Hi everyone! I'm Estelle, a '23 from Seattle, WA. When not in class you can find me perusing every shelf at Left Bank Books, getting fresh bread at Umpleby's Bakery, spending time with friends, looking for a cup of coffee, and listening to music. I am a member of the Entrepreneurship LLC and a few on-campus clubs focused on service, mental health, and business. I work part-time at the Magnuson Center, most of the time on homework, and full-time at navigating this new world that is Dartmouth!
It's difficult not to think about snow at the moment. A quarter-turn of my head toward the window affords a view of a million snowflakes. The flurries are so free and full they suggest far more to come. Already the ground is obscured, snow swirling in a wintry embrace that gently demands attention. By shifting my focus toward the soft white drifts, the floating flakes turn my thoughts away from other things.
I'll be honest: returning to Dartmouth in freshman winter carries not so much the tang of adventure as the knowledge of beginning a second ten-week journey. The freshman class, a bit more seasoned this time around, seemed at first to lack the bustling energy of fall. Rather, we've taken a few days to adjust to our return, to Dartmouth as our intermediate home and this winter as our new environment.
Remember in Narnia, when Lucy convinced her siblings to follow her through the wardrobe, at which point she had already visited the wintry wonderland and was a tad wiser about her surroundings? Less enamored and ready to explore?
Lucy, you're a girl after our own hearts.
A Narnia-esque lampost on campus
Dartmouth is a veritable winter wonderland full of fun people and crammed with equal parts studying and merriment. But when I first arrived back on campus, I cherished every hour of sunlight and thought constantly of home. My first day of classes was spent reminding myself how to study. Slightly restless, I wondered whether I had done right in returning, or whether winter term was impossible. What if I wasn't smart enough? Or I'd stopped caring about schoolwork? Or I was no longer cut out to be here? You get the idea. I had springtime on my mind and hadn't yet found my academic footing.
And then came the snow. Despite a sunny morning, campus was hidden under snowflakes upon snowflakes by afternoon. More pressing than my need for a hat was the realization that the snow came just as I began to feel more comfortable with returning. It swirled around me, reminding my senses of the season… and my mind of the task at hand.
Cue the metaphor. I'm sure you've received brochures reminding you of Dartmouth's "profound sense of place." And it's true. Being at Dartmouth, similar to being surrounded by snow, turns my attention to my surroundings. The snow offers a visual example of Dartmouth's effect: it is a catalyst for focus, a renewed sense of gravity and purpose which fortifies students for another term.
So here we are, snow and all, hopeful as we return our minds to textbooks, lectures, friendships, and Dartmouth itself.
As a southerner, my biggest concern about Dartmouth was how I was going to cope with the cold. Luckily, I have a lot of friends that are also excited to embrace the snow with me, so I wanted to share how we've been enjoying winter term so far!
Being in West House means Tuk-Tuk dinners and fun house events almost every week, but this month it also means having the opportunity to join West House's Intramural (IM) basketball team.
I've taken to sitting and watching, treating myself to the slowness of green tea and silence of an uninterrupted morning. But that's one of the best things about college—it offers ample moments for reflection.
The idea of Dartmouth's unlimited snow used to be intimidating, but the past two weeks have been full of peaceful coexistence between students and seasons like no other. Winter's here and we love it.
As cliché as it sounds, students walking in small hat-topped flocks, laughing through brisk air, is a sport we take seriously around here. And it's one of the best ways to stay warm.
This term, I stacked my schedule, so all my classes meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In this blog post, I will take you through a typical day of classes for me at Dartmouth.
I am a creature of habit animated by twenty hobbies and a continuous supply of mocha-infused espresso drinks, armed with the sleep schedule of a demigod. That being said, I've yet to step foot inside a Greek house.
A Narnia-esque lampost on campus
