I was extremely nervous about doing well at the beginning of the semester. I even cried two days before one of my homework problem sets was due because I was afraid I wouldn't complete it perfectly and on time. This was for an assignment that was maybe worth two percent of my grade! Thankfully, I felt progressively better.

As far as the good parts, here are a few of my highlights:

• Living and enjoying Berkeley, probably my favorite place in the US!

• Learning a lot in Dan Kammen's Energy and Society class, which most ERGies take.
• Having fun working and griping about the homework assignments with my Microeconomics study group.
• Our newbie camping and canoe trip in September.
• Going to a salsa-dancing party organized by Tanya.
• Being constantly inspired and humbled by the knowledge, experience and good nature of my classmates.

Next semester promises to be busier, but hopefully also very rewarding. In addition to classes, I will be a Teaching Assistant for John Harte's "Quantitative Aspects of Environmental Programs" class. Also, I will be editing the blog and newsletter for the Berkeley Energy and Resources Collaborative (BERC) as their VP Communications.

For now, I am looking forward to having an enjoyable and productive break. It'll be nice to read for pleasure, visit friends in San Francisco, go on more hikes and cook some of the recipes I've bookmarked during the Fall! Oh, and put some serious time into researching and applying for summer internships.