Blog Archives

Picture This

Posted by | Posted on April 29, 2012
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My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations. (John Green)

In trying to come up with a topic for this penultimate (eek!) blog post, I found myself at a loss for words. Which, for those of you who know me, is shocking. Friends, family, haters (h8erz?), and disgruntled teachers will be the first to tell you that I’m more than a little vocal – but for once in my life, I can’t think of anything to say. My thoughts and emotions are virtually the same as they were in my last post: I’m staring at the end of my freshman year, disbelieving and sad and not ready to say goodbye to all of the people and places that I’ve come to love, only if for a while.

I’m not ready to be a sophomore. I’m not ready to start packing up my room in Wolman. I’m most definitely not ready for my Calc II final. I’m not ready to reflect on how I’ve changed or what I’ve learned because I’m still grasping at words to describe an experience that is largely indefinable. So, in this rare moment of speechlessness, I’m left with fragments, snapshots – anagrams of detached thoughts that can’t really be captured within such linear confines. As we get a little older, a little fatter, and (hopefully) a little tanner, I’m left with pictures that have already started turning into memories and the knowledge that, sometimes, there are no words.

Picture this: days blending into weeks, the disorienting blend of color and sound that is Spring Fair, thumping bass, final papers, the best nutella pizza you’ve ever tasted, last meetings, Sterling Brunch, formals (JHU_Kevin = perfect date), cupcake-making (and by “making” I mean “eating”), running around in a onesie (HAY TESS) – all images that sum up my last weeks as a freshman and my unwillingness to live in anything but the moment.

Picture this:

Welcome to the Fray

Posted by | Posted on April 14, 2012
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I don’t want to grow up. And I know that now is not the time for me to be having any sort of existential crisis, but I think I’m finally starting to understand what adults mean when they talk about The Real World. I used to think that The Real World was some distant horizon, a term dangled in front of jaded teenagers as if to say, “You don’t know anything.”

Now, I’m not so sure.

Waiting at bus stop by the Washington Monument in Mt. Vernon on my way back to campus.

This semester has been different in a lot of ways – my courseload is a lot lighter (especially in comparison to all of the upper-level courses I took in the fall), my caffeine intake much less frightening (see: above), my extracurricular involvement higher (I was recently accepted onto the publicity board for the Milton S. Eisenhower Symposium – so go to our speaker events in the fall! Okay, shameless plug over), and my days much busier.

I’ve been interning at The Baltimore Sun downtown this entire semester, so I take the bus to Mt. Vernon three times a week after I get out of class. So far, I’ve worked on compiling online photo galleries, pitching story ideas, and contacting interesting locals (such as the executive chef of Charm City Cakes!) for the Reader Essay section. I’ve even interviewed a pirate (Yes, a pirate – did you know that Fell’s Point has an incredibly rich pirate and privateer history? Don’t worry, neither did I), and my first published piece is set to run next week (!!!).

Tanning/studying at our top-secret study spot! Maturity at its finest.

So this is the Real World: the clickety-clack of fingers typing frantically away at their respective keyboards, piles of paper stacked into neat perpendiculars, an afternoon bus packed with sleeping, waiting, breathing masses – a balmy Saturday on the Beach, date parties, a Relay for Life moonbounce filled with laughter and air. And as the end of freshman year draws nearer and nearer, I’m finding that – for the first time in my life – I just want things to stay as they are. The Real World is like a reel of images that change as they repeat themselves, and I’m not ready to give up all of the carefree mishaps and sense of possibility that come with being a freshman. The thought of moving out of Wolman in a month is overwhelming (it also doesn’t help that I could probably fill an Olympic-sized pool with the sheer amount of stuff I’ve accumulated over the year).As much as I look forward to the perks of being another year older  and another year closer to taking over the publishing world with my big, JHU_Tess (I’m only half-joking), it’s also a little daunting.

At RA Sushi with my favorites for Sonu's 19th! Another year older, but none the wiser. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONU!

At my internship the other week, I happened to overhear a conversation a few cubicles over (I work at my own half-cubicle – can I get a woop woop?!). A newly hired staff member was being introduced to one of the editors, and there was the usual hand-shaking and making of references that I’m too young to get as the seasoned editor gave the new writer a rundown of the newsroom. As they parted ways, the editor said, “Well – welcome to the fray.” For some reason, that phrase has stuck with me since.

I am by no means a seasoned Hopkins veteran, and in a lot of respects you probably shouldn’t be taking advice from me. But from what I’ve experienced so far at Hopkins, I can tell you that the one thing that will never change is how fast the time goes.

So, for all you Class of 2016ers reading this – you have so many fun experiences ahead of you, so embrace being at the bottom of the pack for as long as you can. Most of you will probably be corralled/coerced into going to PlayFair during Orientation, you’ll complain about the FFC, and you’ll quickly learn to have a separate pair of frat shoes when you go out on the weekends. You’ll idolize any upperclassman who talks to you, wonder how people can automatically tell that you’re a freshman (heads up: it’s the Johns Hopkins lanyard).  You’ll feel like a champ after surviving your first college all-nighter, even if you only had to pull one because you procrastinated for so long (guilty as charged). You’ll change your major, your group of friends, your favorite hangouts, what level you study on in the library.

Allow me to introduce you to my big.

You’ll slowly start to see aspects of The Real World  seep into the world that you’ve created for yourself – a world that is, in its own way, much more real than anything I or anyone else can explain to you. You’ll get internships, jobs, research opportunities – all stepping stones to the bold and brilliant things you’re bound to accomplish, because that’s why you’re here. And, a year from now, you might face the same quasi-crisis that I’m facing now, wanting everything to freeze just for a moment because you’re not ready to take on The Real World without training wheels.

Growing up seems ultra-fabulous until you realize that college might be the last time that you can take classes solely because you’re interested in them, dress up as a sea creature/cowgirl/furry animal/viking/all of the above for a party without looking like a complete idiot, and get more excited over a moonbounce (or anything else intended for small children) than a preschooler would.

So slow down, Class of 2016. There’s plenty of time to grow up and act responsibly. I’m enjoying every date party, mixer, tailgate, birthday dinner, and low-key study sesh that I can as I learn how to format my resume, apply to internships, and cook something other than Easy Mac and Ramen.

The Real World can wait. In the meantime, welcome to Hopkins.

Welcome to the fray.

 

 

Freestylin’: Why Hopkins

Posted by | Posted on March 31, 2012
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So a fun fact about me, in case you care –

My rhymes are fresher than the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

And like Hilary Duff, I’m coming clean,

So listen up, Class of 2016!

Whatever you do, wherever you go,

There are some things about Hopkins that you should know.

On weekends we party it up like S Club 7,

The Los Angeles Angels should take notes, ’cause I’m in AΦ heaven.

But there’s also Kappa (KKΓ), Pi Phi (ΠBΦ), and Phi Mu (ΦM),

11 frats, sports houses, and Maxie’s too.

Just lose yourself like my boy Slim Shady,

And if you get too crazy, there’s always the Shush Lady.

She’ll keep you out of trouble, so don’t give her flack,

Like the Empire, she’s ready to strike back.

On Monday it’s back to the old bustle and grind,

At any other school you’ll be hard pressed to find

Students who work as hard as they play like we know how to do,

Just ask Mulan – the academics here will make a man out of you.

Gilman atrium, The Hut, and of course, Club MSE

are the best places to study – and they’re all B.Y.O.B.

Bring your own books, this is Hopkins you fool,

It’s no Easy A, we prefer to do things old school.

But with no core requirements and a distinguished faculty,

Hopkins students can do it all, as you’ll soon see.

Silly rabbit, you think kids just want Trix?

We’ve attracted the best and the brightest since 1876.

Whether you’re in class or strolling on the Quads,

Tanning on the Beach and checking out hot bods,

You’re going to meet people who will change who you are,

People who you just know are going to go far.

Imma let you finish, but we had the first research university of all time!

Oh Kanye, you pretty much just read my mind.

We’re harder, better, faster, stronger,

This love lockdown won’t last much longer.

Hopkins and I go together like green eggs and ham,

Which is why these rhymes are sweeter than a candygram.

Forget Lil Wayne, ’cause he’s got no love,

For all the reasons that I listed above.

On the wings of a Blue Jay, you’re bound to take flight,

Welcome to Hopkins, Orville and Wilbur Wright.

Your years here will go quicker than a Kardashian wedding,

Don’t try to keep up, you’ll only start sweating.

Hopkins will give you a college experience that you’ll miss,

So smile for the camera, Class of 2016 – you’ll want to remember this.

 

 

 

Hopkins CRIBS [Unofficial]: Ruthie, Wolman 6 West, 622B

Posted by | Posted on March 19, 2012
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Eat at my favorite noodle place: check.

Cuddle with my cat: check.

Catch up on “Keeping up with the Kardashians” re-runs: check.

Celebrate St. Patty’s Day at UVA with my friends: check.

Drive to/from Charlottesville without causing any minor traffic accidents: …we’ll see.

After a whirlwind of presents, getting serenaded by the JHU AllNighters, viking helmets (don’t ask), cat sweaters, and enough baked goods to sustain a third world country (Secret Week = hands down the best week of spring semester, thanks to my new big JHU_Tess!), I am officially home for Spring Break! While I could bore  you all with the details of my so-called life, I’ve decided to try something new and do a photo/video blog instead.

So, Macbook Pro in hand, I tried (somewhat unsuccessfully) to do my own pseudo version of the Hopkins Cribs videos, which I highly recommend checking out on the Hopkins-Interactive Youtube Channel if you have any questions about freshman housing, or just want to get an idea of what each dorm looks like inside. Sadly, because I am severely lacking in the videography skills department, this vlog isn’t nearly as high-tech as the official Hopkins videos. Regardless, I hope you watch it anyways and scroll through the photos below – not because I just told you to, but because dorm life is such an important part of college that people often underestimate.

College in general is sort of like our modern-day rite of passage – it’s an experience that’s supposed to, for better or worse, change you. And even if it’s not an earth-shattering, mind-blowing change, there are still going to be things that startle you, people and classes that will challenge and/or reinforce a previous set of beliefs. For what it’s worth, I think that having a buffer between all of the old and new in the form of your dorm room makes adjusting to college much easier. At the very least, it’s nice to have your own space (or, in most cases, your own side of the room) to return to at the end of the day that provides some of the same comfort as your room back home does. When everything is constantly changing, it’s nice to return to something familiar.

That being said, your freshman living experience should be as fun and carefree as possible, and creating a home environment is the first step. Enjoy the videos and photos, and…

 Welcome to my CRIB(S)!

Feel free to look through the photo gallery below – the first half of the pictures are of my side of the room in Wolman, and the last half are of my room at home. A few things I’d like to point out first:

  • Coordinate with your roommates/suitemates. To minimize all of the junk in the room/suite, make sure only one person brings a microwave/vacuum/printer/etc. because the amount of extra stuff you accumulate over the course of the semester will astound you.
  • Things you won’t think to bring but should: Bathmats. Lysol wipes. First aid kit. A drying rack (for those living in McCoy/Wolman with kitchenettes). Can opener. School supplies (this may seem like a no-brainer, but I legitimately forgot to bring new school supplies with me when I came back from winter break, soo…). Sewing kit/needle and thread. Ziploc bags. An ice tray (if you have a mini-fridge). Costumes (people get really into themed events…and by “people” I just mean me). Extension cords/power strips.
  • Things you think you’ll need but won’t: A bed caddy (Yes, these exist. No, they don’t really help at all). T-shirts (You get so many free T-shirts, and they pile up really quickly). Quarters (The laundry machines take J-Cash, or money put on your J-Card). Alarm clock (your cell phone works just as well).
  • Disclaimer: Wolman rooms aren’t usually as small as mine.  As I stated in the video, my room is much smaller than a typical room in Wolman. When my roommate Jane and I first moved into our room, there was the infamous “Wall of Hate” (the armoires and desks pushed together in the middle of the room to divide it in half), which left no space to walk/sit/breathe, so we rearranged the furniture to create more open space, and I’m so glad that we did. Even if our room is small, though, the suite itself is definitely more spacious. Our suite, like each suite in Wolman, has two rooms, a kitchenette (which comes with a stove, sink, and mini-fridge), and a bathroom. All of the suites are arranged by floor, and each floor has a common room with a T.V., couches, and tables.
  • Storage bins are lifesavers. Enough said.
  • Don’t try to move the furniture out of your room. Apparently the Housing office gets really feisty.
  • Get creative! I bought wrapping paper from the dollar section in Target on a whim, and ended up using it to cover my desk/drawers. I used old shopping bags from boutiques and stores to organize things, and continued the tradition of making artwork to hang above my bed.

 

Spotted Around JHU

Posted by | Posted on March 3, 2012
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I think it’s safe to say that the city of Baltimore skipped winter this year, which is not surprising – spend a day here and you’ll quickly learn that Baltimore weather is more bipolar than a polar bear…on vacation…in Cancun? (That was bad, I know. Strugz) It’s a beautiful 57 degrees outside today, and the abundance of sunshine these past couple of weeks has made spring midterms much more bearable. More and more students are venturing outside to study (see: tan) on the Beach or on the Quads, which provides endless entertainment in the form of people-watching.

In the spirit of all things totally non-creepy and normal, I’ve compiled a list of all the people/spring happenings that I’ve “spotted” around campus this semester:

1. Spotted: Flip flops, maxi skirts, clown noses, zebra-print pants, oh my! 

  • Where: All around campus
  • When: End of February/March
  • What: Okay, so maybe I’m the only one who’s remotely excited about getting to wear warm-weather outfits, but the bizarre spectrum of clothes that students are starting to wear around campus is definitely worth noting. Spring fashion aside, I’ve also recently seen a really aggressive pair of blue zebra-print pants (Leggings? For everyone’s sake I hope they were pants) at a Hopkins basketball game, fraternity pledges sporting red clown noses to class, someone in a green Spandex bodysuit in the FFC (casual), and Greek letters on Letter Wednesdays (“On Wednesdays we wear pink!”).
  • Completely irrelevant sidenote: This is probably completely uninteresting to anyone but myself, but I’m determined to bring the recent maxi dress and maxi skirt trend to Hopkins. I don’t care if I have to wear a down jacket with them because Baltimore weather is PMS-ing and I end up looking like my wardrobe’s having an identity crisis – it’s happening.

Springtime at Hopkins!

2. Spotted: Sorority Big/Little Profiles 

  • Where: Facebook
  • When: Leading up to Secret Week and Revelation, which are next week (!!!)
  • What: Each New Member joins a “family” composed of a sophomore (their “Big”), junior (their Big’s “Big”), and a senior (their Big^3). Everyone’s Big remains a secret, and they create fake Facebook profiles for their “Littles” (the New Members) to communicate with them throughout Secret Week, which is when they shower you with gifts and try to keep you guessing. The Littles find out who their Bigs are during Revelation, which happens on the last day of Secret Week.

Reason #102938090 why I love my Big

  • Completely irrelevant sidenote: I believe JHU_Nick also has a fake Big/Little profile…surprising? Not even a little bit.

3. Spotted: Krispy Kreme

  • Where: CharMar
  • When: Since the start of the semester
  • What: CharMar’s newest installation, a Krispy Kreme Donut station, which is SO GOOD but so bad for my arteries/planned maxi dress takeover/fitting into clothes in general.

A sunny day on the Beach!

4. Spotted: Glitter…lots of it

  • Where: Everywhere…no, really. Everywhere.
  • When: Now
  • What/Why: I’m currently in the process of making my costume for Alpha Phi’s “Under the Sea” themed mixer tonight, and am planning on going as The Rainbow Fish – yes, as in the children’s book. So, naturally, this entails making colorful construction paper/glittery scales and sticking them all over myself. Fun fact: University Market, or UniMini, actually sells old-school Elmer’s glue for arts and crafts – who knew?
  • Completely irrelevant sidenote: Julia ordered a plastic shark head online, and our friend/floormate Emma may or may not be going as a shark attack victim. (Themed parties are pretty much an excuse for us to do/wear completely ridiculous and fashion-forward things that society normally frowns upon. See: #1) Pictures to come!

5. Spotted: Super secret study/tanning spot

  • Where: Undisclosed location
  • When: All semester long
  • Who: Me, Julia, and Sonu
  • What/Why: Ask us no questions and we’ll tell you no lies.

A sneak peek...shhh

6. Spotted: Wolman Lobby re-opening

  • Where: Wolman Hall
  • When: Last Thursday, March 1
  • What: The Wolman renovations have been going on since November, and the latest “re-opening” has been the new lobby, complete with turnstiles that won’t amputate your knees, a new study area, and first-floor access to the mailroom, multi-purpose room, computer lab, and expanded workout room on Terrace Level downstairs!
7.  Spotted: New nomz at the FFC
  • Where: The FFC
  • When: Since the start of the semester
  • What: Made-to-order fruit smoothies (the smoothie lady’s name is Miss Ruthie – needless to say, we bonded), new flavored syrup pumps for coffee, a new orange juice machine, and more!
8. Spotted: Tours, tours, tours galore
  • Where: Around campus
  • When: Just in time for SOHOP and the Regular Decision release
  • What: I have to admit, I still get really excited when I meet prospies/pre-frosh. The Fall Open Houses were surprisingly fun last semester, and brainstorming for SOHOP in April with SAAB is reminding me of how crucial this time was last year in my decision-making. I love seeing the huge tour groups around campus, and always offer to point visitors in the right direction if they look like they’re lost, because I remember a current student doing the same for me when I visited for the first time.

SAABabies during the Fall Open House!

  • Completely irrelevant sidenote: The other day, Julia and I were in Mason Hall and saw a prospective student and her father trying to figure out the campus map in the lobby. After debating whether or not it was socially acceptable to offer to show them around, we boldly (awkwardly?) introduced ourselves and took them around to the Hut, the Freshman Quad, the Rec Center, and looped back around to Mason Hall. Looking back, I’m still not entirely sure how/why we were so overwhelmingly excited about showing them the campus and answering their questions…or if that was too forward of us. (True Life: I’m Addicted to Embarrassing Myself? MTV, take notes.)

Stay tuned for more spring events! (Passion Pit is coming to Spring Fair this year OMGAH FREAKING OUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO DIE OF HAPPINESS KBYE)

It’s All Greek To Me: Fashion Edition

Posted by | Posted on February 19, 2012
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Picture a typical Thursday night. I might be working out (I just got a Fitness Pass at the Rec Center for the semester – which means that I now have an excuse to dance around like a complete idiot twice a week in Zumba), nomming on some Freshii froyo with friends, swinging by the FFC, or, if I’m feeling really wild, doing homework in the library (it’s BYOB – bring your own books). Never would I have ever expected, though, to be huddled outside Shriver Hall with 48 other girls, freezing in all-white dresses and wearing heels that make me walk like a dying gazelle.

JHU_Tess and I being SUPA PHIERCE before our first date party of the semester.

I’m kidding about the dying gazelle thing, but in all honesty, if you had asked me in high school about joining a sorority, I probably would have laughed. As much as I love hanging out with my girlfriends, I’m no Elle Woods. In the interest of full disclosure, the thought of anything overly pink, sequined, or sparkly is a little nauseating. But, as my new Alpha Phi sisters (!!!!!!!!!!!!) JHU_Tess and JHU_Allysa have already posted about in their blogs (which you should check out here and here), Greek life at Hopkins, like many other aspects of campus that I’ve come to know and love, defies stereotypes.

Over the course of the past semester and during the week of official recruitment, I’ve gotten to know so many girls with such diverse interests and backgrounds that by Invitation Night (the last night of Recruitment Week), I was not only convinced that I wanted to be a part of Greek life, I had also ranked Alpha Phi as my top choice and haven’t looked back since. My floormates Maia, Julia, Alora, and Emma are all New Members in Alpha Phi, and two of my childhood best friends are actually in Alpha Phi at each of their colleges, as well (coincidence?!). Where else could I find a group of girls who look after each other with such automatic selflessness, who send me flowers on Valentine’s Day, who I can sing A-Teens and bond over my absurd cat obsession with? The more I find out about each sister, the more lucky I feel to be a part of a sisterhood of such hilarious, talented, and down-to-earth young women who I can look up to and who make me proud to be in Alpha Phi.

Do you sense a recurring theme here?

The week leading up to Invitation Night, however, is an entirely different story. Sorority recruitment is surreal and overwhelming and exhausting. With hundreds (no, literally hundreds – each sorority has around 150 sisters) of girls to meet and countless names to remember, it seems utterly impossible that anyone could know which sorority is best for them after just a week. But by some miracle from above (or just a highly organized computer ranking system…one of the two), you find that most girls do end up exactly where they belong. All the time spent replaying conversations, wondering if you’re allowed to eat the cupcakes they’ve set out (DO IT), and not-so secretly freaking out pays off.

Did we just join a sorority? I'm not sure.

Regardless, hours upon hours of girl flirting, visiting each sorority, narrowing down your top choices, waiting in alphabetical order, and dashing to the bathroom in between parties (or, in my case, stuffing my face with Poptarts and granola bars) means a tiring and stressful week. I found it extremely helpful/fun to plan my outfits for each round in advance with my friends (I have this thing that makes me get annoyingly excited about any and all fashion/shopping/clothing related activities…it’s called estrogen). It’s one less thing to stress about, and at the very least makes for a good conversation starter!

The dress code for Recruitment Week is pretty standard – it just gets more and more formal for each round (there are three total – Icewater, Theme, and Pref). Below I’ve listed some guidelines and helpful tips on how to dress for sorority events and probably life in general (Ha! Kidding, of course).

1. Icewater Round – Cute and Casual. Jeans, boots, and a nice shirt/top is a perfectly acceptable outfit for this round. Personally, I enjoy dressing up, even just to go to class, so I actually had to dress down a little for Icewater (props to Marina for being a pseudo fashion consultant!). The pamphlet we received at the Panhellenic Info Night said to dress like we normally would, but given that in college everyone’s idea of an outfit is Uggs, leggings/pajamas, and a Northface, I would say to dress like you’re going out to a semi-nice dinner with friends. Dress comfortable – trust me! You’ll be talking to girls and on your feet for at least five or six hours. I wore:

  • An emerald green V-neck (Urban Outfitters)
  • A grey blazer
  • American Eagle jeggings, Medium Wash (aka the best invention EVAR. They look like a normal pair of jeans, minus the whole uncomfortable feeling-like-you’ve-been-shoved-into-a-denim-inner-tube thing)
  • Leopard print bangle (Express)
  • Tan boots (Michael Kors)

2. Theme Round – Business Casual. Dress like you’re going to an interview and/or meeting your boyfriend’s parents, but since this round is also fairly long, it’s okay to bring shoes to change into. You can wear either a skirt and a blazer, or a dress and a cardigan. I wore:

  • White Oxford (Target)
  • Grey sweater-knit skirt (nastygal.com – best place to find cute stuff! I’m obsessed)
  • Black tights (It’s cold outside, so be prepared!)
  • Green wedge booties (Target)
  • Turquoise bangle
  • Tan leather belt

With Maia and Julia before Theme!

3. Preference Round – Cocktail. This is the most formal night. Definitely wear heels with your cocktail dress, but bring shoes to change into as you’re walking from party to party! It rained the night of Preference Round, and I don’t care if I looked completely ridiculous trekking around campus in a cocktail dress and rainboots because it was the best decision ever. Just a word of advice – all of the sisters in the sororities wear dressed that are all black, so I would recommend something more colorful. I wore:

  • A yellow, black, and purple dress that I bought in Taiwan a couple of years ago for high school Homecoming. (I didn’t actually end up wearing it then, but it worked perfectly for Preference Round!)
  • Jeweled belt
  • Nude pumps (Jessica Simpson)

Pref Night outfits!

4. Invitation Night – White. This night is equally as formal as Preference Round, but (as the title says) all white! I just re-used the white bandage dress (Express) that I wore to my high school graduation and wore nude pumps (I’m in love with nude-colored heels, can you tell?). I accessorized with a white bracelet and dangly turquoise earrings. For a pop of color, bright heels also go well with white.

 

Heels = Dr. Scholl's gel inserts. Seriously.

5. Date Party – Young and Wild and Phi. Okay, so not really (although we did get some awesome shirts on Invitation Night) but date parties are a good opportunity to wear more nighttime dresses and, of course, heels. The older sisters organize “Bear Hugs,” or sister dinners, beforehand so that the new members can meet and socialize with different big/little families. Our first date party was last weekend, and luckily I had bought a dress from Forever21 that I could wear!

First bear hug! AΦ love.


Nineteen Candles

Posted by | Posted on February 4, 2012
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“All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.” (JRR Tolkien)

Well, guys – it’s official. I am now 19 years, 10 days, 58 minutes, and 32 seconds old (so I keep forgetting to reset the birthday

Julia went a little balloon crazy. There also may or may not have been a sash and tiara involved...

countdown on my desktop, so what?). My birthday conveniently fell during the last week of Intersession and during Baltimore Restaurant Week (restaurants around Baltimore offer 3-course meals for only $20 or $30!), and my friend Maia took party planning to a whole other level. My suitemates decorated my door and desk, and all of my girlfriends planned a surprise birthday dinner for me at McCormick & Schmick’s, an upscale seafood restaurant right by the harbor!

In the midst of the production that was my birthday, however, the nice and mildly alarmed waiter at dinner (the plastic tiara might have been a little aggressive) forgot to bring out a candle with the dessert I ordered as per my friend Sonu’s request. While I can safely say that I wasn’t too torn up about it (let’s be real – having a group of people serenade you while the entire restaurant stares is awkward and weird for everyone), I realized the other day that because I never technically blew out a candle, I didn’t get to make a birthday wish. First world problems, anyone?

But in all seriousness, with a week of spring semester under my belt, I can already feel things starting to revert back to the familiar bustle and grind. Intersession was fun and relaxing in so many ways, but the disgusting amount of free time that I’ve gotten used to having has made adjusting to the new semester harder than I anticipated. To be honest, I’m a little apprehensive. I feel like there are so many things to do and not enough hours in the day to do them, and without the safety of covered grades this semester, I’m taking all of the birthday wishes I can get.

Although I am tempted to wish for something completely ridiculous and unnecessary like superhuman powers (fun fact: if I could have a superpower, it would be to be able to read people’s minds!) or my cat, I can’t really complain about my life as it is right now. I’m plopped on Sonu’s bed with Julia, resting up after the first day of Rush Week (officially known as “Sorority Recruitment”) and warming up Pepperidge Farms Soft-Baked Snickerdoodle cookies in the microwave – what can I say, we’re culinary masters in the making.

All of us in the restaurant! I tried blowing out the candle on the table, but it was an electric candle...awk.

What I’m most worried about is the future, and the kinds of changes that this coming semester will bring:

We're normal.

1. Recruitment – Official recruitment started today (!!!) and a few of my friends and I are bracing ourselves for the next week. Sorority recruitment is a weeklong process that occurs in the Spring (other schools sometimes have it during the Fall), and Hopkins girls go to all four of the Panhellenic sororities (Phi Mu, Alpha Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Pi Beta Phi) during the first of four rounds. Even though it’s only just begun, I can tell that this experience will be both overwhelming and unforgettable. More to come!

2. Interning – Over winter break I sent out some resumes and cover letters to different companies for a spring and/or summer internship position. Just a word of advice for prospective and admitted students: if you thought applying to colleges was hard, think again! Applying to internships is a frustrating and long process; start as early as possible! I started looking around for potential opportunities around November/December, and many places will either never contact you at all, or tell you that you’re too young/don’t have enough experience. If you score an interview, sometimes you don’t hear from them again, even if you follow up with a thank-you card or an email. As for me, I’m currently in the process of filling out the necessary paperwork to start a spring internship off-campus, and can’t wait to get started!

3. Spring Events – I am SO excited for everything that’s going to be happening on campus this semester! Spring Fair (the largest student-run fair in the country!), Homecoming (yes, we structure our Homecoming around lacrosse season), and lacrosse games (hopefully I’ll be going to Charlottesville for the Hopkins vs. UVA game to see all of my Virginia friends) are all coming up soon. Julia and I are training for a half marathon in May, and Vision Xchange is planning Date Auction this semester also. For admitted students, SOHOP (Spring Open House and Overnight Program) happens in April, so I hope to see you guys around campus as well!

With a jam-packed semester ahead, my only birthday wish is to find a good balance between all of the highs and lows that are bound to come. This is just the calm before the storm, I guess – it hasn’t really hit me yet that in three short months, I’ll have finished my freshman year, be half a year closer to being 20 (?!), and be a quarter of the way through my Hopkins experience. While that thought is absolutely terrifying, I’m also determined to find some sort of middle ground between the craziness and the quiet Saturday nights like these. Keeping my sanity is a tall order for a birthday wish, but as the quote says, all I have to do is figure out how to fill the days, hours, and minutes that are given to me, right? We can only hope – or, in my case, wish!

The perfect gag gift!

Talking to Strangers

Posted by | Posted on January 16, 2012
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The thought of public transportation scares the living daylights out of me. No – the thought of getting lost using public transportation scares me. Given both my impressive navigational abilities (see: sarcasm) and the fact that I’m small and therefore easily mistaken for a child, I’m an easy target for kidnappers, drug dealers, pick-pocketers, and all other sorts of loonies that ride on public transportation. Right?

Wrong.

But to be fair, in Virginia – where I’m from – I’m used to driving everywhere, and the only thing to be afraid of is the occasional deer and/or small Asian driver (I’m kind of a bad driver, don’t worry about it). Regardless, I spent the better half of this past Thursday facing my fear of the Maryland Transit Administration. I had an interview for a potential design internship for spring semester in Towson, and figured that I might as well learn the MTA routes and explore Baltimore outside of the Hopkins bubble.

A sneak peek into my portfolio for my internship application! This was a self-portrait done with a blue ink pen.

For those of you who don’t know, there are several options for students looking to get off campus. Cabs are the easiest way to get around, but can also be expensive. The JHMI Shuttle is free for Hopkins students (there’s a stop on St. Paul outside of the Barnes and Noble), and will take you to the Med School campus, Peabody, or Penn Station. The Blue Jay Shuttle is more like a van service and runs after 5:45 p.m. at certain routes around campus. After 11:15 p.m., it reverts to an on-demand, point-to-point service and students can call the number to be picked up/dropped off anywhere around campus.

To get to Towson, however, you can use the Collegetown Shuttle, which is free, but doesn’t come as often, or the MTA, which is $1.60 each way but stops more frequently. Since the mall in Towson is only 15 minutes away, driving is the most ideal mode of transportation, but with a few exceptions, freshmen typically aren’t allowed to bring cars.

So on Thursday morning, I found myself on the corner of 33rd and N Charles, huddled against the freezing cold

Another part of my portfolio. The piece, which I did senior year of high school, is acrylic and Sharpie on floppy disks.

with my friend Julia, who I bribed to  agreed to come with me to Towson. After a few false starts (Google Maps will try to tell you that the 11 Bus Stop, which is the one to Towson, is on 34th and Charles. It’s a filthy liar), we made our way to the bus stop right in front of Charles Commons and decided to wait. Luckily, I had gotten up aggressively early just to be safe, so even if the bus was a little late, I’d still make it to the interview on time.

As we were waiting, we started chatting with an eccentric middle-aged Baltimorean man who was waiting for the same bus. If it sounds sketchy, don’t worry – I thought the same thing too, at first. Julia and I listened and nodded politely, exchanging quick side glances and raised eyebrows as he filled the space between us with his life stories and advice. A part-time cab driver originally from New York, he told us about how he makes the most money when the Weather Channel predicts snow, which stop we should get off at in Towson, how to get back (the 11 drops you back off in front of Commons, and the 08 will drop you off at Greenmount, which is a few blocks away and less safe). He told us how to avoid getting ripped off by cab drivers, the cheapest places in Fell’s Point. Even as we all got onto the bus, he never stopped talking.

He has a car, but chooses to take the bus on his days off when he goes to the library in Towson to read. He still visits his sister in New York, and once won $7,000 betting on horses at the racetrack using their birthdays as numbers. The next day at the train station, his sister randomly bought a scratcher while they were waiting and cried when they won another $10,000. He said he hated his sister’s husband for leaving her and then coming back, that even though he can afford not to, he takes the bus because he wants to. He told us to do things in life because we wanted to, not just to spite other people.

A few days after my interview, my friends and I used the MTA to go ice-skating in Mt. Pleasant!

When he said that, I felt bad for my initial skepticism, however brief. A huge part of Hopkins is that it’s in the middle of Baltimore, and up until that point I had viewed the city with the guarded curiosity of a tourist, not realizing that the Hopkins community and the Baltimore community are – whether we acknowledge this or not – oftentimes interchangeable.

In my Intersession class, “The US-Latino Experience in Fiction,” we talk about borders – whether or not they exist, and how we define them. For some Hopkins students (myself included), there seems to be a clearly defined border between Homewood and the rest of Baltimore. Granted, there are several parts of Baltimore that you wouldn’t want to wander through alone at night, but that’s all part of getting to know the city in which you live. Borders, my professor said, are largely idealized spaces – mental, moral, and sometimes physical constructs that are nonetheless porous and fluctuating.

As we bumped and lurched towards Towson, the strange and nice man went up to the bus driver and arranged for him to drop us off in front of the mall so we wouldn’t get lost. Then, he said goodbye and got off at his stop. The moral of this story isn’t to talk to strangers, or that I’m now a master at using public transportation (I’m not saying it’s a big deal, but it’s kind of a big deal). It’s just that these interesting and genuine moments are just as likely to happen during an Intersession class as in the middle of Baltimore, with friends or strangers (or, in my case, both), in a setting as foreign and unlikely as a bus stop.

Semester Obsession: Playlists

Posted by | Posted on December 28, 2011
5

So I’m sitting in my local Barnes and Noble, thinking of what to write about for my very first blog post from good ole’ Virginia (!!!), and

Post-Kwanzaa shenanigans. Happy Holidays from Richmond, Virginia!

trying (see: failing) not to dribble my latte all over myself. Clearly, winter break has done wonders for me. Now that I’m back home, I’ve enjoyed eating (my brother actually convinced my mom that we should have a Turducken for Christmas Eve dinner…needless to say, we’re still eating leftovers), sleeping in til noon everyday (I blame finals week), planning extravagant Kwanzaa dinners with my friends as an excuse to eat even more food, cuddling with my cat, and spending an ungodly amount of time catching up on trashy reality TV. While all of these things make me a very happy camper, they’re not exactly conducive to writing interesting or  jealousy-inducing blog posts.

What they say is true: there really is no place like home, and as much as I’ve loved my first semester in college, sometimes I feel like I have two lives, like I’m a part of two completely separate spheres. I live in a small, quiet suburb where everything closes by 10 p.m. – a stark contrast to the frenetic and constant hubbub that is Baltimore. In my American Lit class last semester, we talked about the Latin American push to industrialize before and during the literature boom of the 70′s, and what it must have been like for people living in those societies to be visited by facets of modernity with little to no previous context. In much the same way, it’s always a little shocking to discover parts of one home in the other. Whether it’s the collection of high school photos arranged on the windowsill by my Twin XL bed in Wolman or the “GO HOP!” sunglasses on the dashboard of my old car, these small points of reference have helped me find some semblance of continuity as I pass between two parallels of home.

While it may sometimes seem like those two worlds have nothing in common aside from my coming and going, my obsession with creating playlists (study playlists, workout playlists, playlists for my friend Julia…the list goes on and on) has provided me with a semester-long soundtrack that encapsulates the old, the new, and everything in between. Below I’ve compiled the highlights of all of the playlists I’ve made this semester, and each song links the best of both of my worlds together in a way that I can’t.

My semester obsession: playlists, playlists, playlists!

Track 1: Memories (feat. Kid Cudi) – David Guetta. In the last few days of August before Move-In, this song followed me from Charlottesville, VA (where I was visiting all of my friends and my brother at UVA when the earthquake hit!) all the way to Salty Balty. Straight off of my “Summa Summatime” playlist (and yes, it’s actually titled that in my iTunes), this was actually playing on my iPod as our minivan pulled into the “Student Drop-Off” line in front of Wolman on Move-In Day!

UVA game! Shout out to all my favorite Wahoos!

Track 2: Someone Like You – Adele. No matter how overplayed this song was on the radio over the summer, it never got old. Even now, I may or may not frequently grace Wolman 6 West with my beautiful rendition of Adele as I attempt to hit notes that only dogs can hear.

Track 3: Judas – Lady Gaga. Turn my floormates into Lady Gaga fans by blasting this song (along pretty much every single song off of “The Fame”) during any and all study sessions and forcing them to dance with me? Check. Listen to awesome Lady Gaga acapella covers by the JHU Sirens and the JHU Octopodes at their fall concerts? Check. Dedicate an entire Spanish paper to my love for Lady Gaga? Check. Drive around Richmond with my friends singing Lady Gaga at the top of our lungs? Check.

Track 4: Cinema (Skrillex Remix) [feat. Gary Go] – Benny Benassi. From frat house basements to Fall Break in Atlanta with my floormates Maia and Julia, this Skrillex remix (which was on a dubstep playlist that Julia made for me!) was on constant repeat during the first part of the semester, and on the plane ride to/from A-Town.

Fall Break in Atlanta!

Track 5: Me and You – NERO. Getting to see NERO live at Baltimore Soundstage with Anne and Sonu in October was definitely an unforgettable experience. One of the great things about living in Baltimore is the amount of concerts and fun venues that are just a cab ride away!

Me and Sonu trying to get some air in the bathroom at the NERO concert. Ignore the ridiculous fluorescent face paint!

Track 6: Princess of China (feat. Rihanna) – Coldplay. Fact: I once listened to this song over 60 times in the row while I was working on a paper on M-Level. I had the entire “Mylo Xyloto” album on repeat during the second round of midterms, and half of the songs are on my study playlist, which has only grown since August!

Track 7: I Can’t Make You Love Me/Nick of Time – Bon Iver. I. Love. Bon Iver. And this beautiful, sad, and soothing cover just makes me love Bon Iver even more than I already do.

Track 8: Lose Yourself – Eminem. Is it more embarrassing that I can rap every single word of this song, or that I do so on a regular basis? Or that I just openly admitted that? Or that I once beat one of my floormates in an Eminem rap battle with this?

Track 9: Radical Face – Ghost Towns. If you’ve never heard of this song, stop what you’re doing immediately and go listen to it. It’s the perfect song to play in the background while you’re studying or just hanging out.

Track 10: Levels – Avicii. This is the number one song on my workout playlist, and I’ll listen to it when I’m going for a run or using the bike in the McCoy workout room (the new workout room in Wolman re-opens in February!).

Track 11: The First Single (You Know Me) – The Format. I’ve been a fan of The Format since high school, and this song was playing as I waited in Penn Station for over an hour for my train to Richmond after my last final, and as the train (finally) pulled into the Staples Mill station much, much later!

Reunited and it feels so good! Me, Matt, and Stephan at Emilio's, a tapas restaurant/bar.

Track 12: The Edge of Glory (Live from “A Very Gaga Thanksgiving”) – Lady Gaga. The most recent addition to my Winter Break playlist. I listen to it as I’m reading, wasting time on Facebook, or just driving to and from places (one thing I forgot about Virginia–you have to drive everywhere!). Straight off of her Holiday EP, it features Lady Gaga’s talent as both a pianist and a singer and is the perfect song to listen to as I transition from Christmas to me and my friends’ pseudo-Kwanzaa, from 2011 to 2012, from M-Level to Barnes and Noble, and from one home to another and back.

See you in 2012!

 

Dear Younger Me

Posted by | Posted on December 11, 2011
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At this particular moment in my life, I sort of want to stay and I sort of want to go home and I sort of don’t know what I want. Finals have placed me in this strange limbo of expectation. I can’t wait to

Me and my parents at graduation!

be home to see my family (and my cat), but I also can’t really fathom spending the next month without all of the pseudo “families” that are such an important part of my home here at Hopkins. I’m excited to sleep in, nom on some good food (my mom’s cooking, Chik-fil-A, frozen yogurt, the list goes on and on…), and read all of the books that I’ve been meaning to read (I just started The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje!), but I also find myself already looking forward to coming back to Baltimore for Intersession. I’m taking two classes, “The US-Latino Experience in Fiction” and “Short Fiction of David Foster Wallace.” Yes, they’re both humanities classes (…typical, I know), and YES OF COURSE I’m geeking out because this means I get to read a bunch of authors that I love and get credit for it.

Part of my SAAB family at the SAAB Holiday Party!

To be honest, though, I think my abnormal and possibly unhealthy tendency to think ahead, paired with my uncanny ability to over-analyze almost everything, tends to land me in the same place–this limbo of expectation. In a final paper for American Lit that I wrote last week on Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping, I centered my argument around this blurb:

“…the habit of waiting and expectation which makes any present moment most significant for what it does not contain.”

I find this to be true in so many ways. I’m constantly moving forward or looking back, caught between two frontiers of old and new, and now, at the end of my first semester, I realize that I’ve

My IB family at my high school's annual charity cooking competition. We won with our Harry-Potter themed food and costumes! It was my idea...of course.

been here before. Even though so much has changed between now and then, at this time last year as a high school senior, I was caught in the same sort of limbo. Instead of the last stretch of finals, though, I was in the last stretch of college essays and supplements. I was battling the same cycle of emotions–stress, fatigue, strange moments of calm, repeat.

Looking back, there are a million different things I want to tell my high school senior self, and there are probably a trillion more things that I wish I had known at that point in my life.

So–inspired by the recent witty and heartbreaking posts on Hopkins Interactive, and by the random jumble of emotions and moments that I’m feeling in this last week before winter break, I want to end this post by dedicating it to my younger self and all of the other first-semester seniors who are probably freaking out like I was. If you haven’t heard of Dear Young Me,  it’s a website where anyone can post a short letter to their younger self, telling themselves things they wish they knew. Some are sad, some are funny, and some are just plain weird, but without further ado…

Dear Younger Me,

Stop freaking out. Most, if not all, of the stress you’re feeling is due to situations that are out of your control. You can’t control what a college will think about your extracurriculars or your SAT score. You can’t control your family’s financial situation. You can’t control your friends and classmates who are also freaking out about getting into college. Whatever happens, happens.

Junior year with my best friends Matt and Megi–before the craziness started!

Your graduation will be bittersweet. At this point, your best friend will have already moved away. You’ll struggle through your senior year without her just because you had always expected that all of your last memories in high school would be together. You’ll skip class to go to McDonald’s without her, you’ll go to Prom without her, you’ll get your IB Diploma without her, and you’ll walk across the stage in June without her. You’ll grow closer to some friends, and discover that others are not who you think they are. And before graduation in June, you’ll be advised to stop, at some moment in the middle of the chaos, and just take in everything around you. Be glad that you do, because this is probably the last time that you’ll ever be in the same room at the same time with the same group of people.

Senior Prom with Matt and Taylor!

It pays off. People will try to tell you that the standard you strive for is unattainable, and you’ll start to question why you work so hard and care so much. Don’t. You work hard so that you can deserve the things that you want. You might not get into all of the colleges you applied to, but in the end, trust me – it all evens out!

Me and my Hopkins family at Fogo de Chao. Shout-out to my floormates Sonu and Julia for always letting me steal their food and distract them while they study.

Smile more. Life only gets crazier from here. If you think this is the end, it’s really only the beginning. It gets more stressful, and you will have more and more responsibilities and obligations as you get older. But it also gets more fun and more ridiculous, so embrace the moments as they come. And last but not least…

Keep on keepin’ on. 

Love,

Your Older, Hopkins-attending, Student-blogging, Cat-loving, Final exam-taking, Freshman 15-gaining (haha) Self!