23X: Favorite Moments
As sophomore summer draws to a close, I wanted to look back on my favorite moments from the first off-term I have spent in the US. Here are my top three!
Collective Rage by Displaced
During one of the weekends I visited campus, the student-run contemporary theater company Displaced, which I am a part of, performed their summer show: Collective Rage. I could not contribute to the production because it was my off-term, but it was fun and intriguing to watch a performance by the company and imagine what the production process was like. It was also the second production they have put on an actual stage in the new theater space Dartmouth created during the construction of the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties by Jen Silverman narrates the lives of five different New York women to explore the themes of sexuality, violence, and artistic expression. Beyond all else, the play has a great sense of humor, and I could tell that the production team had a great time putting it on stage. I look forward to being part of and watching Displaced productions!
Museum of Fine Arts and other Boston excursions
Because I was working in Boston over the summer doing a Dartmouth Center for Social Impact internship, I had plenty of time to discover the city. For instance, one evening after work, I went to a Turkish restaurant and a Turkish market to buy food for one of my Turkish friends on campus. Afterward, I visited a bookstore to buy some books. My favorite excursion was to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which is a 3-minute walk away from the Massachusetts College of Arts and Design, where we stayed in Boston. Dartmouth has a membership with the Museum of Fine Arts, which means students get free tickets to see the museum. I spent a few hours visiting the galleries I was interested in the most. The contemporary art galleries were my favorite. I still have a ton to explore in Boston, but I will come back to the Museum of Fine Arts!
Saturdays on campus
My weekend visits to campus during my internship kept me mentally and physically healthy. My favorites were Saturdays. I would get boba with my friend who is taking two studio art classes right now. We would drink our boba in her study, as she walked me through her newest art projects. In the evenings, my partner and I would drive to nearby Upper Valley restaurants we had not been to. Afterward, I would build Lego sets as he finished his homework for the weekend. Some weekends, we would go watch a movie, such as Barbie that we saw in the Nugget Theater in Hanover, or attend an on-campus event, such as the Displaced Theater show.
In summary, I had a great time this summer on and off campus thanks to the opportunities Dartmouth provides. After spending a few weeks back home in Turkey, I will be in London for the fall term for the English & Creative Writing study abroad program at Queen Mary's. Stay tuned until then!