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.
It was December 31st, and I was preparing my luggage to spend six months in the States. Back in August, when I was preparing a suitcase full of clothes, notebooks, and a sleeping bag, I was thinking mainly about the fall, spring and summer season in the Upper Valley. In December, though, I had to pack everything I needed for the winter term. The list consisted of collapsible ski poles, ski boots, a ski helmet, ski pants, and some everyday clothes, but the bulk of it was mainly the ski boots, stuffed with socks and shampoo bottles.
For several weeks this term, I was afraid that I might not use my ski equipment at all. There weren't many backcountry skiing trips on Trailhead (check out this blog post to learn about the Dartmouth Outing Club's trips website), and the first two weekends, skiing just got cancelled due to the weather. First, the free bus to the Skiway didn't show up because of the 5 inches of snow on the road, and then the lift wasn't working because of the strong wind! But finally, week 4 rolled around, and the Snow Sports Club started leading backcountry skiing trips, from 7pm to 10pm on evenings after school.
My gear drying in my room
You can surely go skiing during the day. You can go to the Skiway on a weekday or a weekend, and you can rent skis from the Outdoors Programs Center or you can bring your own skis (if you live nearby). The reason I was waiting for a Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC) backcountry skiing trip and didn't just go on my own was because I didn't want to pay for a ski pass (besides, the DOC gives you skis for free) and because I don't have that much time to allocate a whole weekend just for skiing (I'll tell you what I'm doing on weekends in a future post). In other words, with the DOC, I went skiing for free. The only thing I had to do was just bring my own ski boots, helmet and poles. They provide you with all the rest. Ain't that amazing?
P.S. I just found a really cool article on backcountry skiing at Dartmouth by The Dartmouth (the college newspaper). You can check it out here :)
Dartmouth is no stranger to a variety of student-run full-year performance groups in dance, a cappella, improv, and comedy. Sophomore summer is particularly special, as most of these groups allow sophomores to audition and join just for the summer.
In one of my previous posts, I mentioned how I joined a sorority earlier this fall by going through the recruitment process. I've come a long way since then. In fact, I am living in my sorority house for my sophomore summer!
Dartmouth is not just a college. With world-renowned graduate schools, why would we choose to call ourselves a college instead of a university? The story behind that decision dates back to a significant Supreme Court ruling.
On a quiet spring Saturday in Hanover, I traded the usual campus buzz for Monet in the morning and archery in the afternoon—a reminder that Dartmouth weekends can be just as meaningful when they're slow, reflective, and a little unexpected.
During my sophomore spring quarter, I took on the challenge of four STEM courses, and while it has been intense, the unexpected connections across subjects and the joy of learning have made it one of my most rewarding academic experiences yet.
Read about the Sophomore Summer Soiree and how I got to witness the beginning of something that hopefully grows into a long-standing Dartmouth tradition!
