Okechukwu’s Musings: Poetry, People and Places

Category: UC Berkeley

  • Across the Ocean, Toward Myself

    Describe a risk you took that you do not regret. This is a response to the topic above. One risk I took that I do not regret was crossing the ocean to pursue my studies in the United States. Leaving home meant stepping away from everything familiar—language, family presence, cultural comfort, and the everyday certainty…

  • Before America: Musing of All Places I’ve Become

  • A Gratitude Note: Lessons from the Journey So Far

  • My UCLA Study Space

  • University of California, Berkeley

    What colleges have you attended? Before heading to America for my master’s, I did my diploma and undergraduate education at Abia State Polytechnic and the University of Uyo, both in Nigeria. Currently, I’m completing my graduate education at America’s premier public institution—the University of California Berkeley. Cal, or UC Berkeley as it is called, is…

  • Fire trail

    What is your favorite place to go in your city? I love hiking through the forest at the University of California, Berkeley. It’s a little distance from campus. A stream ran across the trail, and I could smell the wet clay. There are numerous bird calls and when sunset arrives, it’s something else! The sunset…

  • Studying

    What are you doing this evening? This evening, I will be reading at one of the libraries at UC Berkeley. I’m working on several research essays and, at the same time, preparing for seminars and upcoming conferences. I will meet with some of my mentees afterward to catch up with them.

  • California

    Share a story about the furthest you’ve ever traveled from home. California is just what I imagined. The clean streets, diverse people, and rolling hills embody nature, all set in an inspiring school environment lined with cheerful trees. Where there are trees, you can often see birds that add their melodic sounds to the view.…

  • Beautiful Sunset

    And here is capturing my favorite part of the day in pictures and few words! Taking it all in: the fresh air and breeze guided by tree canopies, the tree leaves falling, twisting and waving goodbye to sunset, the tiny worm crawling home under the brushes, the solemn rocks sitting harmless, the peaceful hills overlooking…

  • Happy New Year!

    This is it! This is 2023! Congratulations! Happy New Year!

  • Merry Christmas from California

    Merry Christmas dear friends. This will be my first Christmas holiday away from home. It’s been a long holiday so far. The ever-busy streets of UC Berkeley have become a ghost town. The roads are empty and bare of cars. One can confidently stand to take pictures on the roads. The fine houses and magnificent…

  • Reflection: Evening Walk

    Birds tweeting, squirrel foraging, and Berkeley’s hilly and beautiful landscapes, coupled with the scent of fresh grass – of mints possibly, remind me of home. The roadside is littered with green grass, and up the steps, wild turkeys pick the ground for worms. I saw a tiny bird circling the foot of a tree, which…