Each week, I make it a point to do something fun on campus, from the extracurriculars that I am involved in to my day-to-day life. One of my favorite things about Hopkins is its size. Although there are 5,600 undergraduate students on the Homewood campus, I manage to randomly run into friends throughout the day between classes, in the Bloomberg Student Center, or enjoying the weather outside. I absolutely adore turning a corner and seeing a friend walking towards me. These little moments from quick greetings and spontaneous conversations always leave me smiling for a bit after they happen. Half of the time I run into friends on campus, we end up doing something together. We might head to a cafe to talk or wander around campus in search of dogs (there are many!).
Outside of spontaneous meetups with friends throughout the week, I tend to have scheduled hangouts with friends over the weekends. Recently, we celebrated Chinese New Year with the Chinese Students and Scholars Association gala in our performance hall, Shriver Hall. The weekend after the performance, a group of us got together to make dumplings at one of the apartment complexes a block away from campus. It was so incredible to be able to share a piece of my home culture with those I love at Hopkins. We were able to show each other how we learned to make dumplings and share a hearty meal to celebrate the new year!
I have found that fun is easy to create. Even during finals season, a close friend, Dua, and I always take a day to bring our studies to DC and explore our neighboring city. Yes, we do work and prep for exams, but the trip is mainly dedicated to trying new restaurants or finding the most aesthetic places in the city, according to Instagram. Last semester, we ended up eating at a delicious Uyghur restaurant and driving through the cutest neighborhood with string lights everywhere.
Whether it’s through unexpected run-into-my-friends moments throughout the week, small hangouts like dinners and cooking, or more planned, all-day events like my DC trips, I have found my Hopkins experience is characterized by joyful shared memories with those around me.
