Study Hard, Party Harder

     Man, it's been a good while since I've posted on here. Time is flying by pretty quickly with everything that has been going on. Here at Hopkins, we're kind of in a testing period, so we've all got tests this week and next. I made it through chemistry and intro to neuro, thank goodness, and I only have to take Spanish and Italian tests now. I've realized how much I didn't learn to study in high school, and I'm really having to work on that.

     The great thing about Hopkins, though, is that they realize how tough schooling is. And so to prevent all the pre-meds from locking themselves down in D-Level in the library and killing themselves, they provide plenty of opportunities for stress relief and all-around fun. Last Tuesday, Jerry Springer came and spoke for us, then Thursday, we got to see Far East Movement in concert! It was so much fun. My friends and I were on the front row, right next to the stage. Proghress, the keyboard player, came right up to us and jumped on the crowd to crowd surf. I got to touch his converse, so I was pretty content. After the concert, because of some confusion, all of the students left the building, thinking that they could meet the band outside of the rec center. My friends and I stuck around, thanks to a tip from our awesome RA. We and about 50 other kids were the only people who got to meet the band. It was such a cool experience to meet someone "famous." I know I'll have many more opportunities like this going to Hopkins.

With Far East Movement!

     We finally got to have our Convocation (Condemnation) ceremony to officially start the school year. It was supposed to be held during Orientation week, but Hurricane Irene kind of messed up our schedule. The class of 2015 banner was presented, and we got to hear speeches from many members of the administration. It was pretty cool to have everyone dressed up sitting in a giant hall together officially beginning our schooling.

We're so fly!

     My friend Kallie and my roommate Will are both from the Baltimore area, so they know their way around town and know about cool things to go see. This past weekend, they took us around Hampden, a nearby town. Hampden has a yarn shop, and I've already been there 4 times. The lady who runs the yarn shop, Mrs. Sue Caldwell, gave me a 15% discount on my next purchase because of how many people I've brought into her shop. I felt so privileged. Will and Kallie also took us to a local farmer's market. It was probably one of the coolest things I've seen here so far. We found some people selling peaches; they were so ripe and juicy and delicious! I'm definitely going to be frequenting that venue. We also had fresh strawberry lemonade, which was absolutely fantastic.

DELICIOUS

  This weekend, I get to head to Texas to see my half-sister Carmel get married! I will also get to see my family for the first time since leaving for college. September 19th marked 1 month of my being away from home. I'm not homesick yet, but I do miss my family and can't wait to see them. My grandparents will also be at the wedding, and I'm pretty excited to see them as well. I may even get to visit my best friend who's going to school at UT Austin! So I'm pretty pumped for this weekend.

     So, there's my update for the time being. I've got to get back to actually paying attention to the rest of this  chemistry lab lecture. But, after this, I get to eat, go bouldering, and go to a knitting club! This is the life.

So boring...

So fun!!!

College Has Begun, Now For Some Fun

Class of 2015!

     Woohoo! I successfully survived my first week of college. I've been busier than I expected to be this week, so I'm taking advantage of our Labor Day break. We've had many orientation events going on, not to mention classes started Monday, so already I've been trying to learn how to balance my social life with my academic one. This semester, I'm taking Chemistry I with a lab, Intermediate Spanish II, Italian I, and Intro to Neuroscience, and I'm pretty pumped about my schedule. We just do so much speaking in our Spanish class, so I really have to practice and catch up. After not taking Spanish last semester, my skills have kind of fallen behind.

     But, onto the fun stuff! Monday night, we had the O-A Capella show, where we got to listen to some of the coolest groups I've ever heard! One group, the Octopodes, made it to the quarter-finals last year in an international competition. They were truly fantastic. Afterwards, we gathered outside for a welcoming ceremony the upperclassmen set up for us called First Night. We were each given a candle and got to light the ever-burning flame of our education. It was a powerful experience to see every student standing on the quad each holding a candle, because we all knew it meant so much more than what it seemed.

First Night

     My friends and I spent the rest of this week studying, playing racquetball, going grocery shopping, learning to belay and rock-climb, studying, dancing at the Blue Jay Ball, attending student plays, sorting out our schedules and finding times to eat together, studying, destroying other teams at the Dorm Wars competition, attending a live showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and watching a hypnotist make my roommate Will and my friend Kishore dance, sing, and speak alien languages on stage. College is so busy, but it is definitely worth the sleep deprivation and hard work. I'm having the best time of my life here at Hopkins.

 Also, I'm famous!