Joanna Jou

At 10:30 am, my boyfriend and I took a Zipcar, a car-sharing service (that we booked a few days in advice), so we could drive up to the farmer's market in Norwich. Back home in El Paso, my mom and I used to drive to the farmer's market in our neighboring city/state Las Cruces, NM, where we would buy (very good) freshly popped kettle corn and raw honey — one of my favorite things to do back home. I had not been up to the famous farmer's market here yet, so this trip was definitely something I looked forward to starting my day off with. Ranging from farm products to prepared food to handmade arts and crafts, we first visited all the booths before deciding where we wanted to eat. I ended up getting a cold brew from Abracadabra and a plain bagel from the Bagel Lady — all being very delicious! There was also live music, which made my morning extra special. 

After the farmer's market, we decided to drive to West Lebanon and just explore the area. My boyfriend came across a small store called "Lebanon Pet and Aquarium Center," thinking that it would be fun to take a look inside. I was initally hesitant to step in since the only vision I had of an aquarium happened to be from the Taipei Zoo in Taiwan, and it was huge. After stepping in, we went down the stairs to the aquarium, which ended up being very interesting. Ranging from freshwater to saltwater fish, there was a sense of tranquility that stemmed from watching the fishes roam around their tanks. Overall, this was an awesome exhibit!

Coming back to campus, we stopped by the annual Pow-Wow held on The Green. The Pow-Wow is a gatherine/celebration where many members of the Dartmouth community and Upper Valley get to observe, participate, and learn about various Native American and Indigenous cultures and community. There were a multitude of vendors owned by the Native community, and a lot of music, dancing, and drumming in the circle, and a lot of support from the community which I really enjoyed as I got to learn a little more about Native culture and its significance. The day after Pow-Wow is Lu'au, a celebration of the Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, and its existing and growing representation here at Dartmouth.