Hello, Eda here: full-time learner, part-time writer, and pretty much a happy amateur at everything else. My hobbies include reading, discovering new movies, and looking at the pictures of my cat. On campus, you can find me peer supporting for the Mental Health Union and SAPA, writing for Spare Rib, doing research in psychology, or listening to Turkish & English alt-rock. Feel free to ask me about taking a gap year, transitioning to a new cultural space, or college in general!
What do a teddy bear, a carved pumpkin, and a bat-shaped marshmallow have in common?
Absolutely nothing. And that is precisely the magic of the house events at Dartmouth.
Let me explain!
At Dartmouth, every first-year student is randomly assigned to one of the six house communities, and they live on first-year floors with their house members unless they participate in a living-learning community. Regardless of where they live, every student can attend house activities, have access to house centers, and be as involved in their house community as they like. As a member of the Allen House, I live in Bissell Hall with other first-year Allen house members. There are more first-year "Allenites" who live in other freshmen dorms. For instance, we share a common room with first-years who live in Cohen Hall. There are many ways to interact with your house members, one of them being house events.
Some of the activities Allen House has organized so far are tie-dye, jewelry making, movie nights, dinner at Moosilauke Lodge... Not to mention Zuki the therapy dog's weekly visits at the Cube (Allen & School House Center) and Sundays in Streeter snacks. You cannot possibly attend all of these events due to time conflicts with other extracurriculars or your class schedule, but you will most likely have a chance to participate in at least one. Here are some of the events I have attended so far!
A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Cube for the Build Your Own Teddy Bear Event. There was a single question on my mind: How does one build a bear anyway? It turns out you just stuff the cotton into a teddy bear that has already been built. It was surprisingly therapeutic and a perfect opportunity to meet other stuffed animal enthusiasts.
Speaking of novel experiences, I have joined a pumpkin carving contest for the first time. To be honest, undertaking such a project would never cross my mind if my floormate Jamie, who has also never carved a single pumpkin in her life, didn't ask me to join her on this adventure. Luckily, our floormate Nicholas had experience in carving pumpkins, and Ore joined us in learning how to make something beautiful out of a common vegetable. Here's a picture of our artistic creation:
Our owl pumpkin carving!
My favorite house event so far has been the candy-making class I attended at Red Kite Candy, which is a local candy store in Hanover. We have learned how to make marshmallows, caramel apples, and candy bars. I have made extra marshmallows in the shape of leaves, bats, and pumpkins for my friends. We now have all the snacks we need for a hot chocolate party/movie night that we will host in our common room.
One of my greatest privileges at Dartmouth has been learning from Professor Ed. Miller of the History and Asian Studies departments. Read on to learn more about why he is my favorite professor!
The Sri Lankan New Year falls on the 13th and 14th of April, a time for plenty of celebrations and family time. At Dartmouth, I keep these traditions with my friends and celebrate a part of home every year!
