Settling in at JHU

Kalan Walmsley

Last time, we left off when I had just arrived at my flat in Baltimore. Quite a lot has happened since then! This week was the visiting exchange student “orientation”. The aim is to present Johns Hopkins to exchange students and also give us an opportunity to meet each other. We’re a group of 20 students from universities in China, Japan, Singapore, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and of course Switzerland.

Monday 󰂎

Visiting exchange student orientation started Monday with a series of presentations on various aspects of being an exchange student and studying at JHU. It wasn’t all administrative, the topics included cultural highlights of living in Baltimore, some of the services provided to students by JHU, and undergraduate research opportunities. Near the end of the day, we toured around campus to get a feel for where the different buildings are.

The exchange student cohort

Tuesday 󰁺

The following day began with a “public safety walk”. Baltimore sadly does not have the kindest reputation. The purpose of this walk was to raise awareness on how to stay safe and what to look out for when navigating through the city.

Me, Isalis, Ghassan, Carla, and the other exchange students on our way
Me laughing my face off because Officer Rex noticed my Dad taking pictures

The walk also brought attention to some of the safety features JHU put in place for their students. For example, I was surprised to learn that 117 of these emergency call stations were placed all around the campus.

A JHU emergency call station

For the rest of the morning, we met up with some full-time JHU students who talked about how it is to study there. There was a final presentation before we had lunch. A second walk was organised for the afternoon to discuss certain places of interest like the farmer’s market, a book store, the grocery stores, among others.

In the evening I met up with almost all of the exchange students to watch Everything Everywhere All at Once.

A nicely crowded media room

Wednesday 󰁼

Wednesday was a quiet day. Our flat took care of some administrative tasks we had been putting off. We also went grocery shopping and cooked.

No $hoot Zone on the way to the grocery store   (Thank you Ghassan for the picture)
A very convenient Indian shop in the neighbourhood

Thursday 󰁾

A mixer event was held at lunch with the visiting international students (e.g. me) and international degree-seeking students. The latter are students from abroad doing their entire program at JHU, not just an exchange. That evening, we decided to have a barbecue all together. I had a blast!

A wonderful evening

Friday 󰂀

Near lunch some of us visited the Baltimore Museum of Art which is right next to campus. The calm meditation of visiting an art museum was superseded by the bustling pulsations of a baseball stadium. The Baltimore Orioles were playing the Houston Astros at Camden Yards. As someone who barely had a grasp of the rules walking in to the stadium… What a game! It had its ups and downs, but I was lucky enough to witness a grand slam (all bases occupied + home run) on my first game.

Camden Yards
Much orange
Much more orange

Saturday 󰂂

There is a farmer’s market from 08:00 to 12:00 right by where I live. It made for a lovely start to the day.

The Waverly farmer’s market

Our group of exchange students got invited to a “darty” (day party) in the neighbourhood. It was certainly an interesting experience and my thanks to the host. I had fun, but I think one time was enough for me.

The weather was lovely
A street in the area

Sunday 󰁹

In the evening I went to the freshmen convocation. This is the official ceremony to welcome new university students to JHU. I must admit that as a “senior” (last year of Bachelor’s) it felt a little strange to relive that first welcome. The experience was quite surreal with the speakers all wearing robes, entering and exiting the stage in a parade with music playing. They definitely know how to put on a good show!

A view of the stage
The buffet rush
Blue is the answer
Class of 2028!

I am looking forward to starting my courses and to properly begin my exchange year. I have a feeling I am going to have fun ^_^. See you soon!