Murphys Law Gone Right

This is my first post and I’m going to try and keep it simple and just tell you a few cool things about my first weeks at Hopkins.  But perhaps I should introduce myself first — my name is Jackie, and I love Johns Hopkins.  I grew up in a small Connecticut shoreline town and am the oldest of three children.  My brother and sister are boy-girl twins and are sophomores in high school.  Since I am the first of my siblings to leave for college, the decision making process was not taken lightly.  I looked at a dozen different schools, and ultimately decided to apply to Hopkins early decision as I knew it was the place I wanted to be.  I was accepted (whew!), and now I am writing this magnificent blog for your enjoyment.

First really Cool Thing:  THE WELCOME:

When our stuffed to the brim mini van pulled up to my beautiful new home, we were greeted by upperclassmen orientation volunteers who escorted me from the van to a place where I received my J-Card (ID), key to my new room, and mailbox code.  Simultaneously, my mother and aunt relaxed as the entire contents of the van were brought up to my dorm room.  President Brody’s wife, who was riding around on a bicycle, stopped and welcomed parents despite the fact that it was pouring outside.  My mother and aunt said she chatted with them for a long time relaying the fact that when her daughter went to college, she had to carry her belongings up 4 flights!  Moving anywhere is stressful but finding everything magically transported to my dorm room was a huge relief, and the help continued with orientation staffers stopping by numerous times to ask if we needed anything.  They were even able to come up with a necessary Phillps head screwdriver when it was time to put my tower fan together.

Second Really Cool Thing:  THE BALTIMORE EXPERIENCE

The next welcome in store for freshmen was an orientation to the home city of Baltimore.   Hopkins provided buses to take freshmen to the Inner Harbor where we were given either coupons for ESPN zone or the paddle boat rides. We were also able to go to the Baltimore Aquarium and the World Trade Center, a tall building where you have a wonderful view of Baltimore. The orientation staff then hosted a scavenger hunt where you were assigned a group and a neighborhood to explore. There was a list of recommended places to visit and at the end, a party where many great prizes were raffled off.

The neighborhood I explored was Canton a trendy area where many young adults just out of college reside. There were a lot of good restaurants including a Mexican one that serves quesadillas in hub caps. Overall it was a fun experience, as I was able to experience Baltimore with a lot of new friends. Of course, one of the best trips was an Orioles versus Yankees game in Camden Yards.  I have since returned to see my team, the Boston Red Sox play the Orioles and I had terrific seats.

JHU and the orientation staff really made the transition from home to campus and the city of Baltimore a fun and exciting adventure. Much more on college life later.  Until next time…