Today, I share with you some experiences from living in Brooklyn, China and Hong Kong: three places that have shown and given me a greater appreciation of my own life and the meaning of home.
This summer, I had the opportunity to study abroad for two weeks in Germany. As a pre-med who’s always wanted to study abroad but has always had obligations preventing her (I’m looking at you, Organic Chemistry and Physics), I jumped for joy when I realized I’d found an interesting program that fit into my schedule and took me to a country I’ve always wanted to visit.
Little did I know that what I had crashed into was only the tip of the iceberg. Languages are a double-edged sword, enabling communication but also miscommunication. Another day presented another realization of how I was being misunderstood — or perhaps semi-understood.
If you are a cuisinomane (a Quebecoise amateur food connoisseur), look no further than this recipe of apple turnovers cherished across generations, made with many hands and ingredients chosen with love and enjoyed with family, old and new.
During my time in Cape Town, I was able to navigate the country of South Africa for six weeks with seven other Hopkins students. As I reflect on my time, I think about the memories I gained at CampusKey, the residential site I stayed at. CampusKey is home to many South African students studying at the University of Cape Town. There, I was able to be vulnerable and compassionate and, most importantly, learn from those around me. No matter if they were raised in the townships or in mixed (Coloured) communities, they treated us as family and welcomed us with open arms.
Coming to Hopkins as an international student during the pandemic, I really had no idea what to expect. We were still under some pandemic restrictions, especially on the Homewood Campus, and I had barely met anyone who would also be attending Hopkins that fall.
Spicy stir-fried squid is one of my favorite Korean meals – it’s a good pairing with rice, simple and heartfelt. This recipe is from my maternal grandmother. This squid dish is one of the many Korean dishes she made for a number of reasons: My dad is a seafood lover, the dish is diverse in ingredients and nutrition, and it’s a perfect blend of spicy and filling. To be completely honest, it was difficult for me to get this list of albeit simple instructions, because it was the first time she had to put into words something that had always been second nature to her.
Sharing my own South Korean culture and seeing how it fits in to the puzzle of the world has been a constant undercurrent both in my life and at my time here at Hopkins, and so I wanted to share some of my favorite pieces of Korean media with all you dear readers of this edition of The News-Letter’s Magazine.
I began my journey at Hopkins less than two months ago, and I find it hard to fathom how many new and rewarding experiences I got to add to my memory in merely these few weeks. It is, quite frankly, an absolute and extraordinary pleasure to be here. Dear Baltimore and Hopkins, thank you so much for having me.
Being African in the mid-2010s earned me rude comments on my appearance, my food and my way of communication. I used to evade inquiries into what I wore to Nigerian parties out of fear that people would see pictures and deem my clothes ugly.
As a Brazilian-American Jew, being Jewish is something that has always transcended my nationalities. I am American, and I am Brazilian, but before either of these things, I am Jewish.
If you told freshman-year me that I would be the editor-in-chief of my college newspaper, I would've looked at you in disbelief and questioned if you were talking to the right person.
Indulge your passing curiosities. If you have always liked going to museums, take an art history class. If you are passionate about feminism, take a class on reproductive rights. If you have ever wanted to know what torture feels like, take a physics class. Maybe what you learn will be useful, maybe it will not, but you will have fun. And I promise that one photography class is not going to ruin your chances at medical school.
First off, welcome to the Nest! As a freshman, you’re probably not even sure what you want to pursue yet or you might simply be feeling overwhelmed by all the possibilities you can take with your life and career path. As someone who’s tried it all — Pre-Med, Economics, Consulting, Marketing, Filmmaking, Engineering and much more — I can safely say that acquiring a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) is the end goal that I intend to achieve.
It’s no secret that Hopkins is well-known to most for its STEM fields: How often have you heard Hopkins and the humanities discussed in the same conversation off-campus? And yet, back in 1966, preluding the height of literary theory which would explode in the 70s and 80s, Johns Hopkins University hosted prominent thinkers like Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jacques Derrida, Paul de Man, Roland Barthes and Jacques Lacan for an international symposium.
Making friends in college can be one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of freshman year. The importance of college friendships is often emphasized by parents, family members, social media and more. It can be somewhat daunting to think of how influential these connections will be on your college experience, but don’t let “finding your people" stress you out too much. Here are three things to keep in mind as you kick off your first semester.
When I first heard about the First Year Seminar (FYS) program, I was not very excited. I viewed it as a class that unnecessarily took up three credits in my schedule, which I wanted to fill with a course from my major. Such was the case before I had perused any of the options.
I had a pretty fixed routine as a freshman: class, lunch at Hopkins Cafe (then FFC), more class, dinner (also at FFC) and hanging out with my friends in McCoy. Although I credit this routine with helping me settle in at Hopkins, sticking to the same thing day in and day out could get mundane. From picnics on the quad to student plays to a bouldering cave, the Homewood Campus has so much to offer!
I remember the summer before college when I was still scoping out my future through "A College Day in My Life" videos. I followed a YouTuber’s advice to make a four-year course schedule ahead of time. I spent hours researching classes, making a (seemingly) seamless schedule and imagining my life was all set — which now seems like a bit of a pipe dream. I've been humbled by the difficulty of some classes and the evolution of my interests — I’ve changed majors three times!
While much of your time at Hopkins may be spent in classrooms and office hours, the city of Baltimore is an underrated facet of the Hopkins experience. Luckily, you’ll have four years to discover the charm of the city. I highly recommend breaking the “Hopkins Bubble” and leaving campus when you can to engage with the rest of the city. This is a guide to many of the neighborhoods across the city to jumpstart your adventure through Baltimore.
