Welcome to the transition diary from a big, cold Brazilian city to a small, very cold American town! I fell in love with Dartmouth soon as I got to know the College, and the last three years have expanded my love, as there is a lot to enjoy here in the woods: majors and minors, extracurriculars and clubs, many new open doors to a curious mind like mine! Hope you all like the content!
Introduction to the amazing language of Chinese, taken with Mao Lao Shi. Really got my mornings going! I think all Dartmouth students should make the most out of their language classes, as they offer unique cultural opportunities and stick with you for life. I'm grateful for all who shared that classroom with me, and I am very happy to realize how much I have progressed in a subject so new to me.
My writing seminar, themed on Asian Conflict and Cooperation. I got to discuss a topic beyond my comfort zone, and had a blast! My classmates were really giving their best, and professor Rezvani gave us an incredible learning experience and an organized debate environment. This class opened my horizons , and I am really happy I took it, having looked forward for each class! My writing style improved greatly due to this class, which makes it all the better!
The class that first got me into CS, and eventually led to me choosing my major! I believe this class should be a requirement to graduate. Most students at Dartmouth take it already, and it figures. Great class, provides you tools you can use in whatever field you choose!
I took three Chinese classes this term, so I chose the last one to show off. This was the term I had my LSA+ experience in China! Got to travel all over, and improved my Chinese a ton. I encourage every Dartmouth student to take a language, even if you start at intermediate level, so you can go on an LSA+ or FSP experience!
A blast of a class! Discussion, great readings and a lot of amazing topics to learn. Also, Professor Joe Vignone was a bright spot on my term. A perfectly quirky man, I loved being one of two people to laugh at his jokes and his novelty t-shirts. He is also superbly smart and got me interested on a class I thought I was just taking to fulfill a graduation requirement!
Great Professor, great TAs, great class. I didn't think I'd like this class: it is infamous for being a lot of work. Don't get me wrong, it is, but it is work you do with a smile on your face. The teaching team is great, there is a lot of awesome material to cover and it's great to have some smartphone programming ability. Greatly recommend to CS majors!
Professor XD Yang is one of the faculty teaching this incredible course. Generally, CS classes focus on programming and Math; it was great to spend some time just designing, and thinking about the why, not the how. I recommend this class to all curious minds who are willing to come up with some creative ideas!
Full disclosure: I picked this course for the distributive requirement, SCI. And yet, I fell in love with it! Professor Osterberg gave us not only an incredible overview of the world we inhabit and of the life upon it, but also perspectives on the future of humanity.
I will just go and say it: Professor Tine is my favorite. She is so nice, and has such a strong didactic structure, that I would trust her to teach me anything, and so should you if you ever come across one of her courses. I know a lot more about humanity, development, and even about myself now.
I remember my ten-year-old self at my local skating rink, enduring fall after fall. I simply could not let go of the rails, and my head just figured I would never be able to do it. So when my friends invited me to ice skate on the (frozen) Occom Pond, I was terrified. The only reason I left my room that afternoon was that my pals promised they would teach me — and the International Student Association was running a free skate day for international students, so I figured there was no harm, no foul.
Occom Pond is an easy 10-minute walk from Baker Library. During the warmer months, it is a popular destination for picnics and walks, and during the winter, the fun is doubled, as students and staff alike flock for ice skating and hockey practice. If you do not own skates, don't worry: renting them for a day is only $10, while a hockey stick goes for just $2. There's also hot chocolate and a variety of snacks for the hungry skater. I got to the pond around 2:00, put on my rented skates, enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and stood up, ready to hit the ice!
Winter brings people closer together!
That's about the time when I realized I had no clue how skating worked. Bobbing all around the place, I somehow made my way to the adjacent room to store my boots. I found myself stuck, clinging to a wall, unable to balance. This young blonde fella showed me some trademark Dartmouth kindness and offered to help me get to the ice. His name is Adam, he is from 'near Manchester, England' and he became my friend right there. After helping (dragging) me to the ice, Adam went his own way, but every time I see him around, I make sure to say hi! Dartmouth's not short on nice fellows, as I have quickly taken notice.
On the ice, Elijah was my teacher. A friend from the Marching Band, he made sure I got the ropes of skating, of ‘pushing yourself with one foot and gliding on the other’. Focus on that glide, he instructed me. I felt like a child learning to walk! I welcome Hanover's cold. It enables me to go to places I never imagined myself in. I can't say I became very good at skating during those two short hours, but I can say that, if I woke up in the middle of Occom Pond, I could skate my way back to civilization, which is way beyond my initial goal of being able to stand up static on the ice.
'Hey mom! I can skate now' ~picture by Elijah
Overall, I had an amazing experience, and I thank all my friends — old and new — for helping me live it. It is rare to find a place where, on a whim, you can choose to go skating. Occom's strategic position and the accessible rental prices make this dream a reality at Dartmouth, and the awesome students make learning as much of a pleasure as skating!
Dartmouth operates a quarter system which allows you to focus your energy on just three classes while also not getting bored of them because the term tends to fly by in just ten weeks.
After having the most amazing fall term at Dartmouth, I was extremely excited to get back on campus for winter. As I got out of the Dartmouth Coach and first stepped on campus I was shocked at how cold it was.
In Earth Science, we took the classroom into the field as we identified the rocks that made up different buildings on campus, as well as delving into the geological foundation of the school!
Nothing like hot chocolate on a cold day, eh?
Winter brings people closer together!
'Hey mom! I can skate now' ~picture by Elijah
