Life Without Sound

Yep, you read that right – the Freshman 25, not 15. The FFC was just too good and I ended up suffering from the Freshman 25. But over the course of this year, I’ve shed off the freshmen pounds and now I’m finally back to pre-college weight. The main motivation was to just simply have a healthy lifestyle. It was so important to my mom – she always took runs or walks every morning (I still remember her always nudging me out of bed every summer morning with a cup of coffee trying to make me go on a run with her). Cooking was also one of her passions – she always made fresh, healthy, and organic meals. She was and still is my role model in leading a healthy lifestyle.

My running buddy!

I’ve found that there are many ways to maintain that lifestyle here at Hopkins, whether you are a freshman or a senior. Here’s the inside scoop:

- Working out: The Rec center provides many opportunities for you to get into shape. And it can be fun! There’s fun classes such as Zumba and cycling. And not to mention that there’s the rock climbing wall too. Recently, there was the Sound Body Challenge, where teams participate to achieve team and individual fitness goals. There’s lots of prizes too! Some dorms also have great work out rooms too, such as Charles Commons and Wolman. I personally love Charles Commons’ work out room because it’s so close to me! It’s got treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, and weights. The Rec center is close to freshmen dorms Buildings A & B as well as the AMRs.

The Rec Center

Treadmills in Charles Commons

 - Campus food: As I hinted, the FFC can be a bit challenging to eat healthy. I mean, unlimited meals in one sitting?! However, the FFC does provide many healthy options – such as the salad bar and vegan station. I prefer to eat at Levering because of their soups and salads. Levering is open during the week only for lunch. It’s also hard to resist the baked goods at the cafes (especially Alkimia in Gilman) but I treat myself once in awhile. I don’t have the time to cook often, so if I’m on the go and need to get dinner, I sometimes go to Nolan’s or Silk Road (near Mattin). Nolan’s is primarily for upperclassmen though anyone can go. You can get to go boxes (like the FFC) and some of their options are healthy – such as Mexican bowls/salads or omlettes. They also have a salad and pasta bar. I love to get Silk Road – it is pan-Asian and the buffet is SO good. There’s lots of vegetarian and healthy options there too. Yum!

My big and I

- Off-Campus food: A lot of students frequent Freshii - they have great salads, noodles, and froyo! It’s also open at convenient times, often until 11 pm (which is perfect for me because I eat dinner late a lot). I like to go to Carma’s as well – their salads are to die for (try the Farmhouse Salad!). If I’m really in a hurry and only have time for take-out, I go to Tamber’s or order some sashimi. Yes, Tamber’s isn’t exactly the healthiest place but regardless, I get the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Channa Masala with chickpeas (I mean, it’s got some vegetables in it, right?). And lastly, there’s always Eddie’s, the neighborhood grocery store or the Farmer’s Market. My big especially likes to go to the Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning (she has a hard time dragging me out of bed to go with her though) and they have fresh, local (often organic) produce.

All in all, Hopkins has many means for us to keep into shape (or get rid of that Freshman 15). Now off to train for the Overnight!

A suicide attempt happens every minute of every day. Every 16 minutes, someone in the United States dies by suicide. Each year, 8,000,000 Americans contemplate suicide. Each year, there are 1,000,000 suicide attempts. Each year, there are nearly 36,000 lives lost. My mom was one of them.

These statistics are unbelievable yet remain hidden and not discussed. Suicide is not broadly publicized and supported like such events like Relay for Life -- which is, a great cause by the way. Here at Johns Hopkins, we have raised almost over $50,000, which is incredible. But I do not want my mom to simply just become a statistic. And that is is why I am participating in The Overnight. It is an 18 mile walk from dusk to dawn to raise awareness and funds for The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I actually heard about the walk from a Johns Hopkins alum (class of ’90), Efrem Epstein (he founded Elijah’s Journey to create a Jewish voice within the greater suicide prevention effort). We talk on a daily basis and he has provided me unique insight on addressing and dealing with certain issues. Already, Ef has attended three Overnights, in ’07, ’08, and ’11. As I mentioned before, I landed a wonderful internship opportunity in San Francisco, California. The walk also happened to be taking place in San Francisco (June 9th to 10th). I will be driving across country and then will be participating in this walk. I believe it will be a fulfilling journey -- both painful and joyful. My dad will be joining me too. On the night of mom’s death, I looked into his eyes and told him, “We will get through this together. I promise you.” Being able to walk together from dusk to dawn reflects his promise to mom as well as my promise to him.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the leading national not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy, and to reaching out to people with mental disorders and those impacted by suicide. The funds walkers raise for this event goes towards to research and education. I believe that is so desperately needed. For example, suicide is now the second major cause of death among high school and college students. But students and others do not have to go through it alone. For instance, there are many resources at Johns Hopkins to help those who are suffering or are just simply having a bad day. There’s A Place to Talk where current students are there to simply just listen to you. There’s also the Counseling Center, which provides many different kinds of support. The center was also just recently renovated and it is beautiful. And there is the Dean of Student Life, who is one of the most caring people I’ve met and can help you out.

While it was too late for my mom, it’s not too late for others. With the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s help, we can prevent a suffering individual from going through the struggle by himself. We can prevent a family from heartbreak and grief. Today, suicide is one of the few major causes of death that is rising. Please help my dad and I to fight the statistics and bring change by walking alongside with us or raising money in honor of Diane Lynn -- beloved wife, mom, sister, and aunt.

Best friend

This year at Hopkins has been quite the journey. A journey of sadness and joy. There were definitely such extreme lows that I have never experienced in my life before. The lowest of them all was the loss of my mom. But throughout the journey, I’ve experienced many positives here at Hopkins. For instance, just recently I found out that I got an incredible internship in California for the summer. Thanks to the Career Center, I nabbed my first and only internship that I applied for! I am so excited and ready to start. And yesterday, I found out that my lifelong best friend’s little sister will be going to Hopkins. My best friend moved to Europe, so I will be able to see her so much more often now. Like these, I have experienced many positives at Hopkins that have made me truly appreciate the journey:

People.  I’ve said it over and over, but the people that I’ve met at Hopkins are incredible. Never have I met such a diverse body of students, all with such fire and passion to expand their horizons. I feel so lucky to have met such a great group of people and especially my friends, from my suitemates to my Alpha Phi sisters. I’ve come to really appreciate these people this year more than ever. And if it weren’t for Hopkins, I would have never met my best friends and boyfriend during freshmen Orientation week!

My suitemates and sisters

Suzy and I at a date party

Support. When my mom passed away last summer and school was about to start in just two weeks, I had to make the decision whether or not to take a leave of absence. I decided not to do so and ended up going to school. I knew I was in good hands and mom would have wanted me to continue. On the first day I moved into Hopkins, I was eagerly welcomed by one of my suitemates and her mom. Right then, I knew I made the right decision. I was home and I was here to stay. I received so much help and support, from my professors, the Dean of Student Life, and our very own Admissions_Daniel. In fact, Daniel, the associate director of Admissions, was the very first person I e-mailed that night of the tragedy and he provided me with so much advice and reassurance. He got me set up with the Dean of Student Life, Susan Boswell, who has also been such a godsend. I still meet with her weekly and we have the best chats ever! And not to mention I work with Daniel on a daily basis too; we have the best conversations about lacrosse (go Jays). The RAs have also been great. I’m close to one of them, Joe, and he is pretty much the first person I go to when I’m having a hard time (and to freak out over our favorite shows). I know that I wouldn’t get such support like that anywhere else. Without a doubt.

Academics. Already everyone knows how premier of an university Johns Hopkins is, but the academic experience has really been unbelievable. I have taken such incredible classes through my two majors, International Studies (IS) and Global Environmental Change & Sustainability (GECS). The two majors are interdisciplinary, which has allowed me to take such a broad range of classes. I’ve taken classes in literally every single department there is – like anthropology, political science, chemistry, history, calculus, economics, and even next fall I’ll be taking classes in the Whiting School of Engineering. I think the best part about the academics though, are the professors. I’ve had some outstanding professors here. They also bring such interesting perspectives and humor to my classes. And they have been very understanding with my situation, such as granting extensions, and also because I am deaf, I receive accommodations such as interpreters through the disabilities office.

Revelation - when I finally found out who my big was!

Greek Life. I decided to rush this spring as a sophomore and it was truly one of the best decisions I have ever made (besides choosing to attend Hopkins). While I lost my mom, I gained a family  through Alpha Phi. I recently wrote about the rush process, which you can read more about – A Week in the Life of a Recruit. I absolutely love my “big” – bigs are older sisters who are matched up with each new member and you do lots of things with them, from cooking dinner together to studying. She has been wonderful and even before we got matched up, she made sure I was okay when I was having a few rough times. Everyone in the sorority thus far has been caring and very supportive. Even more so, they have been accommodating with certain events that are difficult for me to follow. Already, I am a part of a few committees and I’m really loving it!

Me, my big, and my big-big!

Out and about

Baltimore. Charm City is a truly unique city. It is easy to get to anywhere through mass transit (and some of them are free, like the JHMI or Collegetown shuttle). My favorite place to frequent is the Inner Harbor, where there lots of delicious food. The community is also great. When I lived in Baltimore last summer, I got to know some of the neighbors and everyone was so friendly. Whenever I go to Carma’s, they always greet me and automatically know my order (maybe I go there too much?). The whole community also gets together during Artscape, the biggest art festival in the nation (check out my blog entry about it: Charm City’s Artscape). Spring Fair is another time that you’ll be with the whole community – it’s my favorite event of the year. I would say that my favorite part about Baltimore is the location – it’s easy to hop on a train to go to D.C. (which is beautiful during the spring time) or to Philly. Because I live in New Jersey, Baltimore’s location is a plus for me. I keep my car down here, and it only takes about 2 and a half hours to go home.

All in all, this journey has been a bumpy one. But it’s been quite a ride and I’m ready for two more years. Thank you Hopkins.

So there’s this Tumblr that has been trending all over the web – #whatshouldwecallme. It’s this hilarious page compiled of funny gifs in certain situations. So with some time over spring break, I decided to do it Hopkins style! Enjoy!

When it’s Sterling Brunch.

It’s an event that the FFC, the Fresh Food Cafe, holds about 2 or 3 times a year and they make the most delicious food EVER (think chocolate fountain, lox and bagels, french toast, and desserts galore). Mmmmm.

When you’ve got a 11 am class and you can barely get out of bed.

It’s amazing how we have such a hard time getting up for afternoon classes while most of us had to get up at 6 or 7 am all the time for high school. Gotta love college.

When Nolan’s runs out of tater tots.

I sometimes have the nickname Napoleon Dynamite because of how much I LOVE tater tots. Nolan’s is primarily the upperclassmen’s dining area – my favorites are the pasta station, burritos, omlettes, and smoothies. I think the best part about Nolan’s is the late night dining – Nolan’s often serves dinner from 5 to midnight – it’s really convenient.

When Friday classes are over and it’s SPRING FAIR!

Spring Fair is the largest student-run spring fair in the nation and it’s one of the most anticipated events at Hopkins. It’s got the best food and music ever. This year’s theme is Peace, Love, Fair. It is taking place on the weekend of April 20th to 22nd. You don’t have to be a student to be able to come, so come!!! Check out the website for more info.

Every time we score a goal in lacrosse.

The men’s lacrosse team so far is undefeated and we’re pretty psyched about it. Yea Hop.

When you realize the biannual room checks are coming up and you really have to clean your room now.

Even in college we still hate to clean our rooms. The room checks take place once per semester and your RA basically just takes a look at your room and makes sure there are no hazards (i.e. power cords going across the room).

When someone misspells/says John Hopkins instead of JohnS Hopkins.

The only acceptable time to say/write John Hopkins was two years ago on April 1st.

One of my favorite things about Baltimore is the food. You will find all kinds of food here in Charm City, from Indian to Italian food. The options are endless and, most of all, delicious. Here are a few of my favorite places to eat!

Edo’s Sushi - I absolutely love sushi and this is my favorite place to frequent. I’ve always recommended this place to anyone who visits Baltimore – Edo’s is right in the Inner Harbor  and you can eat your sushi with a beautiful view of the Harbor. The sushi is delicious and so fresh!

Yum!

The beautiful view from Edo's

Tamber’s – JHU_Tess, JHU_Ruthie, JHU_Zoe, JHU_ANYONE will definitely agree with me that Tamber’s has the most delicious indian food ever. But here’s the twist – it is a diner that serves burger and fries too! My favorite dish is the chicken tikka masala (which comes with basmati rice) with naan bread – I literally have it weekly (oops). The nice thing about Tamber’s is its location; it is right across from Wolman and McCoy. Talk about convenience! Also, you can order take-out if you want to stay in – they are open until 11 pm most nights.

Takeout!

Miss Shirley’s - Miss Shirley’s is in the Inner Harbor and the food is phenomenal. It won the 2012 Best Restaurants Readers Poll and it has its very own food truck! They serve brunch on the weekends and there is almost always a long line! But the wait is absolutely worth it. They serve absolutely amazing pancakes and lunch is southern style (but with a Maryland twist on it – think fried oysters).

Miss Shirley's to the left!

One World Cafe - I’ve raved about this place so many times. It’s perfect for vegans and vegetarians – everything is vegan and organic! They have the most delicious soup as well. I also love the location – it’s right across from the Nest (the lacrosse field) so it’s perfect to grab something to eat from there before/after a game! Brunch is also served on the weekends!

Carma’s - This is my most favorite place by far. I always get their soup and the grilled cheese is to die for. They also serve the best coffee and lattes. And the cookies! They are absolutely delicious. Carma’s always has daily specials for breakfast/lunch/dinner. The specials are often sometimes odd, yet they’re ridiculously so good. Last weekend, I got this special called Grandma’s Mash-up that had apple compote, french toast, sausage, eggs, potatoes, and gravy on top! It was so…different but SO good.

Interesting!

And last but not least, my own food! Living in Charles Commons has been a great experience. Having a kitchen and large space has really allowed my suitemates and I to cook (and bake!). It really comes into handy for getting rid of the Freshman 15 (hello cafeteria food), though I still frequent the FFC (Fresh Food Cafe – the main cafeteria that most freshmen go to). And when I don’t have time to cook, I can just go downstairs to Nolan’s, which is the dining room for mainly upperclassmen. It’s a great place to hang out – it’s got pool tables, fireplaces, and lots of options for dinner.

Cooking!

It seems like everyone’s got spring PHIver (okay, I’m starting to get a bit obsessed with Alpha Phi) – today, it was a balmy 65 degrees and tomorrow will be 70 degrees! Spring is definitely in the air…even though it’s only February. Many students would definitely agree with me that spring is truly the best time of the year at Hopkins. Why? Here’s why:

Spring Fair. The largest student-run spring fair in the nation – need I say more? This year’s theme is Peace, Love, Fair. It is taking place on the weekend of April 20th to 22nd. It is a campus wide event and over 30,000 people attend!  Vendors from all over come and set up shop for the weekend. A highlight is the food court (think fried oreos and fresh squeezed lemonade), where there are over 30 vendors. Yum. There’s also the Beer Garden for those of legal drinking age. Another highlight is music galore. We all actually just found out yesterday that Passion Pit will be playing. Excitement!

Doesn't that look heavenly?

Homecoming. Alums from all over gather to watch some good old Hopkins lacrosse – it’s one of the hugest events of the year. This year it’s happening on May 4th and 5th. Hopkins will be playing against Army. My sorority Alpha Phi and others get their own personalized shirts and have lots of BBQs and food! And, of course, another thing to be excited about spring is lacrosse season. Go Blue Jays!

At the lax game!

SOHOP. Or, the Spring Open House and Overnight Program. It is a two day event held two times in April (this year, it’s April 11th – 12th and April 18th – 19th) and it is for accepted students. Last year was so incredibly fun and we loved meeting everyone. There are tons of events, from academic presentations to a blacklight concert. The visitors get to stay with current students in university dorms (I loved my hostee last year – she ended up coming here!!).

My friends at one of the events!

The Beach and campus. Seriously. The campus is gorgeous in the spring. The cherry blossom trees are in bloom all over the quads – it’s breathtaking. And the Beach (it’s a large area of grass in front of the library where students often gather to hang out) is always full of energy. You’ll often see kids playing frisbee, tanning, reading, sleeping, eating, anything! And of course, we can finally wear spring clothes again.

My beautiful sisters out and about on campus

The cherry blossom trees

Date Parties. Because our University does rush in the spring (it’s really common to do it in the fall), greek life is vibrant on campus during the spring. It brings even more school spirit to the campus – there are many greek events within all the sororities and fraternities and you’ll often see many sporting their letters. What I love most about greek life is how you do not have to be a part of a sorority/fraternity to enjoy the events and friendships. For instance, last year, I wasn’t in a sorority yet I had many friends who went greek. A couple of weeks ago, Alpha Phi had its first date party and I am so incredibly excited for the upcoming date parties! Warm weather, your friends, your sisters, and boys…what could be better?

Beautiful ladies

Matt and I getting too excited for the date party

Secret Week. This is a tradition among the sororities on campus – the new members of the pledge class finally find out who their “Big Sister” is at the end of secret week. A Big Sister is basically what it means. She is your mentor, study buddy, and best friend. And secret week is pretty much a week long of FUN! Your future Big sends you gifts and clues! And when they finally reveal themselves, they pop out of huge cardboard boxes! So excited!!

So by now I think you get the idea that I’ve really got spring PHIver bad. If you’re thinking about Hopkins, come and check out the campus during the spring and join the fun with us!

Finally, I am a sister!! After a long week of rush, I was given a bid to Alpha Phi and of course, I accepted. I am so incredibly happy that I rushed and I haven’t been this happy in such a long time! Rush week was a very fun experience for me, especially as a sophomore. I didn’t rush last year due to several reasons. I had absolutely no idea what rush was actually really like; I was really nervous about being able to understand people in such noisy environments.  I also wanted to focus more on academics and other things since I was still getting in the groove of freshman year so I chose to opt out and decided maybe next year. After my mom’s passing away in the summer, my suitemates and friends were there for me and I really saw the sisterhood and camaraderie within the sororities. I wanted to be a part of that and now I am. I think probably the best part of rush was the support I received from everyone – from Rob Turning (director of Greek Life) to the sisters. The Panhellenic council, rho gammas, and the sisters truly put an effort to make the process go smoothly as possible. I honestly do not think I would have gotten that kind of support anywhere else and it made my experience such a great one. I ended up really loving Alpha Phi because they put in such an effort to make some accommodations – for instance, they even printed out their speeches for me. Anyway, because I didn’t really know what rush was all about as a freshman, here’s the inside scoop of how it really works!

My suitemates Jane and Bre who are all in Alpha Phi!

Saturday, February 4th – Ice Water Round

So, basically the ice water round gives you an opportunity to visit all four sororities (on campus, we have 4 active sororities: Alpha Phi, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Phi Mu, Pi Beta Phi). It is a very casual event. A rho gamma, who is like your “mentor” and helps with the process, takes you to each of the sororities. The rho gammas are neutral and answer whatever questions you may have; they also keep you updated on the process during rush week (as in what to wear, where to meet, etc). When you meet each sorority, the sisters are SO excited to meet you!! You’re greeted with so many smiles, clapping, singing, everything! It’s unbelievable. You talk with the sisters individually (maybe 4 or 5 sisters usually) and they want to know all about you – your interests, activities, majors, etc. It was really fun to talk to the girls and find out common interests – that was my favorite part. For instance, one girl who I had never met before and talked to had a best friend whose mom taught me in 5th grade! The meeting with each sorority only lasts for maybe 30 minutes or so. My group finished first, so for me, ice water round was from 12 PM to 4:30 PM! Others have had longer ones, such as 12 PM to 6 PM. The reason why ice water round is such a long process is because we have to meet with all four sororities and the meetings are located in different places on campus. But we have a break in between visiting sororities (my group’s break time slot was at the end – in other words, we met with all four sororities in a row with no break). I personally liked not having a break because we finished early! Once we were done, we entered into the computer the three sororities that we liked and one sorority that we didn’t prefer.

Getting ready for the recruits to come in!

Monday, February 6th – Theme Round

Now, this is a bit more formal. Based on the matches you made with the sororities, you meet with the matched sororities again. For me, I was invited back by Phi Mu, Alpha Phi, and Kappa. The maximum number of matches is the three sororities that you chose and the minimum is one. Again, the rho gammas take you to the sororities that you made a match with. This round is pretty much like the ice water round except you get to know more of the sisters. I personally LOVED this round because each sorority had a cute theme! Alpha Phi’s was Alice in Wonderland, Kappa was the secret garden, and Phi Mu was in outer space (i.e. “out of this world!”). At the end of the night, like the first round, you enter the sororities you liked again. Except this time, you can only choose two that you liked and one that you didn’t prefer.

My outfit for theme night!

JHU_Lucie and her sister's adorable Phi Mu name tags!

Kappa's amazing flower cupcakes - the petals were actually sliced mini-marshmellows and they made 200 of them!

Wednesday, February 8th – Preference Night

This is the most formal event. Potential New Members (PNMs) often wear dresses to this event. The sororities are VERY excited for this event because basically they want to convince you to join their sorority. The maximum number of sororities you can be asked back is two and minimum is one; I was preffed by Phi Mu and Alpha Phi. This round is a bit longer than usual. You sit down at beautifully decorated tables (food provided!) and talk with a sister for awhile. Meanwhile, the sorority will give a couple of speeches – you can really see how much the sisters love their sorority – and they also do things unique to their sorority. The sisters also decorated the rooms beautifully.

So excited!!

Thursday, February 9th – Invitation Night 

The final night!!!! We all gathered in the Glass Pavilion to finally find out which sorority extended an invitation to us to join their sorority. It was so exciting! We also found out where the rho gammas belonged (throughout rush week, they are neutral). Afterwards, we went with our new sisters to a party on campus where we got to meet all of the sisters, eat yummy food, and take part in beautiful ceremonies.

Our sealed official invitations!

The new pledge class!

Jen, Suzy, and Jane

Some of the lovely ladies of Alpha Phi!

Getting it down with Ariel!

Now, I will always be surrounded by sisters. There’s the JHU_Tess, who I work with in admissions. There’s also JHU_Ruthie, who’s on SAAB with Tess and I. There’s Bre and Jane, who are my suitemates and also my best friends. There’s Suzy and Jenny, who I’ve been such good friends with since the beginning of freshman year (we even went on spring break together). There’s Leemor, who was on my floor last year. There’s Kalyna, who’s my boyfriend’s roommate’s girlfriend. And there are so many more fabulous ladies (like you, Ariel) that I am still getting to know. Now I have sisters that I’ve never had before.

Intersession is a month long break in January for all Hopkins students. Some choose to take interesting 1 or 2 credit classes at Hopkins, travel and study abroad, do research, work, amongst many other options. I chose to stay home to be with my family. I’m grateful for that opportunity – intersession allowed me to rest up, spend time with my family and friends at home, and most of all, travel. In only a month or so, I traveled all over the Caribbean and later flew to California to visit my boyfriend from Hopkins.

For a couple of weeks, my family and I went to the Caribbean, specifically the Grenadines. It was absolutely beautiful. We stayed on a sailboat and went island hopping. We visited little islands such as Becquia, Palm Island, and Grenada. Fifteen years ago, our family did a trip like this, so it was a fun experience to re-live it again.

My brother and I on the boat

Swimming in the ocean!

Aaron and I

Paradise!

We returned just in time for New Year’s Eve and started 2012 on a bittersweet note. A couple weeks later, for my birthday, I flew out to San Francisco to visit Aaron. I spent time with his friends and family and, not to mention, got a personal tour of San Francisco! I absolutely LOVED the city and it’s now one of my very favorites. We visited the world famous Golden Gate Bridge, the Muir Woods (home of the redwood trees), Pier 39, and several other places.

The Golden Gate Bridge!

Pier 39 with the sea dogs

Such big trees!

I flew back home on my mom’s birthday and it was emotional to say at the least. But at the airport, my brother surprised me! He flew up from Georgia to join my family to celebrate my birthday early (my real one’s actually tomorrow). It was so good to be with my family.

My aunts and my best friend

20!

All in all, this month has been a wonderful time. If not for intersession, I wouldn’t have had time to travel to all those beautiful places, spend precious time with my extended family, catch up on much needed sleep, and most of all, heal.

Tonight is New Year’s Eve and I have to be honest, I have pretty mixed emotions. First, I just returned from a trip in the Caribbean. It was absolutely wonderful. Many memories were formed and I will never forget them. I went with my family – my Dad, brother, and aunt. My brother’s girlfriend and my boyfriend also joined us. The six of us sailed around the Caribbean, visiting many islands and the locals. It was such an experience! We didn’t quite celebrate Christmas like usual at home. Although it was sad, the company with us counted. We also celebrated my boyfriend’s 20th birthday. I plan to write more about our travels in my next blog, so stay tuned. Here’s some of the pictures we took:

Beautiful beaches in the Grenadines

Obligatory Hopkins t-shirt photo in Grenada!

I spy an iguana

A Caribbean sunset

The end of 2011 also marks a year that was full of grief, confusion, sorrow, and pain. So, I’m ready to say goodbye to 2011 but at the same time, I don’t want to let it go. 2012 also represents change and time moving forward. In a way, I don’t want to move on. I will have to celebrate Mom’s birthday without her in 21 days. I will have to celebrate mine without her in 27 days. It feels like I’m leaving her behind.

But regardless, I have to go on. It’s not like I can freeze time or even rewind (which I would give anything to do that). The most logical thing to me is to look at 2012 with optimism and hope. However, it’s much easier said than done. It’s excruciatingly hard.

So, cheers to 2012.

Happy Holidays!

Today, the Early Decision Class of 2016 will be officially accepted to the Johns Hopkins University. It is so absolutely exciting and I eagerly welcome the class of 2016 to our university! It is also bittersweet in a way. I was also Early Decision (class of 2014) and I would have never pictured where I am today. It was certainly one of the best decisions of my life. I’ve met incredible people coming from all sorts of backgrounds. I’ve gotten to know some pretty phenomenal professors too. And the city of Baltimore, I love it – there’s so many hidden gems. And after the death of my mom within the last few months, I feel like I’ve grown ten years older since 2009 (but in reality, only two); you grow fast in college. It’s my sincerest hope that this new class (and future classes!) enjoys this rare and unique opportunity to attend such a university like JHU. It will be scary, it will be new. It will be unfamiliar. But it will be fun. It will be inspiring, it will be an experience you’ve never had before. It will be the time of your life — and I truly mean that.

In a year and a half , I believe I’ve finally found my place here – a double major in International Studies and Global Environmental Change and Sustainability (GECS). It took me longer than others to figure out what I wanted to major in – and that’s okay. Many don’t know what they want to do in life and it can be really nerve-wracking to say at the least. But it will happen – whether you figure it out on your own or with the help of classmates, professors, advisors, friends, and family. I officially declared my second major this fall after spending countless hours sorting out what I wanted to indulge in and what I wanted to run away from! And it helped. I realized that many of my interests overlapped and only at Hopkins, I had the chance to combine my interests in two special majors: IS and GECS. I’m really excited about it. Both GECS and IS are interdepartmental, meaning that I get to take such a wide assortment of classes. I absolutely love it! I’ve taken classes in math, chemistry, economics, history, anthropology…what next?!

My suitemates and I may or may not have gone out of control for the holidays!

Welcome!

Finals actually just ended for me yesterday and I would say it was a pretty successful semester after everything that has happened. I only took 12 credits because I felt that I couldn’t physically and mentally do as much as I wanted to. Here’s a re-cap of what I’ve taken and you’ll see how much the requirements of IS and GECS overlap!

1. The American Earth: Empire and Environment in U.S. History – this was my favorite class! Actually, my favorite class so far here at Hopkins. And the cool thing is, it was taught by a graduate student. Hopkins has a Dean Teaching Fellowship program (known as DTF), where graduate students teach a course just like a professor would. If you check out the website, you’ll see that they design and prepare their own curriculum as well. To be honest, he was one of the best teachers I’ve had. He presented the material in such a interesting way. This is what I absolutely love about Hopkins – we have such a diverse faculty, from visiting professors from all over the world to graduate students. Anyway, I absolutely loved the course itself. It was a history course that focused on the environment; in particular, the environmental consequences and implications of America’s actions throughout U.S. history. It was so fascinating! And the best part was that it combined my two passions together – history and the environment. Satisfies both GECS and IS. (3 credits)
2. Intro to Psychology – this was a close favorite too. The professor is a great lecturer and his lectures are so well organized and prepared. He always incorporated really interesting examples and experiments. But in particular, it really helped me understand the world. It helped me understand why others are who they are. Why they act in certain situations. Why we have different perspectives and personalities. And most of all, what my mom felt and went through. Satisfies GECS. (3 credits)
3. Prisons and Police – this wasn’t too bad. I took it on a whim because it sounded really interesting and I needed to take some writing courses for the writing requirement here at Hopkins. It was an anthropology course in which we looked at issues pertaining to the prison system and policing, all at the same time bringing an anthropological perspective to the situations. It was very challenging, probably the hardest course this semester. But I found some of the reading to be quite interesting. And the professor too: she actually has a PhD in Anthropology and also got a MD from Harvard Medical School. She also did extensive research in Latin America and often shared with us her experiences. Pretty cool. Satisfies writing requirement. (3 credits)
4. Environment and Your Health – this is a requirement for GECS. I loved it but at some times it was repetitive since I’ve taken so many environmental related courses throughout high school up to this point. Regardless, I still learned many new things. My favorite part of this course was that there were visiting professors from the School of Public Health who’d come in and present a lecture from their profession/field of interest. Satisfies GECS. (3 credits)

I am also planning to do Intersession for just a week – I’m taking The Practice of Law. I thought it’d just be interesting to find out more about the different kinds of law. Perhaps I’ll find environmental law to be interesting and a possiblity for the future!

And last but not least, here’s my planned schedule for the spring semester:

1. Occidental Civilization: Modern Europe – satisfies IS. (3 credits)
2. Intro to Political Economy I – satisfies both GECS and IS. (3 credits)
3. Asian Energy Security – satisfies both GECS and IS. (3 credits)
4. Intro to Social Psychology – satisfies GECS. (3 credits)
5. Climate Change: Science and Policy – satisfies IS. (3 credits)

You probably get the jist by now that GECS and IS cover a wide range of diverse topics. The bottom line is, Hopkins isn’t all about science and pre-med. It’s quite diverse, rather. For instance, my suitemates – one is pre-med and majoring in neuroscience, another is electrical engineering, and one is pre-law and majoring in political science. And my favorite part? I believe that I’m contributing to the world by focusing on the larger problems of our society today. I’m not a doctor who treats and saves individual lives – I believe that’s fixing (some) temporary problems and it isn’t effective in the end. Instead, I want to be someone who can help save many lives and even generations. This is similar to the public health perspective – intervening and fixing the problem beforehand. Now that’s what I call saving lives!