Before coming to Baltimore, I had no empirical idea of what “seasonal” meant, as I spent my childhood and teenage years in Fuzhou and Los Angeles — two cities that seemed to have only hot days and not-so-hot days. I still remember how deceptive the weather felt during my freshman orientation week, so pleasant and fresh, until the savage winter made me surrender to gloves and ear muffs. Till today, my emotions still follow the weather. One day, the 80-degree temperature, hot air and glaring sunlight make my mood as light as a house music beat, and the other day, rain pours down, and my heart retracts to a bluish, contemplative envelope. But there is something beautiful I’ve learned in living here: to cherish the cherry blossoms and the tulips as they bloom and to feel the softness of snowflakes under my boots before they harden into ice.
Familiarity with a city certainly isn’t just knowing the weather. By now, I am well-versed in the landscape of Baltimore. If travelers asked me for the must-visit restaurants or neighborhoods, I could give them a 10/10 pitch. But that wasn’t the case two years ago: I used to take a Lyft to get to my friend’s apartment at Hopkins House, and I didn’t know how to walk to the nearest Giant until my third year, after I broke free from the shackles of meal plans. I don’t remember when the feeling of distance changed. Now I feel pretty comfortable walking a mile and a half to Hampden and sneaking a chance to pet the dogs I meet along the way — one gift I am proud to have is that dogs always seem to welcome me.
During my first two years, I could not stop complaining about how dull life in Baltimore was. Later I realized that I was the one making it that way. I needed to commit myself to some exploration. Initially, I always felt the urge to get something done. So whenever I went out with my friends or on dates, I’d Google to make sure the restaurants we dined at had a high four-out-of-five rating. I would do my make-up and dress in a photo-worthy way, just so I’d have something to post on Instagram. Obviously I am a foodie, so if you, my readers, want my true recommendations, my current favorites are Clavel and Tagliata with La Barrita and Ethel’s Creole Kitchen as honorable mentions. I am open to discussion and am always looking for new adventures.
Now, when I look back at myself at the time, I feel embarrassed about how vain I was, but I am glad that those outings became the material for my pieces during my time as the Leisure Editor for The News-Letter and the motivation to set up the column “Made in Baltimore.” The project gave me the chance to interview local business owners and to see how much care and passion they put into their establishments and how their undertakings constitute the diverse community surrounding us today.
During the remaining time of my senior year, senioritis has slowly grown on me. I’ve started to take a more laid-back, low-key approach to the city. I’ve made peace with the weeks I used to define as boring. I go to those absurdly abstract math classes, feel humbled by my genius classmates and then come back to get my grocery runs done. If I have extra time, especially after finishing midterms or projects, I might go to the plaza at the Rotunda with my friends to catch a movie at Warehouse Cinemas during late nights (usually after 7 p.m or 9 p.m.). Send Help, Hoppers, Project Hail Mary, The Drama… the list keeps growing. I’ve truly become comfortable with nights in Baltimore, where I used to feel a little insecure about staying outside after dark, but now it’s associated with a quiet warmth, as they were spent with friends I made here.
It is strange that people usually feel nostalgia only after they have already left a place and when they reminisce about the time they spent there. It’s true for me as well. There hasn’t been a palpable urge to cry because my time here is running low or a gripping intention to scroll through thousands of photos of Baltimore stored in my iCloud. I have been telling everyone that I am so excited to be graduating from Hopkins and saying goodbye to this city. But maybe one day I will start missing my time here. The people here. The collegehood and adulthood that all happened here. I do not know how long it will take, but I am waiting for that nostalgia to catch up with me.
Yuyu Huang is a senior graduating with a degree in Mathematics and Economics from Fuzhou, China. She is a former Leisure and Magazine Editor for The News-Letter.
