Moments of Coffee

Posted by Wafa K. 

I have recently discovered the amazingness that is Café Q. Not to downgrade our other coffee place, Pura Vida, which I also adore, but it was already discovered and thus has no bearing on this newer discovery. 

 

Unconquered, Café Q is this ominously crowded area full of people between classes and in the morning that serves sweets; food and nearly every coffee-type drink under the sun. I’ve always been a little intimidated to get coffee there between classes because everyone seemed like in such a rush, and I didn’t know how the ordering system went. Which, when I think about it in retrospect, is possibly the silliest and stupidest reason not to stop and get coffee (especially on those days I needed it!). 

But, the turning moment, so to speak, came when I was at the library at 10 pm one night, leaving finally, and Café Q was relatively empty and quiet.  And, so, being the true conqueror of fears that I am that was the time when I decided to get a coffee, blatantly ignoring the fact that I was going to go to sleep soon and caffeine was the last thing that I should ingest. I should haveprefaced this with the fact that I’m very particular about my coffee and I abhor Starbucks and the watered down and mildly burnt liquid they sell as coffee; moreover, I have to just say that my skim Grande latte with a double shot was magical. And, just like that, I was so in love. 

Another huge plus about Café Q, that I discovered on the morning of a Friday with two exams, after a Thursday exam, having not slept since I had gotten up that Wednesday morning (just by that statement I think one can infer how my implementing of the plan went), is that they have bagels!!!! I love love love love love bagels! And I know people from the Tri-state area will tell me that I’ve never had a real bagel, but the apparently fake small bagels from the Mid-Atlantic seaboard have sufficed me thus far and I’m happy about that. Back to Café Q: the man, in the Italian suit that I complimented in my sleep deprived head, in front of me in line ordered a bagel toasted with cream cheese and I nearly died because I hadn’t had one of those at school ever (no toaster in Wolman kitchenette = no bagel happiness). And so I ordered one, and ate it within a minute, and went to take my Chemistry midterm very content about the universe (which is probably why I did relatively well considering my class’s 49.5 average).

Deviating away from food, which I could speak about perpetually, all freshmen are required to meet with their academic advisor before we can register for spring semester classes, and so on Thursday I met with Dean Bader, who is probably one of the best advisors I’ve ever spoken to, a brilliant person, plus he sings one of Baltimore’s most popular a capella groups, the Tone Rangers (which is basically the coolest thing ever). Basically, I got good advice and loads of questions answered: mission accomplished. 

Something we talked about and one of my favorite aspects about academics at Hopkins are the classes we get to take, and I don’t think neither I nor any other student can gush about them enough. Some of my the classes that I’m considering (outside of the Introduction to Chemistry II, Introduction to Chemistry Lab II, Cognitive Neuroscience) are Museums and Controversy, Shakespeare’s Rome, Afromexican History, Ancient American Art, Sociology of Privilege, Modern Mexico and the Culture of Death, and Trauma, Melancholia, and Ethnic Identity in American Literature. I’m hoping for schedule conflicts so the choice between these classes does not actually fall to my decision-making. I'm thinking I should sit in on all of them next semester (this maybe considered cheating the decision-making process but I'm a big fan of loop holes) :)

All the best!

Picture 1 : Coffee cup (Obviously I didn't take one of the cups from Cafe Q but they are this same color! so it works) (courtesy of google.com)

Picture 2 : This is a real cup of coffee - plus I like the quotation "Our knowledge is your edge" on it (courtest of google.com)

Picture 3 : BAGEL AMAZINGNESS! (courtesy of google.com)

Comments

[JHU_Kate]

I just want to say that everything about this entry brought a huge grin to my face. :o)

[JHU_Jessica]

Great entry Wafa! Laura works at Cafe Q, so I'm sure she's going to appreciate this entry.

[naima]

pas comme les autres mais interessant .

[JHU_Laura]

lol- yay coffee!! Plus I am totally glad that whoever made your coffee did a great job... I think I will go get some you've inspired me...