Category Archives: End of the Year Re-Caps

Written In The Stars

Posted on by Tess T.
4

Exploring Geneva in December.

An embarrassing fact of life is that I rely heavily on the advice I receive from my daily horoscope. I’m not going to say that I make important life decisions based on what the stars reveal, but I’m also not going to say that I don’t.
So when the new year rolled around, I anxiously awaited for the verdict from my astrologers – what did 2013 have in store for me?
I am delighted and relieved to announce that the upcoming year will be one of great productivity for me. Apparently success will meet us Taurii in most areas of life so now is the time to capitalize on them.
In light of such a positive forecast, I have decided to make a list of New Years Resolutions that will hopefully be realized now that the stars are aligned. Enjoy!
Learn to cook.  Both my parents are amazing cooks, which you would think would have fostered a love of cooking in me, but really all it has done is foster a love of eating. Now that I am living in my beautiful new apartment, there’s really no excuse anymore for my ineptitude in the kitchen. Juniors and seniors typically live off campus at JHU, and now that I’m one of them (read no meal plan) I believe it’s time to improve my culinary prowess.

Half-marathon 2012

Beat my half-marathon time. Last spring I ran my first half-marathon with my mom in Central Park. To understand this feat, imagine a dying walrus trying to move through quick sand. That’s me running. But I persevered and managed to complete all 13.1 miles. I even ran a 20K this fall in Paris with my roommate Dana! I am hoping to continue this upward trend by beating last year’s time this April. I think I need to add some cross-training into my running plan, which might consist of fitness classes at our Rec Center. They’re fun, cheap and a great workout. Maybe I’ll even manage to lose the walrus resemblance!

Get out of comfort zone. When signing up for classes this semester, I pushed myself to diversify my schedule a little bit and take a new subject. This came in the form of Intro to Sociology (that JHU_Ruthie is also enrolled in)! Having such a flexible curriculum at Hopkins has allows you to take so many different subjects – I want to make sure I take advantage of this opportunity!
Explore Baltimore. Friends abroad kept hating on the city of Baltimore, without having any sort of foundation or proof for that bias. In attempt to prove them wrong, I have decided to dedicate this semester to better exploring all the wonderful and quirky aspects of this city, which will of course be documented in this blog. JHU_Kate has an amazing knowledge of Baltimore, so hopefully I bully her into showing me her favorite haunts.
Enjoy Homewood. After 8 months away, I want to use this semester to soak up the Hopkins love. Intersession, Rush, Spring Fair, Homecoming – the list goes on and on. There’s really no place like Home.

The Annies and Stephs

Posted on by Tess T.
6

Me and Annie at Homecoming.

I don’t deal with change well. I’m still mourning the discontinuation of my favorite childhood cereal Team Cheerios, the Grinch Bathrobe I received as a Christmas present as a ten-year old still hangs in my bathroom, and the B-level cubicle I studied in after my very first class at Hopkins has been my MSE home-base for the past two years. Like I said, I don’t deal with change well.

So as the end of the school year approached just a few weeks ago, I found myself facing two major changes to my Hopkins existence that I was utterly unprepared for. The end of the semester meant not only the end of my sophomore year, but the end of something incredibly special. Two once-in-a-lifetime kinds of special. The end of this year meant the end of my time at Hopkins with two of the best people I’ve ever known – my Alpha Phi big Annie Shepard and my best friend Stephany Bai. Annie completed her Bachelor’s degree this May, while this spring Steph made the decision to transfer to another university. It wasn’t like I didn’t know either of these events were going to occur, but being the child of denial that I am, I had been pushing them from my mind all year. If I didn’t think about them, they weren’t going to happen. Completely sound logic, I know.

Me and Steph at Spring Fair.

But in a way, I’m glad I did. It meant I got to enjoy this year with Annie and Steph in ways I could only do with Annie and Steph. Who else but my big would have decided that sombreros were an essential edition to our Homecoming wardrobes? No one. And is there anyone out there that appreciates the genius that is TLC’s “No Scrubs,” like Steph? I think not.

I could go on and on about how these two made my semester, my year, my Hopkins existence the incredible experience that it has been, but for time sake, I won’t. Let me just say, that if I ever decide there’s going to be a Mr. Tess Thomas, these two are my bridesmaids number one draft picks, no questions asked.

I’ve been in London for two weeks now (more on that next time!!), and I’m often asked where in the States I study. When I say Johns Hopkins, I usually receive an impressed look, along with a comment about what a great research university it is, or some comment about its impressive academics. I nod and smile, but when it comes down to it, that’s not why I love Hopkins. I love Hopkins because of the people; the Annies and Stephs. That’s the untold secret in your information sessions, the true reason why I spend so much time working in Admissions – the people you meet here aren’t just your classmates or peers – they’re your confidants, your inspirations, your support systems, your future-bridesmaids, your best friends.

Annie and I met on an Intersession trip to Spain.

I’m horrible at goodbyes, and I was paralyzed with fear at the thought of trying to convey to these two people just how much they mean to me. How do I manage to vocalize (without being hit by the flood of tears that consumed my last 24 hours at Hopkins) that they mean more to me than any other aspect of my life at JHU?

But then I realized something. A conviction that relieved me of all my anxieties about their departures – no matter where we are or what the coming years bring, these two will be there for me and a part of me for the rest of my life. And that is one of the few statements in life I can make with absolute certitude.

And so to Annie and Steph, my partners-in-crime, my soul-mates, my best-friends, this isn’t goodbye. While part of me hates you for leaving, I can’t wait to see what fabulous things await you both, because you two are just that – fabulous. And so I end this blog, not with a goodbye, but an until next time. Our chapter at Hopkins together has come to a close, but it’s only opening the door to our next adventure together.