Hi everyone! I'm Yehalah and I'm a '26 coming all the way from Colombo, Sri Lanka. My academic passions lie in Energy Engineering and Environmental Studies. I am a first-generation and low-income student, actively involved with the community. I love to paint and read during my free time. I'm excited that you're here, and I hope you enjoy this account of my life at Dartmouth!
The sequel to Drawing 1! Undoubtedly harder, but definitely a great class. I can now say, with confidence, that I am able to paint a mango successfully.
The Sacred Architecture of Asia is one of the most incredible courses I have taken at Dartmouth! The course is primarily discussion-based, with Professor Seher explaining and initiating conversation about the course material.
My time in Germany has been rushing by. This week, we went on an excursion to Görlitz, a city along the Germany-Poland border. We left Berlin early in the morning and took a two-hour train to the city. When we reached Görlitz, it struck me how different the city looked from Berlin. The architecture and streets looked Parisian, and it was not crowded. We were met by a tour guide who guided us through the famous landmarks!
At every stop, we admired the preserved buildings and art surrounding us. Our tour guide constantly expressed how Görlitz is comparable to Paris, London, New York and all those "famous cities". He explained how Görlitz had been spared in the war as the armies mostly focused on Berlin. One of the most interesting things was to learn how Görlitz was a popular location for movie filming. The interior of the Grand Budapest Hotel was shot at Görlitz! Inglorious Bastards and The Book Thief were also filmed here. According to our guide, actors and actresses often visit Görlitz as it is less crowded and peaceful than other cities.
A very interesting looking house, with a map of the sun movements on the walls.
We even got to cross over the border to Poland! There was no stark difference across the border, but it was interesting to see the architectural shift. After our short visit, we took a train to see the "Bagger". This enormous bucket-wheel excavator was used to mine brown coal in East Berlin. A group of workers preserved it, and the public can now view it. We got a tour from one of them, who explained how this was used and showed us a video of it in motion. It is so enormous that I could not comprehend how it was operated. We climbed all the way to the top (not for the faint-hearted) and examined the different parts of this contraption.
At the top of the Bagger!
This entire excursion was fully funded by the Dartmouth study abroad program, including all tickets and transport. We were also given 20 Euros for lunch! Dartmouth partners with a local organisation that helps plan these outings. Study abroad programs are designed for immersion and include countless outdoor adventures!
In the Winter term of 2024, I composed and performed an hour-long, avant-garde concert as the culmination of the grant award. Here is more on my experiences with research as a musician.
