Gabriel Gilbert

Our first excursion was to a loʻi in eastern Oʻahu known as Hoʻokuaʻāina. Here, kalo (known as taro), is planted in the wetland style, submerged under water. As a nonprofit organization, Hoʻokuaʻāina employs local residents and teaches the local community about Hawaiian culture. Headed by Native Hawaiians, we learned about Hawaiian culture, heard stores that explained kalo's significance to the Hawaiian people, and even got involved in harvesting the kalo. We all ended up waist-deep in the muddy water of the loʻi, but got to harvest and weed alongside some incredible people. Couldn't have had a better introductory excursion for our DSP!

When we weren't learning Hawaiian or documenting Micronesian languages, we tried to spend as much time as possible exploring the island on our own. Coastline drives along scenic routes meant plenty of possible time spent finding the best views. This picture was taken at Laupāhoehoe on Big Island. The water was so clear, you could see fish swimming around at your feet. Additionally, it was a great time to bond with some of the other students, most of whom I'd never had a longer conversation with. I really enjoyed being able to meet my classmates and explore with them - amazing people who I'm glad aren't just friendly faces anymore!

One of our excursions was a guided tour of ʻIolani Palace, where we learned about some of the ruling chiefs and monarchs in Hawaiʻi. Because the palace was the residence of the monarchs Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, walking around their living quarters and learning about the different events and ceremonies that had transpired there was pretty surreal. Experiences like these where we get to see the places and people we've read about in person really empowered our learning experiences. For most of my life, I'd read about the palace and its residents in Hawaiian history, and yet to walk around a building that had electricity before the White House? Just incredible.

Even though the weather alternates nowadays between rainier days and beautiful ones, I think we've been blessed with some pretty gorgeous Saturdays. When the Green isn't dewy, my friends and I take a spikeball set (or rent one from the nearby Collis Student Center!) to play on the Green. I didn't know this game existed before coming to Dartmouth, but it's a ton of fun and if you're at all competitive, occasionally very infuriating. Especially when your friends are virtual spikeball gods and you can't score. 

At any rate, the Upper Valley is blessed with some incredible weather during this time of the year when it isn't raining, and there's no better time to let out some classroom stress through some serious dedication and energy to something that gets your blood pumping. It's nothing short of a wonderful time, always.

With mostly sophomores on campus, my friends and I compose the summer executive board for the Native community at Dartmouth this summer term — 21X is the abbreviation we use for this term, where 21 stands for 2021 and X stands for summer (S means spring). We meet every week to discuss potential plans and events and figure out fun ways for us to create spaces and events for our community, but also so that we can find ways to connect with other communities on campus. 

Because of Dartmouth's size as a school, and because of the passion among the student body about anything and everything community-oriented, whether cultural or linguistics or identity-based or interest-based, involvement is easy. If you're a driven, passionate individual who wants to jump into planning something substantive or organizing, there are so many spaces where that's possible. We're a bunch of sophomores running the show and it's going beautifully — never be afraid to get into leadership positions where your interests and affinities lie!

Dartmouth's proximity to the Connecticut River and so many other beautiful areas in the Upper Valley means that if you're into anything water-related — canoeing, kayaking, fishing, or even just swimming — you're in luck. My friends and I organized a river float for the Native community just a weekend ago from my writing this post, and it was such a great way to cool down and enjoy some serious sunlight. A weekend before that, my friends and I took a little, brief roadtrip to a beautiful spot further away from campus, where we all took to swimming and, as you can see from the picture, a little bit of fishing. 

I never had the opportunity to get into fishing when growing up, so I've been blessed with some pretty talented friends whom are trained anglers in their own right. In the picture, my friend Azariah '23 was making some serious casts with some homemade lures he brought from Hawaiʻi. Through the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC), plenty of opportunities for fishing and other water-related activities are common. In my opinion, one of the best ways to relax and forget about all of the readings you've been putting off. Try it sometime!