I'm Kalina, a '27 from Sofia, Bulgaria. I love books (I love reading and writing them), and I particularly love fantasy (i.e., I'm an expert on Middle Earth and Hogwarts studies). I'm fascinated by the human brain and the real-world magic of science. I also love hiking, bird-watching, climbing, and em dashes.
Welcome to the woods! I'm Kalina Duncheva, a '27 with too many interests to pick a major. I'm going to be one of your guides as you embark on your virtual journey across the pages of People Places Pines!
How am I so prepared to take you on an adventure through the New Hampshire woods, you ask. Well, I'm coming from the woods, albeit the Bulgarian woods and not the New English ones.
I grew up in a log home in a mountain village near Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. I used to ride the bus for an hour or so to Sofia every day, the city being the epicenter for everything in my life—school, friends, shopping, you name it. People often found my desire to live that far away from the city rather baffling. When I was seven, one kid was so shocked by the fact that you can live in the woods with no TV or internet connection that she asked me wide-eyed, "Kalina, do you really live in a cave?" I have no idea why she thought I was living in a cave, but I believe the place where I grew up explains loads of things about me—from why I chose Dartmouth to why I love the things I love.
The second thing you should know about me is that I love books. I love writing them, I love reading them, and I love talking about them (just so you know, I'm a Gryffindor and would love to live in the Shire). Maybe I developed my love for reading and writing simply because there wasn't much to do in my "cave in the woods" but read and write. Who knows?
All that said, you can trust that I'll be telling you loads of stories about the things that happen here in Hanover. I have to warn you, I won't be covering the flashy stuff; The Dartmouth (the oldest college newspaper in the country, by the way) does a much better job at that than me. The stories I'll be telling you will be about the little things—like that time when I accidentally put three spoons of butter into my soup instead of cheese (American butter looks just like Bulgarian cheese), or when I went on a hike with Flora and Fauna (subclub of the Dartmouth Outing Club) and saw ten deer and a blue mushroom!
So final words: I solemnly swear that I'll be on the watch out for good stories to tell you about my time at Dartmouth, so you can hopefully find your own place in the woods, too.
As a practicing Christian, my faith has always been the foundation of my life. Coming into college, I didn't want to lose that essential part of my identity. I wanted to deepen it. That's when I found Cru — and it changed everything.
The Sri Lankan New Year falls on the 13th and 14th of April, a time for plenty of celebrations and family time. At Dartmouth, I keep these traditions with my friends and celebrate a part of home every year!
Dartmouth offers students incredible opportunities during breaks through the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) trips. Options vary widely, from cozy cabin retreats with friends to adventurous climbing expeditions under starry skies.
It's hard to fully express just how meaningful Cabin and Trail (CnT) is to me. Since coming to Dartmouth a year and a half ago, this community has shaped me in ways I never expected. It is a source of hope and a new home.
