Boats are a lot like people.

Ok. Not really. But I went sailing for the first time this weekend, and I sort of see a comparison. We took the boat out in Lake Michigan on Saturday, and it was really relaxing. After having such a hard year (sophomore year for BMEs is notoriously difficult), I could really use the time just chillin’ in the lake.

However, on the way back, there wasn’t any wind. So, it being a sailboat and all, we couldn’t really get back to shore with the wind. And that was sort of how I felt after the first semester of this year. I had a lot of really hard classes, and at first I wondered if I could handle it all. I wondered if I was really cut out for this whole east coast thing.

But then you know what happened when the wind wasn’t blowing and we couldn’t get back to shore? The motor was turned on, and we were able to get back to shore. And I sort of feel like I got that second wind before second semester from a lot of things at Hopkins. My friends helped me out and made me laugh in between stressful moments. And I had some really inspiring teachers last semester that made me want to learn the material for the sake of knowledge, not just for the sake of kicking out course requirements.

And there, my friends, is how I think people are like boats. It might not be the best comparison, but my blogs are based off of the pictures I took on my phone in recent history. And, oh hey! Here’s a picture of me on a sailboat.