Posted by Saznin M.
Hey guys, so I am currently writing from my brand spankin' new dorm here in Charles Commons. Check this out: I have my very own room (awkwardly shaped, unnecessarily large, still awesome), air conditioning, a cute little kitchen and a massive bathroom. I'm not one to boast, but it's kind of a big deal. My roommate and I have been pulling a Martha Stewart the past few days trying to decorate this suite and make it less sterile and more homey. It's been a success so far, save for the shards of broken glass and a sliced finger (all my fault, naturally). Will the joy of cooking remain once classes start up and I suddenly find myself buried under a pile of work? Doubtful. Am I really going to keep everything as neat and organized as I have now? Probably not. But for now, I'm enjoying the newness of it all and taking advantage of the massive upgrade in my living situation. Goodbye AMR II, hello high ceilings and AC.
I moved in earlier than most of the other sophomores because I volunteered as an Orientation Assistant during freshman move-in. If you live in Building B and Wolman, chances are I emptied your parents' car of all of your stuff. Hopefully the move-in process went as smoothly for you guys as it did for us working it. The weather wasn't the best, but that always seems to be the case on important days here. And naturally, your parents were more than a little more stressed, yet everyone seemed quite chipper and excited. Kudos to some of you for being smart packers. As for all of you who brought your entire house with you, well, at least you're prepared for anything.
Picture courtesy of Admissions Daniel. I'm in there somewhere, cracking a joke as usual.
On that note, I'd like to extend a warm hello and welcome to the class of 2013. Our humble little campus is just ripe for exploring, so take advantage of this weather and poke around every quad. If you have time, that is. From what I remember, Orientation was just one massive ball of exhaustion. I don't think I even had free time to think to myself. See? I'm already talking like an old fogey. No longer being a freshman is going to take some adjusting. I can't just waltz into someone's room whenever I feel like it, FFC isn't two seconds away and I don't have a real meal plan to fall back on, the campus seems a lot smaller, and my grades are certainly no longer covered. Yikes.
But no matter. New year, new attitude. Sophomore slump? I don't think so. There hasn't been much of anything going on around campus the past few days since it's been all about move-ins, but the year officially kicks off when classes start on Wednesday. Personally, I can't wait. I'm unabashedly awaiting the start of courses, only because right now I'm so painfully bored. I plan on making this the most productive and fun year yet. The school year hasn't even started yet and I'm exhausted by the amount that I plan to do with my time. Updates to come soon, of course. Welcome to the '09-'10 school year!
Posted by Saznin M.
One of my many ridiculous life goals is to emulate one Mr. Anthony Bourdain. The man gets to travel all over the world, eat to his heart's content, and document the entire thing on camera for the viewing pleasure of us lowly mortals at home. What's not to like? Sometimes, when I'm at my most delusional, I'm convinced that I kind of live his life already (sans the Travel Channel show): I travel a ton, I certainly eat a ton, and if you know anything about me you're familiar with my penchant for camera-hogging.
Lucky me, this year my family decided on a two and a half week Asian adventure through Thailand and Bhutan, which proved to be polar opposites in terms of charm and tolerability. First stop, Bangkok. Hot, crowded, bustling, massive; it's New York City on steroids. You'd be hard pressed trying to escape the cleverly (some not-so-cleverly) placed tourist traps all around the city. It was far too garish and tacky for my tastes, I'm sorry to say. The Thai beach town of Pattaya was underwhelming as well, with nary two feet of free coastline to lay out on (yeah, you had to pay to just sit on the beach all day, too). Overall, Thailand was kind of a disappointment.
Except for the food. Just to give you an idea of how IN LOVE I am with Thai food, let me just say that at a particularly blissful lunch one day I ate so much that I literally couldn't stomach any more food for the next 24 hours. Gluttonous? Sure. But how often does one get to say that they ate Thai food in Thailand?
At right: me with a durian, aka the smelliest, ugliest fruit ever. Surprisingly, it tasted sweet.
After Thailand, it was off to Bhutan, a tiny country situated in the Himalayas between India and China. For those of you who know nothing about it, well, that's kind of the point. Bhutan's tourism policy comes down to 'high quality, low volume.' So if you plan on entering the country, be prepared to either shell out $200 a day to be part of a government-designated tourist group or prove some sort of connection to the country in order to gain permission to enter as a non-national. Even though my parents lived there 20 years ago, we were initially denied entry. Luckily for us, my parents worked for the government back in the day and had friends in the higher-ups that vouched for us.
It. is. beautiful. The capital, Thimphu, is located in a valley of the Himalayan foothills. Okay, these foothills make some American mountain ranges look like mere pebbles in comparison. The place is just overflowing with gorgeous scenery. The mountains, the river, the monasteries precariously perched upon steep cliffs, the zhongs which serve as government offices and places of worship. Just mind-blowingly gorgeous. Not to mention that the Bhutanese are the friendliest, most hospitable people ever. To add to the sheer traveler's bliss I was experiencing, there were barely any other tourists there. Literally, I only saw about five others during my four days there.
Above: me at a lookout. The clouds were literally below me!
Verdict on Bhutan: hands down one of my favorite places on earth. And I've been to my fair share of places: this trip has upped my country count to 22, something I'm quite proud of!
Unfortunately, I'm home now and only have one month to enjoy it before my parents' big move. August will be busy, busy, busy. Luckily I get to visit my roommate in Maine! But more on that next month.
Hope everyone's having a wonderful summer thus far!
Posted by Saznin M.
Wow, so after reading the blogs posted just below mine, I've come to the realization that my summer has been exponentially less exciting than Lauren's and Wafa's. I mean, I haven't left the country (yet) or gone one a bona-fide trip outside the state (yet). And I definitely don't have any fancy internships. I've just been filling my days taking up hobbies I promised myself I would try my hand at: playing piano again, making silly little stop motion films (all of which are stupid beyond reason, but took a ton of time to make), attempting to cook something even mildly edible, dabbling in photography. I've also been visiting friends, and going to amusement parks and concerts... I definitely have the time and energy, seeing as I'm gainfully UNemployed.
The real excitement doesn't start until Sunday, when I'll be jetting off on my epic Asian adventure. First stop... London? (Un)fortunately I have an eight hour layover in London, so I figured I might as well leave boredom at the airport and explore the city (thanks to Lauren for tips of things to do!) for six hours. After that, I'm off to Bangkok for a week before heading to Thimphu, Bhutan, which happens to be located in the Himalayas. I'm packing for two extremes: next to my t-shirts and shorts, I'll be bringing along boots and a heavy jacket for the cold mountain air. Then, I fly back to Thailand for some beach and sun. I'm hoping to film the entire thing, so we'll see how that goes! Just 6 more days of being home... Pictured: Bhutan!
Being at home has presented something of a bizarre adjustment complex for me. I was so used to fending for myself at school that I forgot what it was like having parents who are always ready and willing to help. I'm trying to get used to living with my family again and my family is trying to get used to me doing things on my own. All of a sudden I'm cleaning everything without being asked, doing my laundry, taking on more responsibility... I'm sure it's all quite shocking for my parents, who for years have been used to the opposite. But then again, I'm pretty sure I'm still the spoiled brat I was before.
However, it's slowly hitting me that this will definitely be my last summer at home. My parents will have moved to Africa next summer and I will have bought myself an apartment in Baltimore. I'm going to be 100% on my own for the very first time. It's hard to say what I'll be doing, but I'm thinking of taking a class or two, getting a job, and doing a bit of traveling before heading to Tanzania to see my parents. The uncertainty of it all should be daunting, but for some reason I'm completely unfazed. I'm obviously not prepared for adulthood, but I'm sure looking forward to being thrust into it.
I took this picture while on safari in Tanzania, my future home!
As for now, I'm enjoying my last summer as a teenager doing what teenagers do best: being lazy, sleeping, and eating. Am I a total bum? Totally. But my summer hasn't even started yet!
Posted by Saznin M.
Exams are over, papers have been turned in, grades have been posted and promptly forgotten; yup, it's summer. I've spent the last two weeks engaging in the requisite summer activities: eating, sleeping, hanging out with friends, and general relaxation. This has given me the opportunity to look back at craziness of my freshman year, half of which I honestly can't remember because, to be honest, the entire thing was a chaotic blur, chock full of new people and new experiences. What I will distinctly remember, however, is how much I learned about myself in the process, something which I think has been made quite clear in the blogs I've written this past school year.
Let's take a look back, shall we?
My first blog entry was my intro to you loyal readers. I was the starry-eyed, newly-minted college freshman enamored by the college life I had ahead of me.
By the time I wrote Up All Night, I had had my first experience with exams and thought I was that much more awesome because of it. It was the first time I had been home since starting school and the transition had finally hit me. But, of course, school followed me home, since I apparently was stuck writing a paper, even on break...
In October, it was my parents' turn to pay me a visit during Parents' Weekend, which also happened to fall on the eventful weekend of Halloween.
Now this blog was perhaps my most morose. I had been having a hard time dealing with the fact that I was undecided, which I, in my emotional state, equated to having no future. But I figured out that being undecided was totally acceptable and that the whole point of freshman year is to explore.
Hey Kids, I'm Home is all about how I had finally come to terms with the fact that Hopkins would now be my new home. This was especially important to me because, as I've mentioned time and again, my parents are moving to an entirely new continent.
True Life: I Survived First Semester.... the title speaks for itself. I had gotten through the hardest part and was up and ready to take on the challenges of a new semester, with all this new knowledge of college life stored up.
I decided to head back to Hopkins during Winter Break for Intersession, during which I took a screenplay class. Prowling a half-empty campus in the dead of winter was, for the most part, an... interesting... experience.
Speaking of Intersession, it was during that time that my friends and I made a trip down to D.C. to witness history in the making at Obama's Inauguration. We even went to the Inaugural concert, to make the most of it.
Speaking of concerts, Baltimore has a lively music scene that I got to experience firsthand, having gone to a classical music concert and a rock concert in the same week.
With almost an entire school year behind me, I had learned a thing or two about surviving in college on my own and shared this list of the observations I had made and the conclusions I had come to. I had figured out, among other things, that it's 100% necessary to be as organized as possible. It's a gateway to success, trust me.
Ah yes, the Cribs blog, one of my favorites! I had a great time giving you guys a tour of my room, which I had rearranged after the video was filmed. Baker House AMR II Room 218, you will be missed.
With the class of '09 having received their acceptance letters, I reflected on my application experiences and shared my thoughts on choosing the right college.
And finally, I laid out my plans for this summer. The Ting Tings and Coldplay concerts were amazing! I decided not to take classes over the summer, and instead I am looking forward to visiting my friends soon. I'll be leaving for Thailand and Bhutan in July... so excited!
Needless to say, it has been a fantastic year. I can only hope that being a sophomore will be half as exciting. To all of you out there, have a fantastic summer. If you'll be entering JHU as a freshman, I wish you the best of luck in all of your endeavors, and I can only hope that you will have the same incredible experience!
Posted by Saznin M.
Hard to believe that in little less than a month I’ll NEVER have to bear the dreaded title of “freshman” ever again. This is excellent news. To add to my already uncontainable excitement, a pretty epic summer will be following my pretty epic freshman year.
Here’s a sneak peek at all the fun I’ll be having in the next three months:
1) Summer classes: okay, not fun, but hey, it’ll take care of a required class (calculus… let’s not talk about it…) that I’ll need for my newly declared Public Health major. I figure that it’s better to get it over with and take this class in three weeks rather than suffer through it for a whole semester. I hate math, what can I say…
2) Concerts! Anyone who knows me can tell you that I have become a concert junkie sin ce coming to college. Just last week I went to an Of Montreal concert with my friend Peter, and over the weekend I saw Nas, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Santigold, and Of Montreal (again) perform at Brown University, where I was visiting one of my best friends. AND I’ll be seeing The Roots live in concert when they play at JHU’s Spring Fair (which you should definitely come to if you have the opportunity!) next weekend.
The best part is, the two concerts I’ll be going to next (the Ting Tings and Coldplay) are not only within four days of each other, but are also literally the week after I get out of my last exam. Coincidence? I think not. I see it as some sort of reward for a year’s worth of hard work.
3) Traveling! Every year my parents and I visit one or two different countries. This year, they’re getting in touch with their roots and introducing me to places where they used to go to school and live when they were younger. I’ll be accompanying them to Thailand and then to Bhutan for three glorious weeks.
4) Family! This will be the last summer my family and I will be able to spend together here in the States because, come November, my family is uprooting to Tanzania. I guess this sort of ties into the traveling as we'll be seeing a LOT of each other on our little Asian adventure.
Pictured is a monastery in Bhutan!
5) Friends! Not only will I get to spend some quality time with my high school friends, who I’ve only seen a handful of times over the school year, but I’m also planning to visit some of my college friends in their respective states. It’ll be a summer of hanging out, marathon movie sessions, concerts, road trips, and parties. Could it get any better? Doubtful…
Pictured to the right are three of my best friends from back home, all of whom I absolutely cannot wait to see!!
I know. Amazing. Try to contain your jealousy.
As for right now, I’m taking advantage of my last three weeks here. It’s mind-boggling how quickly freshman year has gone by… As for your seniors out there, it’s your last few weeks of high school, so my advice to you is to live it up!!
Posted by Saznin M.
To you second semester seniors who are basking in the glow of your shiny new college acceptances, I just want to say congratulations on a job well done surviving the horror that was the college application process. All that time and effort finally seems to have served a purpose to you, I bet. Give yourself a pat on the back for jumping the hardest hurdle. Now the only thing left for you to accomplish is choosing the right school for you, which shouldn’t be too hard, especially if you’re considering Hopkins… hint…
After having spent nine months here I can say with 110% certainty that I made the right choice. After all, Hopkins was never my first choice. In fact, it wasn’t a choice at all. I was pretty set on going in a completely different direction and joining my friends who would be attending UVA, but once I achieved the previously unthinkable and got into Hopkins, I decided to go against four years of carefully laid plans and call it my new home. My decision was largely based on a gut decision, which, looking back, was a crazy risk to take.
I wish I had some wise words of advice for you, some golden nugget to solve all of the frustrations thatyou probably have right now, but I honestly don’t. This type of experience is different for everybody. I know that nothing anyone ever said helped me the slightest when I was trying to decide where to go. Like I said, I followed my gut, and more importantly, kept an open mind. I came to a Hopkins open house with absolutely no desire to go to Hopkins, but I came out of it completely changed. I discovered a gorgeous campus, a challenging academic environment, students who are not only intelligent, but also involved and sociable, all in a quirky and charming city. I've met some of my best friends, taken classes that have radically changed my perspective on the world, and have learned to manage my life without the help of my parents. This place has changed my life in so many ways, I cannot even express it adequately in words. I can’t really imagine being anywhere else, and I have absolutely no regrets.
I could enumerate all of the great things about Hopkins, but nothing is more convincing than coming here and experiencing it for yourself. I can only hope that it will make as strong of a good impression on you as it did on me. Walk around, talk to students, sit on the beach (which is what we call the big quad in front of the library) and just soak up the atmosphere. I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. Best of luck with the next couple of months, and make the best of high school while you still can!
Posted by Saznin M.
Now that Wafa has given you a taste of what it’s like to live in Wolman, it’s my turn to give you a tour of my humble abode in AMR II!
I live in Baker House of AMR II. There are a total of fourteen houses, all of which are connected by the second floor. Also in AMR II: the mailroom, the Blue Jay Café (which is a lounge area with vending machines, couches, tables, and Wi-Fi internet), Office of Residential Life, two laundry rooms, and a social lounge (it has a TV, couches, a pool table and foosball table) and kitchen in the basement, and finally the Student Health and Wellness Center. The AMRs are hall style, which means that each hallway shares a bathroom (separated by sex, obviously). Now this might sound daunting, but believe me, it’s not as bad as it seems. I’ve never had to wait for a shower, and the staff cleans the bathroom everyday (shower shoes and a shower caddy for all of your shampoo, body wash, etc is are a must!)
Now for my room:
I live in a double with my lovely roommate Cassie. It’s a pretty standard room: each occupant gets a bed, an armoire (including two drawers and a full length mirror), a chest of three drawers, and a desk with drawers and shelf. We share a printer and a Microfridge, which is a combination of a fridge, freezer, and microwave. Underneath my bed, I keep a hamper, two wicker cases, and a shoe rack. It’s super easy to decorate because each side of the room has a cork wall, where you can put up posters and pictures with pushpins. My wall has a map of the world, postcards, and a bunch of pictures and posters that I brought from home. I also have a fan because, sadly, the AMRs don’t have air-conditioning, so the warmer months can become a little tedious.
I absolutely love AMR II. It’s hall style nature makes it super easy to socialize and meet people. Even though it’s the second-oldest dorm building on campus, it’s not falling apart by any means. The rooms are generally a cozy size and the facilities are more than adequate.
To see what my room looks like, watch my Cribs video!
Posted by Saznin M.
This week is just one of those weeks. You know the ones where you are fully aware of how much work lies ahead of you, yet the stress is keeping you from actually getting anything done. I have a mini-heart attack every time I look at my to-do list, but I’m keeping in mind that Spring Break is a mere three days away (THANK GOD). That’s motivation enough for me to hunker down in my room and get through my massive pile of work.
Since coming to college, I’ve really had to force myself to keep organized. I bought a planner, I make lists, I write down deadlines (or at least try to) for assignments as soon as I know what they are. Honestly, writing things down is the simplest way to be on top of what you’re supposed to do. It’s so gratifying to be able to cross things off of a list. At least for me, making lists and crossings off what I’ve already accomplished is extremely encouraging.
I’ve also found that marathon studying sessions are counter-productive. One can only pay attention and absorb information for so long before the brain is completely worn down. To be able to focus, I usually take walks every few hours or change locations. My friends and I like to study out on the Beach (pictured to the right) when it’s nice out (which it has been lately!), so that we can people watch every now and then to give our minds a break. Also, I love to study with people who are also doing work. If I’m around people who are doing homework, I’m compelled to do it, too. Unfortunately, if I’m sitting alone in my room I get distracted so easily. To keep my mind from wandering I disconnect the Internet, which makes a world of difference. Facebook, I must say, is the devil when I’m trying to do homework on my computer…
So, as of right now I’m about halfway through my list. This week will be difficult, but I know that by Friday night I’ll be relaxing at home with absolutely nothing to do. Next week, I’ll be visiting my friends at the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary. It’ll definitely be interesting to experience college life somewhere else!
Posted by Saznin M.
I run the risk of sounding like a massive creeper, but I’m staring out of my window at a tour group standing outside of the FFC right now. The tour guide is giving a little spiel about campus food, dining dollars, J-cash, etc. The parents are paying rapt attention (a few enthusiastic mothers are actually taking notes) while the kids are blithely observing their surroundings. In a few moments, the tour guide will usher them in front of my building and begin a whole new speech on the advantages of living in the AMR’s (who needs air conditioning when you have such a rich social atmosphere?)
Yup, those were the days. I remember visiting college campuses towards the end of my senior year. Honestly, I couldn’t have cared less about college at that point. The admissions process had stressed me out so much that by the time it was over, all I wanted was to suffer (aka enjoy) a crippling case of senioritis and savor my last semester as a high school student. My only main concerns were... well, I didn't really have any. College acceptance letters hadn’t even come out yet, but I was already pretty sure of where I’d end up. I was convinced that I would be headed to the University of Virginia in the fall, being pretty sure of the fact that Hopkins would never accept me. Even if it did, it was honestly my very last choice.
Funny how things change. I now have one and a half semesters as a college student under my belt. Among other things, here’s what I’ve observed:
1. There’s more free time for a reason. It’s called work.
2. Waking up for a 9 AM class is a herculean feat when your parents aren’t here to kick your lazy butt out of bed.
3. Having the choice to skip class doesn’t mean you should take advantage of it.
4. Homework gets done exponentially faster when you’re in an area devoid of wireless Internet, and thereby Facebook.
5. Alone time is necessary for sanity, but so are friends.
6. Free university transportation is a godsend.
7. Leaving things till the last minute is a deathtrap, resulting in nervous breakdowns and extreme fatigue.
8. You might not always get praised and rewarded for hard work, but that's life.
9. College is your first step into the real world. It's necessary to learn how to do things on your own.
The list will get perpetually longer of course. I'll add to it as I make my way through the murky waters of college life. But for right now, my friend and I were thinking of quietly joining that tour group, just for kicks...
