Three Weeks by Joonho K. '20

I’ve only been here for a few weeks, but ‘here’ already feels like home.

There are things I miss about real home too. Like my high school friends, or my mom’s cooking, or the generally lethargic mood of my old neighborhood. In regards to the latter, it is the exact opposite here at MIT. From my FPOP (Freshman Pre-Orientation Program) to Orientation to the first week of classes, I don’t think I’ve ever taken a day off to relax. Everywhere I turn my head, I see vibrant signs of life. People are painting glow-in-the-dark murals on blacklit walls. People are spinning poi lit on fire. East Campus is building a carousel and a gigantic wooden fort. People are diving into ball pits at Simmons. An upperclassman shows me how to slackline outside Kresge Oval.

I found myself returning to East Campus time and time again, and since I was temped here in the first place, I decided to stay. At first East Campus intimidated me, with its constant whirring of screwdrivers and construction and fire. But looking a little closer, it wasn’t hard to see that East Campus had a niche for everyone. There were video gamers and literary buffs, classical music lovers and EDM artists, introverts and extroverts, and everyone in between.

I like it here. I don’t want to leave. I love it here. IHTFP.

My name is Joonho, but I also go by Joon. This is an introduction of many senses and forms.

First, this is a literal introduction to this new blogging adventure. Hello! I certainly feel the impostor syndrome slightly creeping in, where I sometimes question my ability to share my experiences effectively with all you wonderful internet people. I hope this feeling goes away eventually.

Second, I am currently being introduced to MIT. Professors are quirky and funny and sometimes cringey. Dining hall food varies from pretty bad to pretty darn great, depending on how much travel distance along Memorial Drive you’re willing to invest. Building numbers weave in and out like needle and thread (7, 3, 10, 4, 8, 16, 26…), and staircases everywhere make me feel like a first year at Hogwarts. Everything seems and sounds so shiny and new, to the point where I couldn’t possibly see the magic of this place going away for me. This is the place I’ve dreamed of for most of my life, and deep inside I find a rare form of happiness that I’ve been waiting to feel for a very long time.

my 18.022 professor has a tally of how many mistakes he’s made ^_^;

At the moment, I’m sitting cross-legged on a floor of Maseeh with my FPOP friends. Everyone is working on their first problem sets of the year. My friend next to me is struggling with the same 8.01 problem I am. I think I’ll go help her right now. :)