Olá! Welcome to my Dartmouth experience. My name is Adrian and I'm a '25 originally from Harare, Zimbabwe. I have an unquenchable thirst for tech, sustainability, economics, and nature, so I'm really looking forward to majoring in something that amalgamates the four—maybe a modified engineering major. Who knows? NOT ME. When I'm not attempting problem sets or reading Things Fall Apart, you can find me all over campus, exploring hidden gems and flooding my phone with random pictures.
Some of you planning to attend Dartmouth as international students may be thinking, "How will I celebrate the family weekend at Dartmouth?" Isn't it something I need a family for? How will my family get to Dartmouth from the far ends of the earth? Don't worry. This article is for you.
Family Weekend is a weekend of activities organized by students in collaboration with the Collis Center for Student Involvement and with support from Family Giving and Engagement to allow current students' parents, families, and supporters to visit Hanover and experience Dartmouth life. You don't need a family to enjoy Dartmouth's Family Weekend because "family" isn't limited to people who are biologically or genetically related to you.
Me (right), Kwabena (left), and Francisca (middle) in the Hood Museum
During Family Weekend, you can do everything from touring The Hood Museum of Art's fascinating Native American exhibit to watching a student production of The Tempest at The Hopkins Center for the Arts, to seeing Gioachino Rossini's two-act opera at the Lebanon Opera House, to seeing Dr. Strange at the Nugget Theaters, to simply walking around Occom Pond.
Justine (middle) as King Claudius in Hamlet
This spring term, I spent Family Weekend with Francisca's family, a good friend of mine. Her family is from Nigeria, and she and her family are a happy bunch. With the help of Kwabena, one of my Ghanaian friends, I was able to give them a tour of Dartmouth. We discussed a variety of topics, including college life and what it means to be a Dartmouth student. We also delved into the various aspects of our respective cultures. We visited Dartmouth's crown jewel, The Hood Museum of Art, and then proceeded to 53 Commons, where I had to introduce them to my favorite snack, the famed Foco cookie. We concluded the day by seeing a performance of Hamlet starring Justine, my Hollywood-bound Kenyan friend.
"What even is a First-Year Trip?" Leading up to my trek into the wilderness, I did not expect to be immersed in campus culture and community nearly as much as I was. This is my First-Year Trips experience with D751: Cabin Camping and Performing Arts!
In honor of my first month at Dartmouth, I want to provide excerpts from my journal, hopefully lending a condensed understanding of how I am settling into Dartmouth.
The Hopkins Center, also known as the Hop, has some great chances for watching and listening to the arts! I had my first experience with the Hop during my first week of classes.
