College is freaking hard. And despite the horrifyingly rocky transition I went through adjusting to life at Berkeley, there are some things I’m incredibly grateful for here. Everyone says that college is some great adventure where everyone experiments and finds themselves. And to some extent, that’s true. There are a lot of new and exciting places to go and things to try and people to meet. But in the long run, it’s the little things that keep me going when I’m drowning in midterms, papers, and tough-grading GSIs.

• Roommates who take care of you when you don’t take care of yourself
• Long conversations with that friend you made at orientation
• Berkeley sunrises
• Berkeley sunsets
• Views of the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge
• Impromptu trips to the top of the Campanile after a long, dull lecture
• The first drops of rain on a weekday morning
• When I and both my roommates all cook instant ramen together at the end of a long and stressful day
• Seeing my sister at the end of a long week
• Getting to meet people from all walks of life every day
• Living in and seeing all the quirks of a busy city

Obviously this list is not exhaustive; there are so many things I’m grateful for that I couldn’t count them all. But for now, I’m going to take advantage of the fact that Odyssey doesn’t have a word minimum and step away from my computer to go enjoy the city and all these little things. I like writing down the things I’m grateful for, so maybe this will be the first of more to come. And of course, I’m grateful for you, the ones who always read my Odyssey content, week after week.