Hi everyone! I'm Kabir, an international member of the class of '26, from New Delhi, India. I'm thinking of majoring in Psychology and Film & Media Studies. Outside the classroom, I enjoy watching movies, going on hikes, hanging out with my friends, and going on runs (if you see me on the streets of Hanover, say hi!) In the short while I've been here, I've come to love Dartmouth, so if you're interested in what I have to say, stick around! This should (hopefully) be fun :)
My Writing 5 class was definitely my favorite class this term — it opened my eyes to the realities of the food industry, strengthened my skills as a writer, and helped me make a ton of new friends.
My seminar was possibly the best class I've taken so far at Dartmouth. I learned about the importance of free speech and journalists in a democratic society, and how those rights to freedom are being stripped everywhere, all the time.
I've loved Cognitive Psychology as a class so far, especially because of the cool demos that the professor uses to illustrate every type of phenomena we learn about. From illusions to memory tests, it's so cool to see how the human psyche can be tricked so very easily.
In case you have not heard, I'm in Los Angeles for the term on a Domestic Study Program (DSP) for film majors at Dartmouth. I'm using my blog this term to give you an insight into one of Dartmouth's many off-campus experiences that make the quarter system so unique.
Here are four things I did this week:
Watched and discussed a lot of cinema: For MLK day, which was this week, our DSP group went and watched American Fiction, which was a great film about Black representation in cinema. Then, we watched Origins by Ava DuVernay, a brilliant filmmaker whose new film traced the roots of racism back to the caste systems in India and Nazi Germany. These discussions were amplified by students emboldened by Dartmouth's liberal arts curriculum. History intermingled with cinema and philosophy; it was great!
Visited the Margaret Herrick Library: I visited the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library, where we saw old manuscripts, news clippings, and books from old Hollywood. It was a great deep dive into history; from these invaluable archives, we understood so much about the film industry, how it was perceived, and its inner workings. Also, I got to see Jennifer Aniston and Sandra Bullock's original Polaroid headshots! It was awesome, though I couldn't recognize them!
Got to explore the city: Something I've heard from many friends who've utilized the study abroad program is that there's a lot of freedom for you to go out and explore the city you're in. I got to do just that. I've started exploring LA and enjoy it and its food scene a lot. So far, I've been to Wilshire, Beverly Hills, Studio City, and Westwood, to name a few. They were all so different but unique in their own ways.
Ate even more good food: The food scene in Los Angeles is phenomenal. There's so much variety and diversity in the choices here. I've eaten sushi, hot pot, pizza, ramen, and Indian food in just 24 hours! It's been fantastic to experiment with new cuisines—stay tuned; I will explore that idea more later.
I hope you're enjoying a peek into my travels. Let me know if you have any questions!
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