Without a doubt, Spring Fair was the perfect start to a hectic exam week. I had never gone to a university fair in Turkey, and there hadn’t been many at my high school, so I had high expectations for my first Spring Fair (and Hopkins’ 53rd). Thankfully, Hopkins lived up to my expectations.
I want to start by expressing something I believe is crucial: THE FOOD WAS AMAZING! I have a terrible habit of being a fussy eater. Trust me on this. My buddies and I got the Neighborhood Bird bun from Ekiben, and it was possibly the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
Since Maryland is known for its crabs, I was excited to finally eat my first crab cake sandwich before the semester ended. I was also thrilled I could try fried Oreos again. This experience brought back memories of the fried Oreos I had at the renowned Ray’s Candy Store during my trip to New York a few months ago.
The art market on Wyman Quad was undoubtedly one of the festival’s highlights. My favorite part was, of course, the stand with the vinyl albums. I want to thank my good buddy Belgin, who is a huge lover of Norah Jones, for introducing me to it. The fact that I bought my first record for my vinyl player, which I got at a very reasonable price from a Goodwill near campus, from Hopkins brings me a separate joy.
I highly recommend seeing the Aerial Circus Club. After spending my first week at Hopkins exploring the clubs, I became interested in this group. I could not help but be impressed by the club members’ performances again during the Fair. Since I’m not too flexible, I’m pretty sure executing all those exercises would destroy my legs.
And now we’re coming to perhaps the most hyped parts of the fair: the concerts and magnificent fireworks!
As someone who had never before listened to either Cheat Codes or Flo Milli, I still had an incredible evening with the energy of my friends and the artists—even if I didn’t know the song lyrics. Thanks to all the Blue Jays’ and musicians’ enthusiasm, the concerts were among the most fun moments I’ve had in spring semester. After the show, I went to Charles Street Market with my friends to grab something to eat and sat at the tables in the Wolman’s garden. Suddenly, we witnessed the spectacular fireworks. They caught us off guard, so we immediately rushed to the Beach. Our eyes were mesmerized by this beautiful sight, and our ears—which were already tired from the concert—were now filled with the sound of fireworks. That night, we all fell asleep hearing ringing sounds until our alarms woke us.
As an international student, I had an amazing first experience at Spring Fair. I plan to apply to volunteer next year as I recently discovered I like planning events students can enjoy. I want to give some advice to anyone who hasn’t attended Spring Fair yet: Carrying earplugs will be much more useful than carrying a selfie stick!
