CALVIN’S CORNER

Vol. I Issue II

CONTENTS

DESTINATIONVACTATION

VACATIONACTUALLY

SUMMER OF CIRCLE KEVENTS AND MORE

TRIPS, TRICKS, AND A FEW FINAL WORDS

MESSAGEFROM THE EDITOR

Hello friends! Welcome to the second issue of “Calvin’s Corner”!

Yes, Summer has come to an end. For some it may have sped by too fast; others may be embracing the sweet death of this break. Summer is a weird portion of time and time acts a little weird. I hope everyone this summer grew, got to recenter themselves, and had an overall positive experience. This first week of classes feels surreal.

What’s in this issue? This issue concludes summer (rather than kick it off) with all the memories our members were willing to share for us. Summer is a unique experience, as we can see from the variety of posts in this issue. From general meetings to UCBCKI representaiton in Bangkok and Sweden, we all have a Summer story to tell.

Summer finals are all over and now we’re marking our calendars for our Fall semester exams. I’m really excited to be finishing my Media Studies prereqs because I get to declare after this semester! I hope everyone else, whatever year you’re in, is having great times in school! Remember: we’re students first. So take care of yourself, your education, and then use Circle K as a college enhancement.

First-gen is right around the corner! I will be releasing article submissions Sunday (8/30) on all types of things! So watch out for that.

That’s all for now! You can email me at cki.remy@gmail.com or shoot me a Facebook message if you need anything :)

REMY D’AGNILLOPUBLICATIONS | 2015-16

PLEASE READREFLECTIONS AND UPDATES

DESTINATION VACATION summer general meetings

This summer, we changed up the theme of our summer general meetings to a series named Destination Vacation: Travel with UCBCKI. Each week we “traveled” to a different country whose images gave a nice touch to the Prezi slides. After each meeting, we did an activity including hiking, playing mafia, and building unconventional sandcastles. Members received a passport to bring to each meeting and enter into a raffle the last week. It was a nice time to learn what was happening in our club at the time and to bond with each other during activities!

TRAVEL WITHUCBCKI

AROUND THEWORLD

DONALD“This was before an

even bigger wave hit me and I was sad LOL”

ERINNWONG

NEIRON“Ball is Life”

When it comes to summer, I had a lot of time on my hands; free time that I was able to spend doing whatever I had wanted after my summer classes had finished for the day. The one way that I was able to enjoy that time was going to the Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) to go to the gym and work out, specifically play volleyball. Over the course of the summer, I would go play volleyball at the

RSF at least once a week. There, I would gradually be able to hone my volleyball skills along with having the pleasure of making new friends through this sport. Being able to improve with players of all skill levels while laughing about it all with strangers and newly made friends alike, made it all that much more enjoyable, not only for myself, but for everyone there.

STEPHANIE

CHU

GABE“Summer (but actually winter) some pics of my time in Chile with Otis

the Sheep”

OLAF CHEN IN

SWEDEN

So, I was at a hostel in Oslo, sitting on a long couch while surfing the Internet on my phone. And there’s another girl, whom I’ll call Ellie, further down the couch also on her phone. Turns out that Ellie speaks English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Polish, and had recently finished an exchange program in literature at St. Petersburg.

An elderly lady sitting across from me then quips up. Her father was born there, but her family eventually “lost” its mastery of Russian because she never got to live in Russia. She responds that her father would have been very proud if he could have witnessed

this conversation, because back in their day, it was a lot harder for young adults to study languages for fun, let alone travel the world. This was the comment that really got to me.

Traveling is a glorious privilege for many millenials, but not all of them take advantage of it. Some give up studying certain languages the moment it becomes too challenging for them. Being a math and computer science major, I often struggled to fathom why some devote practically their lives to literature. It’s not often that people open up about the passion they have for what

they do, knowing that it doesn’t necessarily make a lot of money. I can’t fully deduce where Ellie wants her story to take her in life, but what I do admire is her ability to enjoy her journey without stressing over the potential destination.

Carrying out a conversation in a foreign language has a unique feel of satisfaction with it. With the increased globalization of industry, languages other than English are among the most underrated workplace skills, and I am thankful to know people who do what they can to reverse this trend.

Hello UC Berkeley Circle K! I am two months into my stay as an exchange student to Lund University, Sweden. It’s been an unforgettable experience so far and I would like to extend a request to you all: If you are considering traveling abroad before you graduate, even a little bit, DO IT!!! Better yet, don’t feel pressured to find someone to go with. You can learn so much about yourself and others anywhere you go!

In my opinion, the best part about traveling alone is designing your own schedule. You’re not under any peer pressure to visit a whole bunch of sites that you may not have the energy to visit, which is good because that would prevent you from soaking any of them in properly.

Besides, lots of people visiting a new city together usually means somebody is going to want to go barhopping. What a waste of time and money!

I mean, it’s not like I haven’t gone barhopping at all. But I sojourned alone to Oslo on the weekend of my birthday, where my hostel had such an offer going around. I did not take it, instead spending the evening chatting with some fellow travelers. ***

Not all travelers can be as lucky, though, if they spend all their time trying to cater to each other’s plans. You won’t believe how many of my fellow summer program participants greatly preferred talking to each other as opposed to striking up a conversation with a stranger in

the hostel lobby. So I would like to conclude on this note:If you listen intently, anyone you meet has a story they would be honored to share with you, if only you would ask. Free your mind of distractions in the form of what’s going on back home or how your trip is being perceived on social media. This will do wonders for your confidence to approach a stranger and the quality of your conversation! The best part is that you’ll never know what you’re going to hear, so anything can keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s these moments that I live for, knowing that any could be the start of a lifelong connection. <3

***For my reflections on this conversation, please refer to the text above***

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MIKEI had an amazing this time with CKI this summer attending UC Berkeley & Golden Gate CKI events in addition to attending CKIx. One of the highlights of my summer was going to Indianapolis to bond with members of the

organization from all over. It was an awesome way to end the last summer that I will have as a CKI member and I’m excited to spend my last year at UC Berkeley with everyone this upcoming year!

SF PRIDEAS TOLD BY

JASMINE PARK“Donate at the gate and save one dollar on all beverages all day!”

This was the statement that many of us yelled to get SF Pride attendees to make donations to the event. The first day of Pride, ten Circle K’ers BARTed over to SF to do some service at this Celebration & Parade.

We actually volunteered with the Homeless Children’s Network to collect donations that help keep SF Pride a free event. From morning to afternoon we stood in the hot sun for about five hours, only taking one break for lunch.

While it was a long and tiring shift, the atmosphere was fun, busy, and festive. It was really rewarding to interact with these people who would donate up to twenty dollars for a cause that they personally supported. While a five dollar donation got you a beverage discount sticker, some people would donate and tell us to save the sticker for someone else.

It was nice doing community service in an environment full of supportive people. Furthermore, the coordinator from the Homeless Children’s Network was extremely thankful toward us for helping out!

TIPS, TRICKS, & A FEW WORDS

A few words from fellow Circle K’rs to help everyone out as well as some reflective words!

CIRCLE K

LOVE

DONALD FRANKS“If I were a stripper my name would be hot potato.”

“If you venture to Starbucks try a SAR with 2MA and LTICEOr maybe a VBF with XCR and blueberries.”

MIKE ZHOU“Slickdeals.”

ERINN WONG“U-CHA IS THE BEST BOBA PLACE IN BERKELEY. U-Cha>Sharetea --from a former Sharetea addict

That’s it...U-Cha was my life during summer.”

GABE OTERO“There’s a small little cafe at the very top of Dwinelle that’s good for a breakfast after morning classes :)”

REMY D’AGNILLO“ASK PEOPLE FOR THEIR PRONOUNS!”

WO

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BRO

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About a year ago, I arrived in Berkeley completely lost and confused. Feeling very small, I was beginning to worry that I’d never make a real difference in such a huge place. And then I heard about Circle K, and made one of the best decisions of my life! Breathless and sweating profusely, I finally made it out to one of the first meeting of the fall, and I was freaking out! ‘What a great first impression this’ll make’, I thought. But as soon as I stepped into Dwinelle, everyone was so friendly and welcoming; it was the happiest I’d felt in months!

Ever since that meeting, Circle K has filled my life with meaning (ooh, rhymes and good times). When I see the

gratitude on the face of a person eating a wholesome meal, or the end product of a few hours mulching and painting, little can beat that euphoria. I’ve met some of the most amazing and selfless people I’ve ever known here, and even though I’ve not much time left, I’ll always appreciate the friends I made and the experiences Circle K has given me! You guys are the best!

RAMESSUCBCKI and a

Goodbye

The End.Until next time,

May We Meet Again.

That’s it! Short, sweet, and summer-filled! Check back next time for the first-gen publication!

Let’s all embrace the community we have and raise each other up with our knowledge and unique experiences.

Make sure to email cki.remy@gmail.com with all of your questions/comments/concerns on this and any other publication!

If you want your voice heard, want to share any knowledge, or have any ideas for possible themes for upcoming issues like this, make sure to contact me!

Remember, this is your club! Together, we can make some beautiful publications.