Wednesday, March 13, 2019

From Shanghai Lu to Massachusetts Ave

Hopkins-Nanjing Center Certificate + Johns Hopkins SAIS MA students reflect on their student life experiences in Nanjing and DC.

“In my experience, life in DC tends to be more fast-paced than in Nanjing. In DC, there are multiple events going on every day at Johns Hopkins SAIS, nearby think tanks, and other places; you sometimes have to pass up opportunities because there’s so much going on. Life at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center offered a bit more time to do things like take an evening walk around the city with friends. Getting to experience both cities is one of the best parts of being a student at both the HNC and Johns Hopkins SAIS.”  - Brian Hart, HNC Certificate ’18, Johns Hopkins SAIS MA ’19 


“We were just talking the other day about how much we actually miss Uncle Pizza (a pizza restaurant in Nanjing).... It was great seeing a whole cohort of familiar Hopkins-Nanjing Center faces when I arrived in DC for the first week of classes — it has been great getting to know the greater Johns Hopkins SAIS community while having a close-knit group of classmates from Nanjing.”- Gwendolyn Snider, HNC Certificate ’18, Johns Hopkins SAIS MA ’19 



“My favorite thing about Hopkins-Nanjing Center, aside from gathering on the yangtai [balcony] or courtyard with my friends, was walking out of the gates and having everything within a block’s distance, whether it was the delicious baozi shop, the Taiwanese chicken restaurant, or my favorite Baijia chaoshi [supermarket]. Mass Ave/Johns Hopkins SAIS life is also great, but in a different way. I like that the campus is more spread out and I run into my friends walking from Nitze to Rome or when grabbing lunch in the Galley Cafe.” – Kimya Nia, HNC Certificate ’18, Johns Hopkins SAIS Master of International Economics and Finance (MIEF) ’19



“Life at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center included dou-jiang [soy milk] and jian-bing [savory pancakes]. Life at Johns Hopkins SAIS includes coffee and more coffee.” – Stephanie Eyocko, HNC Certificate ’18, Johns Hopkins SAIS MA ’20 



“What I miss about the HNC is the ability to learn Chinese at every second (even when I really didn't want to!) and having a different perspective literally at my doorstep, or even on the bed across the room from me, courtesy of my roommate.”- Naomi Garcia, HNC Certificate ’17, Johns Hopkins SAIS MA ’19 



“At Johns Hopkins SAIS, policy debates, academic research seminars and conferences are happening all the time. I have increased my knowledge and gotten a better understanding of the process of policy decision by going to these events. But I always miss the Hopkins-Nanjing Center community. I miss the times we shared different viewpoints on the latest news during lunch time and group classes organized and taught by my classmates.” - Jiahui Wang, HNC Certificate ’17, Johns Hopkins SAIS MA ’20 

Written By Tarela Osuobeni Hopkins-Nanjing Center Certificate’ 17 SAIS MA’19