Arrived at JHU

Kalan Walmsley

Hello Johns Hopkins! I have arrived at my new place of study for the coming year and I couldn’t be more excited. This is my second blog post on my exchange from EPFL to Johns Hopkins University for the final year of my Bachelor’s degree. In case you missed the first one, you can find it here.

I couldn’t ‘not’ pose in front of the sign

The trip here was pretty straightforward: I flew out from Zurich to Washington D.C. where I stayed one night, then took the Amtrak to Baltimore. I was lucky to be accompanied by my Dad for the whole journey – he’ll be staying with me for the first week.

My Dad and I in the plane
A view of Zurich airport from the plane
Washington Dulles airport
The metro ride into Washington
Union Station
Our train

I was very excited to discover the campus I’d be studying in for the next year, as well as where I’d be staying. It turns out I am sharing a flat with Ghassan and Isalis, two of my friends from EPFL, as well as Carla from Sciences Politiques Paris. JHU manages the accommodation for their exchange students so it’s by chance that the four of us will be roommates. I think it worked out quite nicely ^_^

Me, Ghassan, and Isalis posing
Ghassan, Isalis, and I appreciating the birds
Me, Isalis, and Ghassan in front of Gilman Hall on the Homewood campus
Me, Isalis, Carla, and Ghassan eating our first meal together
Me, Isalis, and Carla bemused by Ghassan’s explanations

The Homewood campus is wonderfully green. The red brick buildings, interspersed by verdant lawns and benevolent trees make for a quite whimsical place. The air conditioning everywhere is a little harsh, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it. I look forward to exploring it more thoroughly.

Me in front of Gilman Hall

In a few days, the exchange student orientation will begin. Until then, I count on exploring Baltimore and preparing for the upcoming semester. See you then!