Hello, and welcome to my neck of the woods! My name is Brendilou Armstrong, and I am a '26 hailing from the cornfields and grassy plains of Western Nebraska. This year, I plan to involve myself in The Dartmouth and WebDCR (Dartmouth College Radio). I couldn't be more excited to set out on this expedition through college alongside all of you. Thanks for visiting my page!
As I near my eighth week of being a Dartmouth student, I prepare for two more weeks of my first-year fall and reflect on an eventful weekend where I experienced both Homecoming and Halloween back-to-back at the College on the Hill!
My weekend started Friday night with temporary tattoos and face paint at the Cube for School House's spirit station. Here, the first-years of School House gathered to celebrate our first Dartmouth Homecoming with music, candy, and anticipation for the house parade and bonfire to immediately follow. I personally spent this time applying silver and blue glitter onto my friend's faces and reconnecting with peers I had met during Orientation Week (which was ten weeks ago now… wow!).
My friends and I at the Cube's spirit station!
After about an hour of eating pizza and lounging on the Cube's soft, brightly-colored couches, the time had come for School House to join the ensuing house parade. This parade, among many other events, is a Dartmouth tradition each Homecoming season to lead up to the legendary bonfire and features the 26s (first-years) specifically. As we walked to each of the first-year dorms to "pick up" the remaining houses, a sense of overwhelming pride filled me as we trekked across campus, the Class of 2026 sharing a level of excitement for the bonfire and the activities to follow the next few days.
Twenty minutes later and the entire first-year class finally neared the Green, spying large clouds of smoke and flames billowing from the wooden structure at its center. Here, we walked one lap around the bonfire, signaling yet another Dartmouth-specific tradition to celebrate the spirit of Homecoming.
The Homecoming bonfire!
Afterwards, the Halloween festivities began as I joined a group of friends to get ready in costumes for a night of fun at Sarner Underground's Bonfire Embers Dance Party. As unnecessarily extra as it may seem, I chose three this year: Veronica Lodge from Riverdale, a dark angel, and Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's.
The next day, current students and alumni alike gathered at Memorial Field to watch the annual Dartmouth vs Harvard football game. Although it didn't end in our favor, I had so much fun showing my school spirit and cheering for the Big Green with my friends and fellow peers.
This year's Dartmouth vs Harvard football game at Memorial Field.
As I write this post the Sunday before Week 8, I end Homecoming-Halloweekend on a high note with a plethora of new memories and a stronger sense of Dartmouth pride.
While many people might associate cold, long, snowy winters with hardship, I've found that winter at Dartmouth is full of potential to be just as fun as other seasons.
In just a month, I went from a complete beginner to a proficient skier, smoothly making my way down the green and blue runs at Dartmouth Skiway. Read about my journey and how I made such rapid progress!
