A Beautiful Day at Johns Hopkins

The following is a post by Lester Kao, a junior Economics major and one of the coordinators for Asian Perspectives. UPDATE 4/11/2010: Registration is NOW CLOSED as all spots have been filled.

It’s another beautiful sunny day here at Johns Hopkins, with cherry blossoms and flowers in bloom, and lacrosse fans cheering at Homewood Field. I’m sitting here on “The Beach” in front of the MSE Library, typing this up as I chill in the sun and listen to Taio Cruz’s Break Your Heart on repeat.

Some of you maybe wondering why I am typing this post. I’m writing this just to give you a sense of the amazing student life here on-campus.

After kicking it with a friend in Washington, D.C. yesterday, watching “How to Train Your Dragon”, eating crepes, and checking out her new summer apartment (she’s a current freshman BME major who is going to do research this summer at the National Institutes of Health), I got back to Baltimore on the MARC commuter train (only 30 miles away) excited for the weekend.

The first few hours today did not disappoint. I woke up around 9am this morning, poured over my new copy of “The Economist” as I munched over a sumptuous bagel w/ lox and capers and a cup of coffee from Einstein’s Bagel (located next to the Charles Street Market – Hopkins’ convenience/grocery store). After breakfast, I decided to head to our amazing and modern rec center. It features something for everyone, from a top-notch weight-room, to a rock climbing wall, to swimming pool and indoor track. It truly is an amazing facility and I know during your time here at Hopkins, you’ll utilize it a lot. It’s open late almost every day and there’s even a wide range of classes you can take, from yoga and body toning to even Bhangra dance.

Anyway, after working out, I decided to call it quits to catch the start to the lacrosse game next door at Homewood Field. The stadium was packed as Hopkins fans were out in force to cheer on the Blue Jays as they took on the UNC Tar Heels. I left early (we ended up losing 11-7) but seeing a lacrosse game truly isn’t something to be missed as the energy is just electric. The atmosphere was downright festive as the JHU Pep Band led the “Nest” in song. It was a great start to my day!

After leaving Homewood Field early to grab lunch at Carma’s, a cute cafe across from campus and one of Baltimore’s best, I decided to sneak in some studying for the day. I am unique in that this semester, I am taking classes down in D.C. at the Hopkins D.C. Center and the School of Advanced International Studies and also doing an internship for credit in the United States Senate. I am doing all of this through the Political Science Department’s Aitchison Public Service Fellowship program (open to all majors). It’s a really fun program and you live in D.C. for the semester, so I highly recommend it!

Taking advantage of the great weather, I decided to study outside! That’s where I am right now. Laying in the sun with hundreds of other Hopkins students on “The Beach” (a grassy knoll in front of the MSE Library), typing this article, and reading a few papers for my trade class. That’s been my day so far, but it’s far from over

In an hour I’ll be up and running again. There’s just so much to do at Hopkins! I’ll be participating in a Guitar Hero Tournament to raise money for charity, I’ll have to catch the Collegetown shuttle to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for dinner tonight, and later in the evening, I’ll be going to my friend’s place for a house party. Student life is vibrant at Hopkins and hopefully in a few weeks, when you arrive for Asian Perspectives, you’ll have an opportunity to see that Hopkins is not all about academics, it’s about friendships and having fun!

If you are interested in seeing for yourself just how dynamic the Johns Hopkins experience is and to live it up as a Hopkins student, register for Asian Perspectives (Update 4/11/10: Registration has closed as all spots have been filled).

I hope my recap of today’s events so far gives you a brief picture of the thousands of things you can do at Hopkins and in the Baltimore/D.C. area every weekend

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