Simply Serendipitous

carolina summertime

Last semester, when I realized I'd be spending this summer at home, I'll admit: I was kind of disappointed.  I had applied for a PURA research grant that would've kept me at Hopkins for the summer, but my proposal wasn't accepted, so I had no overly-compelling reason to stay.  Even though the grant didn't come through and I didn't have any huge plans for things I was going to do in Baltimore, I had been hoping to find something there or in DC, and I figured it wouldn't be too difficult, simply because of all of the different organizations and groups in the area.  But with our economy the way it is, it didn't really make sense to pay for an apartment for the summer when I didn't have set plans and would probably be working as an unpaid intern anyway, so it seemed best to come on home.  I was also dreading the different "social dynamic" (if you will) in Cary, North Carolina versus being on a college campus.  I'm sure you get the picture.  I wasn't overly thrilled.

Around spring break, I looked into some internships around home and discovered that I was "way behind schedule."  I was told by one particular organization that their summer internships are full by January and I felt like I couldn't find anything else that was worthwhile in my area.  I gave up on all of that and finished out the semester, trying to live it up in Baltimore with my friends before coming home to what I was sure would be an entirely boring summer.

When I got home, I unpacked a bit and then let myself be lazy for a couple of weeks.  (Yes, weeks).    One week, my dad got me several LSAT books and I started looking through those and getting entirely overwhelmed with thinking I'd never get into law school with such an uninteresting resume, etc., and my mom decided to stick it to me straight and tell me I really needed to just find something to do with myself.  I fixed up my resume and called several smaller law firms to see if they had any undergraduate internships and that sort of thing and went on a couple of interviews.  At the same time, I also (on a complete whim), emailed the Public Defender's office, asking the same question, and was asked in for an interview there, as well. 

I never heard back from any of the law firms I interviewed with, but after my interview with the Public Defender's office,  I was asked to start immediately, and I did.  I've been there for about two weeks now and it's amazing.  I'm actually really happy with the way things worked out because I think I'm probably getting  a lot more exposure to a lot of different things in this office.  When things are a bit more slow and there aren't tasks for us to do, they send us to court (just a block down from the office), which I always enjoy.  The undergrads are "office interns," so most of our work is filing/copying/computer-related, but it's a really casual atmosphere in the office and everyone's always open to talk to us about what we're actually doing and the particularly interesting cases they're working on, so there is a good amount of experience beyond just my newly-acquired skill of alphabetizing things super-fast.

The office and courthouse are located in downtown Raleigh, and while it's not as big or bustling as  downtown Baltimore or some of the other amazing places my fellow Hopkins students are this summer, I'm really excited about going to work every day and the opportunity I have.  It's definitely one of those growing up experiences in a lot of different ways and on different levels -- trying to figure out how to dress professionally for work when I'm an unpaid intern, understanding that you really can't compare the different cases and sentences, doing whatever needs to be done in the office even when it's not particularly appealing (those 500 index cards won't file themselves!), and on a personal level: making the best of whatever circumstances you're in instead of wishing for something else.

I'm glad I finally found the perfect summer experience, even if it did take me a little bit longer than it should have.  I mean, sure, sometimes I miss going out on the weekends with my Hopkins friends, but it's nice to be here with my family and doing something meaningful at the same time.  I think this summer is going to be everything I need it to be, even if it wasn't originally everything I wanted it to be.  Until next time, enjoy your summer!  As for Dad and I, the lake and sea-doos await.

a look back and a glimpse ahead

I never know how to start these things.  You know, the end-of-the-year wrap-up sort of things.  It's been quite the year so let's just jump right in, shall we?

 

The beginning of the fall semester was my shot at trying to branch out a bit.  (baltimorean explorations)  While I didn't really stick to any of the activities or adventures I had originally set out upon, I did finally start taking some classes that weren't strictly required in my major, and from that, I had the interesting experience of observing a courtroom, which was particularly meaningful to me at the time (my day in court).

 

Speaking of majors and requirements, I changed my major!  ...Again.   (major changes, a change in majors).  I dropped Chemistry for Public Health Studies and couldn't be happier.  After that switch, I felt a huge weight lifted and realized that I had completed all of the really tough requirements for my major. (milestones...already?)  Not only that, but I realized everything I had left for my Public Health major was going to be interesting to me.  I feel like you should enjoy your major, and maybe I realized this a bit late in the game, but it was a wonderful feeling to NOT dread a bunch of classes I had to take.

 

After finals and everything, I came out of the fall semester feeling amazing.  I finished with my best academic performance ever and was happy with where things were going.  I decided to spend a little extra time at home for intersession instead of taking a class and came back to Baltimore just in time for the Inauguration.  (inauguration day: on location).  It was an absolutely unreal experience, despite the exhaustion, crowds, and cold.  Oh, and right before classes started up for the second semester, I turned 20!  I felt quite old for a few weeks, but then I got over it and now I love the age.

 

The spring semester brought some VERY interesting classes my way.  I had a really hard time picking just five, but settled on them eventually and ended up quite content.  (a change of pace: my classes)  It was really great to take things that were all over the place.  Of course, as per usual, there was the typical identity crisis thrown in the mix. (just your standard identity crisis)  And, to be honest, there were a few more than that, but who would really want to read about all of them? 

 

March meant welcoming the rest of the Class of 2013! (congrats to the class of 2013) And, of course, a much-needed spring break after three papers and an exam in three days' time.  After returning to Baltimore from my spring break in North Carolina, I promised myself to go out more and adjust to a new social scene after ending a relationship earlier in the month.  All in all, while difficult, sometimes big changes are needed in order to set other things in motion and get to where you need to be.

Springtime finally hit in full force and all of my favorite things about Hopkins reminded me yet again why I love this university.  (springtime at hopkins) 

 

Working became progressively more difficult as the weather became nicer and the amount of activities at any given time increased.  My head was in the clouds, but somehow I managed to make it through the end of the semester and pulled through my final exams and term papers.  I did even better than I did last semester, meaning I'm getting closer to offsetting the rough patch from freshman spring.  I have to say, it feels quite good to see my hard work pay off.  

On the day that I turned in my last paper, I met up with my dad and went to sign my lease for my very own  apartment. Now, granted, I'll be living right in between the two buildings I lived in freshman and sophomore years, but it's still exciting.  Of course, I will miss my amazing suite in Charles Commons, but it'll be awesome to have my very own place.  (hopkins cribs: charles commons #612)  This school year has brought a lot of changes my way (if you hadn't noticed) and I can only imagine what else is to come.  As for this summer, I'm at home in North Carolina, just getting into a job search and dealing with the monstrous task of unpacking and reorganizing.  

As for the future?  Well, I'm really excited about law school!  I never, in a bazillion years, would've believed it if you had told 17-year-old-me that I'd be planning for law school, but it's true.  I've got a bunch of LSAT books and I'm thinking of taking it at the end of this summer so I can spend next summer in Washington without having to worry about it.  I just can't believe that I'm halfway done with college.  Where in the world did it go?  I'm already excited for the fall to come and I can't wait to see what next year will bring.

johns hopkins or...?

When I was applying to colleges, I never really got to "know" any of the schools very well, aside from Hopkins.  I guess I had made up my mind and didn't want to bother seeing anything else.  I applied early decision and that was that.  So when admitted students have asked for advice in deciding between Hopkins and another school (or two, or three) these past couple of weeks, I wasn't very helpful at first.  But stick with me. 

This past weekend, I've been at home in North Carolina to visit family.  I also ventured out to see some friends at school and a close friend's amazing a cappella concert.  While I was out there with them, I got to see how different their campus is from ours and what a completely different experience their undergraduate years are. 

Anyway, this does relate to you, I promise.  If you're still deciding between schools, here's my advice.  Think about all of the things that are important in what you imagine your undergraduate experience to be.  If it's really important to you to get involved in research, engage with the community, play a sport, write for the campus newspaper, (etc...), make sure you can do those things. 

Most importantly, remember that you're choosing your home for the next four years, and, hopefully, a source of pride for the rest of your life once you've graduated.  For me, Hopkins just felt "right."  Actually, it felt perfect.  I've definitely had my ups and downs, but I feel at home here, and I'm having an amazing time.

Something I've come to learn is that every experience is what you make of it.  So when it comes to making the final decision, whatever you choose WILL be right, if you make it so.  Wherever you end up, commit yourself to the decision you've made and take advantage of all the quirks that make your school so perfect for you.

So, to wrap it up, I figured I'd share some of my favorite (completely random) Hopkins things that remind me of how perfect this place is for me.
1. Springtime activities...see my last blog for more details.
2. In the fall, we have about a million and a half squirrels running around.  I guess they're probably around in the spring, too, but I particularly notice them in the fall.  I guess the point is that I love being in a city but having a campus that's practically a park.
3. Cafe Q has really, really good coffee.
4. The size of the actual campus is totally manageable, but big enough that I can wander around for quite awhile if I want to.
5. The tales of navigable tunnels under campus and extra secret floors in Bloomberg (the physics building).

There's plenty of other silly little things that keep popping into my head, but those of you who do decide to come to Hopkins will discover your own little things you love that make it your perfect place.

So best of luck to the potential-possibly-maybe Class of 2013 as you make your final decisions...and to everyone who has chosen JHU, CONGRATS again and I look forward to seeing you all in the fall!

springtime at hopkins

Springtime at Johns Hopkins means all sorts of wonderful things.  Mostly, for me, it's starting to mean procrastinating, but that's another topic for another day.

Here's my favorite things about springtime at Hopkins:

1. BASEBALL SEASON!  I'm an avid Orioles fan and baseball season has finally begun!  I can't even describe how excited I am to get out to Camden Yards (one of the prettiest ballparks in the country) and settle into my seat with a Boog's BBQ platter, ready to keep score and track everyone's stats (I used to keep the book for my high school baseball team, and now I can hardly sit through a game without wanting to do it).  Okay, I know I said this would be things about springtime at Hopkins, but the start of baseball season is my absolute favorite part of early spring and we're so close to Camden Yards!  So I'm going to go ahead and say this is allowed to be on the list.

2. The campus.  If you're a prospective student, I guarantee you will fall in love with our campus if you see it in the springtime.  We have all the pretty blooming trees and nice weather and when you combine it with the classic buildings it's just breathtaking. 

 3. The beach.  You know, the big grassy lawn in front of the library.  When the weather warms up, it's the best place in the entire world to have lunch or take a nap.  Okay, there might be better places, but it's definitely up on the list.  A lot of people also like to lay out and tan, although I'm not quite brave enough to bare my winter paleness, even if it is in the pursuit of a tan.

4. Spring fair.  Every year, for an entire weekend, our campus becomes like a fairground.  We have all sorts of vendors (both food and other things) and some carnival rides, plus all the student groups have things going on.  There's also a concert one of the nights.  It's really just a fantastic time right before the end of classes--the weather's nice and warm, things are winding down without getting too hectic yet.  All is right in the world.  Sadly, I'll be missing it this year for what's looking to be an amazing (but quick) trip home, but more on that next time!

5. Introspectiveness.  I'm not sure if that's a word, but spell check isn't telling me otherwise, so I'm going to go with it.  What I mean though is that when the semester's wrapping up, everyone's looking ahead and kind of trying to figure out what to do with themselves.  Summer?  Next fall?  Next year?  It can get messy, but it's definitely valuable.   I always like having those important conversations with friends where we all end up exasperated and thinking "WHAT are we doing with our lives?!"  Something about spring just brings that out and I've figured I might as well embrace it.

6. Everything else.  A little broad, I know, but there's literally SO much going on around campus during the warmer spring months that this is as specific as I could get.  All sorts of student groups have events, amazing speakers come around, there's lacrosse games, performances, etc., etc., etc.

If you can't tell, I'm overly excited about the idea of consistently warm weather and switching over to flip flops on a more permanent basis.  If you're reading this as an admitted student for the class of 2013, I hope you'll be able to make it to one of our open houses to see some of this for yourself!

congrats to the class of 2013

Congratulations to the regular decision admits for the Class of 2013! 

This must be SUCH an exciting time for you all and I hope you really enjoy it!  I was an early decision applicant, so I never had the big reveal from a bunch of different schools followed by huge decision-making process that many of you are probably faced with now.  When I was applying to college, I filled out two-and-a-half applications.  When I got my good news from Hopkins, I withdrew my second app and stopped filling out the halfway-completed one.  I was done.  Big sigh of relief.  But this isn't really relevant to you all, now is it?

There was a point in which I chose Hopkins over other schools, it was just back in September/October of my senior year, versus April.  And while I HOPE HOPE HOPE you can make it to an admitted student open house (April 7, 14, and 21!) to check out campus, learn about our amazing programs and hear from our new university president (and, of course, meet the students of Hopkins Interactive), to get your own feel for things, I thought I'd tell you about why I'm unbelievably happy I chose to come to Hopkins.

I guess a good place to start would be why I first chose Johns Hopkins University.  After all, I am from North Carolina and there are many fine institutions close to home.  Part of it was that I wanted to get away from home.  Just a little bit.  A six-hour drive/one-hour flight is perfect for me.  I loved Baltimore.  And the Orioles.  But more than anything, I was enthralled by the reputation of this university.  Be honest, isn't that why you applied? 

But now I'm almost halfway through my undergraduate education--wow.  I've been through three majors and back and forth on different advising tracks.  Let's just say I've become pretty well acquainted with many different programs Hopkins has to offer.  And what I've learned is that Hopkins is SO MUCH MORE than the one thing each person thinks it is.  An outstanding pre-med education?  Definitely.  Top-ranked international studies program?  Yep.  Unmatched biomedical engineering department?  That, too.  Awesome lacrosse team?  Yes.  Gorgeous campus?  True.  Hopkins is all of these things, but there's so much more to it that people tend to miss by having a one-track mind or just not taking the time to notice.  Students here have the amazing opportunity to get a wonderfully broad and balanced education.

Hopkins has challenged me in so many ways, and while there have been sacrifices to get to where I am now, I would certainly not trade my experiences for anything.  I can honestly say that in the 3.5 semesters I've been here, I have learned so much--certainly about whatever topics I was studying, but more importantly, I've developed my interests and struggled through things that have helped me discover that particular paths are just not right for me.  I truly think that being at this school is what enabled me to face the most difficult questions I've had to ask myself in deciding what is really important to me and what it is that I really want to do with my life.

Now that you've probably written me off as mushy, crazy, or just weird, I'll wrap this up.  If you're the second-semester senior hearing back from a bunch of colleges and getting ready to try to make your decision, I want to encourage you to think about all those other things schools have to offer, aside from the one thing that made you apply in the first place.  I don't just mean majors and departments, but of course I came in dead-set on one thing and it was completely out the window in a matter of months, so I have to say, I'm REALLY glad that Hopkins has so many amazing programs, or I'd have been in trouble. 

College is so exciting and just...amazing, really.  I hope that those of you who do choose Hopkins take the opportunity to explore and see just how incredible this place is.  I'm also really hoping to see lots of you all at the open houses coming up!

Congratulations, again! 

hopkins cribs: charles commons #612

If you've already seen my Cribs video, you may notice I'm not the best on camera and kind of breezed right over a lot of my suite...in fact, I think my video is the shortest of all of them!  Oops.  Hopefully this blog with its pictures will help make up for my inability to be in front of a camera.

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When you first walk into the suite, you immediately see our table.  More often than not, it's covered in books and study stuff.  Sometimes we'll use it for eating or hanging out, but it makes for a great place to do work when the desks in our room get to be boring.

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If you were to look straight in front of you from the doorway, you'd see our living room.  Pardon the mess, this picture was taken right before spring break and one of my suitemates was packing her suitecase in the living room.   We have a little tv that we use to  watch the occasional movie on, but other than that, this is mostly a quiet, laid back hang-out  spot.  I love our big window--on warmer days, it's SO nice to open up and have the fresh air.  Speaking of which, it looks like our glass cleaner wasn't streak-free. Whoops.

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Next in the tour of our common areas is the kitchen.  We have a nice open area but unfortunately not a whole lot of counter space.  Granted, we don't cook much other than pasta, but whatever.  It's still nice to have the kitchen and big fridge and stuff.  

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Now we'll move on to my room! 

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If you're standing right in the doorway, this is the view you've got.  It seems a bit crammed together, mostly because my bed is lofted, which makes the space feel tighter.  It's really not bad and I like having my bed lofted because it makes room for storage underneath.

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Here's my desk and bookshelf.  I bought the bookshelf for extra storage because...well, I have a lot of books.  It helps make use of small spaces that would otherwise go to waste, too.  My desk is a little messy right now, though this is one of the cleaner times, believe it or not.  Again, I'll blame it on getting ready for spring break. To be honest, my desk serves more as a holding place for various things than as workspot.  I like to work on my bed, unless I get frazzled or just tired of it, then I clean up my desk and start working there.

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Anyway, I hope this helps give a closer look at some of the more personalized areas of my suite.  In case you haven't yet seen it or (for some reason) want to see it again, check out my Cribs video below. 

As always, feel free to ask any questions about housing, my room, my building, or anything else!

a change of pace: my classes

As I mentioned late last semester, this spring brings a lot of changes for me.  I'm not taking any math or science classes.  This means I have to re-evaluate how to approach learning.  In fact, I'm really re-learning how to read, too.  I assumed I knew how to read well, but in trying to understand philosophic texts and Court opinions, I quickly realized that just seeing the words wasn't going to cut it.  No more problem sets at the end of the chapter to help me make sure I'm on track.  But by the same token, it's really paying off to be able to learn in entirely different environments.  Sure, it's difficult, but I'm so glad to have the opportunity to get a very broad education.

With that, here's this semester's lineup...

Intro to Moral Philosophy: I registered for this class because it's required for my maybe-yes-maybe-no Bioethics minor.  I also thought it would be great for personal enrichment.  For some reason, I had the silly idea in my head that this would basically amount to reading various texts and then just sitting around and talking about it.  Instead, the field of Moral Philosophy involves a lot of terms and definitions that are much more complex than I had imagined.  I won't say I'm disappointed, by any means, but it's much more difficult than I expected it to be.  The downside? It meets at 9 AM, which is ridiculously difficult for me.

Philosophical Implications of Clinical Neuroscience:  This is a 400-level Philosophy seminar--yikes!  I signed up for it on a whim, after having watched various news pieces on neuroethics and finding them both interesting and problematic.  It is a surprisingly accessible class, with a very moderate reading load.  We have very interesting discussion, aided in part by the diverse interests of the group, ranging from the Neuroscience majors to the Philosophy grad students.

Fundamentals of Health Policy and Management:  This is my first class as a Public Health major and it's very interesting to me.  We have three professors for the class and they bring in a lot of different guest lecturers to speak on the topics they know best.  I feel like it is helping me become very well-informed in terms of policy issues, and just how the health system works in general.  Our first assignment was an analysis of President Obama's health reform proposal (from during the campaign). 

Law, Psychology, and Public Policy: I signed up for this class after Jessica mentioned it to me.  It's a 20-person seminar in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.  We meet once a week for 2.5 hours; our professor works in D.C. in addition to teaching this class.  So far, each week we've had reading on a hot topic that has been before the courts and have read what psychologists have had to say on the issue.  For example, last week's class was about affirmative action in college admissions, so we read about three court cases.  For that, we read the Supreme Court decisions for each, a report submitted by psychologist Patricia Gurin (known as the Gurin Report), a report submitted by the National Association of Scholars critiquing Gurin's research, and an amicus curiae brief submitted by the American Psychological Association.   It makes for a lot of reading, but good discussion.  The second half of the course (after spring break) will consist of student groups conducting presentations similar to the classes our professor has given.  A very unique class, in my opinion.

International Human Rights Law in US Courts:  This class is also a 20-person seminar, meeting once weekly for 2.5 hours.  Our professor works for a federal judge in Baltimore, in addition to teaching this class.  Honestly, this is the kind of class that is making me rethink what it is that I want to do with my life.  I know that sounds overdramatic, but it's true.  I won't go into huge detail of the ideas behind human rights law and bringing suit in US courts, but for each class, we typically read a couple of court decisions (either Court of Appeals or Supreme Court, usually) and any applicable treaties, statutes, etc.  Some of the ideas are incredibly difficult to grasp, but it's absolutely fascinating.  I'm actually looking into forming an outside research project on this topic, but it's hard to tell whether or not that will actually pull together in time or if it'll be a more distant plan.

*If you have any questions about any of my classes (or anything!) feel free to post them in the Comments here or on my personal message board thread of our Hopkins Interactive Forums.

just your standard identity crisis.

I've been in a bit of a "funk" lately.  See?  I absolutely hate that word, but it's the best I can do to even describe how I've been feeling these past few weeks.  That's how I can tell something's weird.  But I have.  And now that my boyfriend and two of my three suitemates are all gone for the weekend (Mike's in Texas, and Maura and Javaneh are both at home), I've had a lot of time in my quiet little head...I think I've figured some things out. 

I guess you could say I'm having a bit of an identity crisis.  But those of you who know me or read this blog regularly might think that's pretty common.  You're probably right.  But this isn't one of those "I hate all of my clothes" or "I should cut off all of my hair" or even "I should add on three minors" kind of identity crises (in fact, my hair is the longest its ever been--I'm getting better at managing these!).   Seriously though, this is the sick-to-my-stomach, what-am-I-doing-with-my-life, what-do-I-even-WANT-to-do-with-my-life, smack-in-the-face kind of thing. 

If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm sorry for sounding crazy and I'm really glad you've never had one of these.  I think my first one probably hit about the time I was applying to college.  I later decided it's really kind of good to have them (you know, few and far between) as a way of reassuring myself that I'm not just letting myself get comfortable with the way things are.  In fact, now that I'm in college and all of my choices are affecting my future (for example, if I don't take the LSAT, I can't go to law school), it's important to really evaluate where I am and what I'm doing.  Maybe I let it go to far (or don't evaluate often enough and let all of the pent-up questions explode all at once), but whatever.  Now that you have the general idea, let me explain the specifics of this one...

This time, it was two-fold.  Not only was I afraid of not being good enough to get into "blank" type of school, but I just didn't even know if "blank" type of school was what I wanted to do with life.   But here's the thing.  You only get one life.  You have to do with it what will make you happy.  And if you don't know what will make you happy, do what does make you happy, and go from there.  That's what I figured.  (I know it sounds cliche and everyone hates cliches, but I figure they became cliche because they're overused, and they're overused because they're true. Right? Right.) 

So, for now, I'm taking classes that are really interesting to me (more on those sometime soon).  I'm getting really focused on them, particularly now that the latest crisis has been averted, and because they are on topics I picked myself, I can do the work while really enjoying it.  I'm hoping this amounts to a very good semester.  For the future, I'm still thinking MD/JD (no, not just because of some inability to decide--more on that some other time).  For in-between?  Probably a few other crises...but until next time, we're good.

dorm life: a lazy sunday

Ever wondered what it's actually like to live in a dorm?  Well, you won't REALLY know until you actually live in one, but I decided to try to go ahead and give you a taste of it.  Interestingly enough, a quick look back at my day today provides a really good overview of the glaring differences between life at home and life on your own in college.

Today was a pretty uneventful day, I actually didn't do a whole lot of work because it's the beginning of the semester and I'm easing into it.  I know when you're trying to get into a cold pool, you're supposed to just jump in instead of taking it slowly, but this is one of those days when I decided to throw the metaphors out the window and do whatever I felt like (and ignore what I didn't want to do).  So, without further ado, here's what my day looked like.

2:15 AM: go to bed, after several episodes of The Office.  I just started watching it, so I'm trying to catch up.

10:30 AM: wake up.  Get breakfast from Einstein's bagels, eat slowly.

...? (not sure what I did for awhile.  Probably check news, Facebook,   etc.)

1:30: laundry time.  I had been putting it off for a few weeks, so I had to use three washers.  Plus, Sundays are the busiest days for the laundry room, so it was pretty crowded.  Oops.

2:00: switch the laundry from washers to dryers. Make coffee.  Call a friend from home to catch up.

3:00: bring the laundry upstairs, fold, put away.  Stare out the window.  Realize I have work to do, but continue not to do it.

4:00: I'm hungry.  How about grilled cheese?  Something goes awry and after about 30 seconds on one side, the pan is smoking and the bread is burned black.  The kitchen/living room area is filled with smoke.  Luckily, my suitemate has a sense of humor about the situation.  She also has common sense and opens the windows to keep a smoke alarm from going off.

4:15:  I think I'll have a peanut butter and jelly instead...Mike, on the other hand, sees no problem with eating a blackened grilled cheese.

6:15: head downstairs to Nolan's, the dining hall in my building.  They're having a special menu for the Super Bowl, which includes wings and my favorite, mozzarella  sticks. 

7:00: (now) blog-time.

8:00: finally finish the Health Policy homework I've been trying to get through? Maybe do some other homework too. 

11:00: hot chocolate + The Office.  I'll try to limit myself to just one episode.  Maybe two.

12:00: shower/bed.  I have a 9 AM class tomorrow, and I'm NOT a morning person.

So, despite my obvious plague of non-productivity, you can also kind of see some of the differences of home life and dorm life.  For one thing, at home, I don't think I would've burned a grilled cheese sandwich.  Just one of the joys of a cheap pan and a finicky stove top.  (I'm really not THAT incompetent of a cook, I promise).  Another thing (you know, the real one I am trying to get at) is the personal responsibilities.  At home, your parents and/or teachers can sort of keep tabs on you.  Some more so than others, but there's usually some level of accountability there.  In college, the only "keeping tabs" is your grades.  Don't want to do your work? No problem--you'll just get  a zero for that assignment.

And with that, I'm feeling like I should probably get on to that assignment.  The semester has started (whether we like it or not) and it's time to jump on in!  If you have any questions about life in the dorms, feel free to ask them here (in the comments section), or on our message boards.  If you want to peek inside the dorms, check out our Cribs blogs.

inauguration day: on location

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

Our 44th President said many important (and beautiful) things, but yesterday, as I stood partially frozen to the ground on our National Mall, this is what struck me.  I hope you all were able to be a part of witnessing history yesterday; just as Admissions Daniel said, I will remember every part of those moments for the rest of my life. 

Because I hope that you were all able to hear Obama's speech, and Admissions Daniel wrote a really wonderful entry on his thoughts/lack of words for right now, I decided my entry will just be about my day in Washington, braving the freeeeezing temperature, and you can read Daniel's entry as something much more touching.  Enjoy. (I hope).

My boyfriend bought MARC train tickets back in December, so we had a relatively easy and reliable way to get into Washington.  Unfortunately, I'm not a morning person, and I don't handle large crowds or cold temperatures too well (one would think I'd avoid the inauguration then, right?).  But despite feeling absolutely terrible at 3:45 AM, I dragged myself up and around and made it to DC.  The energy at Baltimore's Penn Station was incredible, (especially considering it was 4:45ish), and it only got more exciting the closer we got to Washington.  Once we de-trained in DC, (6:00) we received quite the awakening (and introduction to the day's security) when we saw the security in the train station armed with some kind of automatic rifles.  That was enough to get us out of Union Station quickly and onward to the Mall we went. [picture: see the Capitol building through the arch?  You'd think that would mean it's a quick walk to it.  False.]

The route to get to the National Mall was insane.  It took us about an hour to an hour and a half to walk from Union Station down there.  Still feeling rather ill, I was seriously doubting my decision to come.  But I just kept shuffling along, occasionally whining, until we finally got to the mall where all of the volunteers were greeting people.  They were SO cheerful, I remember asking Mike, "WHY are these people so happy?"  (Oh, maybe it's because of what today is all about...)  So we found a spot to make camp (sit down) and wait.  By now it was about 7:30, so there was a lot of waiting to be done.  We were in between the Natural History museum and the Smithsonian Castle museum, not sure exactly how far that is from the Capitol building.  It was a pretty nice view though. [picture: our view in the early morning, before it got too crowded].

Mike left to get hot chocolate around 8 and didn't return until around 10:45.  Long hot chocolate line.   Longest ever, maybe?  I think I spent that time being a curled-up ball, trying to stay warm.  It was SO cold out there!  A little boy next to me was screaming because his hands were cold, and I definitely considered joining him at a few different times.  But finally the screens started showing live footage of people walking out of the building, the crowd was getting really excited, and it was time to stop being a little ball on the dusty ground.  {Did you know the Mall doesn't really have much of any grass?  Major disappointment, in my opinion.} 

I really enjoyed the Invocation, despite the controversy that erupted last month or so when they announced that Rev. Rick Warren would give it.  Aretha Franklin sang next, which was not exactly my taste, to be honest.  Joe Biden took his oath next, and then a piece arranged by John Williams was played.  At 12:02, Obama took his Oath of Office, followed by the address.  Next, an American poet read something (also not really my taste) and Rev. Joseph E. Lowery gave the Benediction.  The Benediction was very strong and the crowd seemed to enjoy it, but it felt a bit racist toward the end.  I may have misheard/misunderstood though.  I did think it was precious, though, when he called the Obama girls "angelics."  The US Navy band performed the National Anthem, and that was about it for what we could see/hear. 

 Mike and I headed over to the Museum of Natural History which was perfect--I had been there when I was much younger on a school field trip and I remembered some of the exhibits, which was very fun.  A lot of people were just trying to find sanctuary in the building, so we had to step over a lot of sitting/sleeping people pretty much everywhere.  I could certainly relate to how they felt, but it didn't feel right to go into a Smithsonian and just sit on the floor or sleep.  We wandered around for awhile and eventually had lunch, before deciding to make our way back to Union Station.  We had managed to spend enough time in the museum that many of the blockades had been taken down and we were able to get all the way down to the end of the mall,  before realizing the parade was still going on and that the street was still being used for people waiting to go into the parade.  We had to go through to the other side of the street, and cut through the Air and Space Museum, another old friend of mine.  Mike hadn't ever been so we walked around a little bit before we were all kicked out so they could set up for later events. [picture: the Mall, post-inauguration.  It's hard to tell, but the entire place was covered in trash, sadly.]

  We were able to walk really close to the Capitol after that and saw where all of the chairs were lined up, then made our way back to the train station.  This time, our walk was about 20 minutes (an estimate, since we made so many stops), compared to our earlier route that took 1-1.5 hours.  The train station was chaotic.  We saw people arriving in tuxedos and ball gowns, which, of course, made me quite jealous.  So many people were late for their trains (MARC) that they decided not to go by the times on tickets but instead by the numbers--so first train out goes at whatever time it gets out, then the second train goes, then the third...etc.  Well, we were supposed to be the last train out, originally scheduled for departure at 8:11.  The line was so long to get in to the area where you could get to the platform, we decided to sit down for a few minutes (which was hard to do, there wasn't much room!) then get in line around 7, and it moved very  fast, and then it turned out they didn't care what train you were scheduled for, they were just filling the trains and counting people--so we got on an hour early. 

We finally got back to Penn Station at 8:30 and caught the shuttle that runs between the Homewood Campus and JHMI.  I'm not exactly sure when I got back to my room, but I took a quick shower and then I was definitely in bed by 9:30.  It was an incredible day, one that I will never, ever forget, and I'm so glad to have been a part of it in the capital city where it was all taking place (even if I couldn't fully see everything).  I was cold, sore, tired, and cranky when I finally went to bed, but it was absolutely, positively worth it.