Hopkins is a diverse university where an incredible mix of cultures, academic interests and personalities coexist and thrive. Here is the section where you can publish your unique thoughts, ideas and perspectives on life at Hopkins and beyond.
Have you ever called someone and when they picked up they said they were just thinking or talking about you? It is believed that if this happens to you then you will live a very long life.
When one of my best friends at Hopkins asked me, “How do you feel about Croatia for spring break?” I hesitated. Croatia? Why not Greece, or that Eastern Europe trip I’d been dreaming up for years? I knew next to nothing about Croatia. Dubrovnik sounded familiar, but even deciding which airport to fly into Croatia, seemed like a complex puzzle. Then, as I began to research Croatia, the mesmerizing images of waterfalls, old Roman walls, and cerulean blue waters of the Adriatic drew me closer and closer to its sea-lined borders. When suddenly it seemed as if the trip might not happen after all, I was crushed. I didn’t want Greece; I didn’t want Prague. I wanted Croatia. And against all odds, Spring Break 2014, Croatia, happened.
The weather is getting nicer. And you know what I look forward to the most? People being outside, hanging out on all of the quads. I better see everybody outside, lounging in the grass or tossing a Frisbee, and I better see it happen soon, for the sake of my own sanity.
Spring Break doesn't have to just be about beaches and parties; I spent my break checking out some of the concerts that New York City has to offer.
One of my favorite shows on TV right now, The Mindy Project, recently went on hiatus. To honor its return, I'd love to highlight the reasons why I have tremendously enjoyed watching this show thus far.
I’ve always loved the History Channel. There is just something about seeing history come to life, and understanding the context of current events.
It may be hard to believe, but April is actually the best month to be at Hopkins.
In my 19 years, I've learned a handful of lessons. I've found these to be the most important:
The comedian Billy Eichner has been one of my favorite people in Hollywood recently.
The first bite of crispy bacon. A cold shower in the middle of summer. An old song that you loved when you were younger suddenly playing on the radio. These feelings pretty much embody what spring break was for me.
Regardless of what you may have done for your spring break vacation, I’m sure any respite from the craziness that us Hopkins students call daily life was a welcome one.
An old mill property sits along the Jones Falls River and railroad tracks; a gravel parking lot surrounds the establishment. Down the street, Taharka Brothers scoops out ice cream and Union Craft Brewing unites water, barley, hops, and yeast. But inside this stone building, diners enjoy octopus carpaccio, artisan pizzas topped with house made cheeses and duck confit, and a beer list that speaks to the restaurant’s name, Birroteca.
Finding music on the Internet these days isn’t that hard. Besides iTunes, there are a plethora of online stores where one can purchase music. One of my favorite ones is Bandcamp, a website that allows musicians and labels to sell music, in both physical and digital formats, directly to their fans. Not only can you play entire songs instead of those 90-second samples, but you can also pick the type and quality of the digital file you want. That being said, there is still a huge amount of music available on the website, so finding something worthwhile is no easy task. Luckily, here are some LP’s/EP’s that you can find on the website are definitely worth the listen.
This is dedicated to all the people that told me that I shouldn’t be friends with seniors.
Okay, I get it. Rap really isn’t what it used to be.
As consumers continue to build resistance to traditional advertising in response to the excess advertising clutter that plagues public and private spaces, fashion brands have proceeded to devise innovative guerrilla marketing tactics aimed not only at capturing attention and creating positive word-of-mouth advertising, but at drawing this positive buzz into the realm of social media, where messages not only have the potential to reach an infinite number of target consumers, but can reach them in a matter of seconds.
I went to an Oscar party last Sunday that was truly a blast. All I could think of was how different it was than when I was a kid, when I would get so upset because my parents didn't let me stay up until the end of the show. Now, I'm old enough to pretend that I saw all of the movies and make seemingly well-informed commentary about how Leo has never won an Oscar. I learned that the best way to watch the Oscars is with a big group of some of your snarkiest friends. Round them all up and be merry: it's bound to be a good time.
Whether they’re athletes, cool European transfer students or that couple of kids who are actually from Maryland itself, we have such a diverse range of students here at Hopkins. We don’t always get the chance to live with or befriend people from the other side of the world, or even just from across the country, so it’s great that we can spend these four years here expanding our social circles and just meeting really cool people. What’s more amazing, though, is that even with all this variety present around us, there are always these certain few types of people that we are all bound to run into at least at one point of our college years.
There’s a certain time of the night when Puerta del Sol, located at the heart of Madrid, truly earns its name. On summer days in Sol you can see the last glimmer of the sun flicker through the red-roofed buildings, tracing people’s shadows as they make their way up Calle Montera to Gran Vía, Chueca, and Malasaña, or down Calle Correo to La Latina and Lavapíes. In the early winter, the plaza brims with mechanical light as people meet up under the golden metallic Christmas tree, exchanging the typical double kiss. Like the sun it’s named for, everything orbits around “Sol,” the soul and centerpiece of Madrid.
