A Day of 22S!
I've been working on the blog team for an entire two terms already, but have yet to share what a day in my life as a Dartmouth student is like! Below, I will outline how I spent last Monday here on campus during the second week of my spring term!
Every morning, I set two alarms. One at 7:29, and one at 7:30 (the 7:29 alarm gives me the opportunity to enjoy 1 more minute of sleep until I start my day). Usually, Dartmouth classes don't start this early in the morning; however, my Arabic class is every day at 9:05, so I wake up early to make sure I have time to shower and get ready for my day. After I'm done getting dressed and prepared for the day, I like to read a chapter from a novel I'm reading. As an MES major, understanding Arab literature is really critical to understanding the politics, culture, and society of a region. Before heading out of my dorm, I usually like to scroll through TikTok to relax before a busy day.
My Arabic class starts at 9:05 AM. The class is really tiny, with only about 8 people; therefore, the exercises are really interactive and my questions can be immediately answered. In class, activities like grammar reviews, vocabulary practice, and presentations on different cultural aspects in the Arab world are really common. Today, we had a lecture on Ramadan's cultural significance to the Muslim world, as the season of fasting began last Saturday. Overall, this is one of my favorite classes and I'm really lucky to have the opportunity to take Arabic at Dartmouth.
After Arabic, I went to the main campus cafe (Novack) to grab breakfast and read for a little bit. My professor from last term translated "I Do Not Sleep" by Ihsan Abdel Kouddous into English, so I wanted to enjoy the book before the term gets too busy. I ordered a sausage, egg, and cheese sandwich and did my Arabic homework for the day right after class to get it out of the way. At around 11, I went back to my dorm to play a game of League of Legends with a friend from high school (who actually goes to Boston University!). Video games are a great way to continue building friendships from back home.
After that, I did some readings for my Arab Political Thought class. This is a tough class with very dense readings, so it takes me a while to get through the material and take effective notes. After notetaking, I went to FOCO (the main dining hall) to eat a little bit before my second and final class of the day, history of Arabic language.
This class began at 3:30 and lasted until 5:20, so it's definitely a long one. Studying the history and evolution of Arabic is really interesting, and I can't wait to learn more in the course! After the class, me and a classmate called some friends to come to the green and we played with a frisbee for a little bit, before getting pasta dinner from Collis Cafe.
After that, we went to study in the new building on campus (Irving), which is really nice! I didn't have much work to do, so I went back to my room and watched Netflix until I went to sleep at about midnight.
This is a pretty accurate look at what a regular weekday at Dartmouth looks like for me; it's definitely not easy, but it's not impossible either!