Gabriel Gilbert

First Snowfall and Why I Love Finals

Right before finals week, I had the privilege of experiencing my very first Dartmouth snow day. The upperclassmen tell me it's going to get old fast, but as someone who's never lived in New England, I couldn't help but snag a few pictures like all of my friends who were seeing snow for the first time (I'm talking to you, LA-dwellers). 

Couldn't help but finesse a golden hour snapshot...

In a week from the time I'm writing this post, I'll be leaving for Winterim — what Dartmouth calls the space in between Fall and Winter terms, which actually lasts longer than a month! I have a longer holiday break than any of my friends and so I'm already trying to figure out ways to stay occupied (one way, of course, by staying touch with you lovely people). 

We're big winter guys, big fans

But in just a few days I'll be heading into study mode to prepare for my finals. In a stark difference from my high school, the finals I have at Dartmouth are very diverse. One of my final exams is a typical test like those I took in high school, and is for my Introduction to Linguistics (LING.001) class. My other exams consist of a digital media project for my Indigistory (NAS.30.19) class, which I'm designing to focus on the Mauna Kea crisis in Hawaiʻi, and an essay for my Authenticity (WRIT.005) class that lets me blend my love for creative writing with a research component. Studying for finals is quickly taking the shape of switching between making funny noises to practice transcribing words into the International Phonetic Alphabet for Linguistics and remixing music to add to my Indigistory mini-documentary. For once, I don't mind. 

Something I didn't expect this term was how closely I've been able to interact with my professors. In just ten weeks, I've shared more meals and coffee between my three professors than I shared with all of my teachers throughout high school. I've had coffee from KAF with Clara Lewis, my professor for Authenticity, and we've dissected and talked through my essays a handful of times now. I've attended a Linguistics "Happy Hour" at the Salt Hill Pub and eaten nachos and French fries not only with David Peterson, my professor for Intro to Linguistics, but with the entire Linguistics Department faculty. The morning of my writing this post, I went out to breakfast with Professor Gordon Henry of my Indigistory class at Pine. It's incredible how quickly I've gotten to know about them and their work, and I've learned so much. Just another unforeseen fact of Dartmouth Life that would've made my choice that much easier. 

The sun was being dramatic and this ended up way more J.J. Abrams-esque than I anticipated with the lens flare, but it's, like, cool

I was able to enroll in my classes for Winter term just a couple days after the first snowfall, and I couldn't be more excited. I'll be taking Historical Linguistics, a class that looks at how languages have evolved over time, Indigenous Borderlands, a History and Native American Studies class that looks at the rich history around the Native American tribes that live on different borders, and my First-Year Seminar (a mandatory class you take during your freshman year that focuses on research into a specific topic after your mandatory writing class) on Belonging, Migration, and Exile. These were exactly the classes I wanted and I already know a few of my best friends will be in the same classes which is only increasing my hype.  

I'm so excited to blog over Winterim and keep you guys updated on my Winterim shenanigans. In the meantime, stay warm for me. Mahalo for reading!