Hi, my name is Liliana (or Lili, for short) and I'm a '26 from Hawaiʻi! On campus, I can be found performing with my dance troupe, going on walks with friends, and spending an excessive amount of time in Collis. I also love collectible stickers, ultra-specific playlists, free verse poetry, and iced tea. Excited to share my Dartmouth journey with you all! :-)
Dartmouth's 10-week terms seem to go by in a flash. (Time flies when you're having fun!) Before I know it, the time has come to travel 5,000 miles back home to Hawai'i. At first mention, this journey seems daunting - but Dartmouth does its best to provide resources for safe travels.
My flight to Honolulu was out of Boston, which meant I first had to travel two hours from Hanover to Boston Logan. The Dartmouth Coach, a premier bus service running between New York City, Boston, and the Upper Valley, took me straight from Dartmouth's campus to my airport terminal! The bus ride to Boston takes around 2-3 hours depending on traffic - and it's a nice bus too, decked out with Wi-Fi, a complimentary movie, outlets, and a bathroom.
When I was still deciding where to go to college, safety was really important to my family and I. While visiting Dartmouth, I remember seeing the stop for the Dartmouth Coach, which is right on campus, within walking distance from the Green! (Since this visit in 2021, the stop has actually been relocated to an even more campus-central location, right outside of Rauner Library.) Knowing that I could use a trusted and reliable bus service right from campus was definitely a plus. The bus is usually full of Dartmouth students, but it's always interesting to see Upper Valley residents, too!
The Dartmouth Coach is not free for students, but should a student need financial assistance for transportation, Dartmouth can provide them the resources needed! Sometimes, Dartmouth even holds a lottery of a sort for students to win free coach tickets. Since the coach is the primary form of transportation off campus into major cities, it's not uncommon to constantly see students waiting at the bus stop, day and night- the Coach runs every single day!
But back to the bus ride. After two hours, I was dropped off at my airport terminal and I proceeded to take a 10 hour nonstop flight back to Honolulu. I write this blog from the comfort of my home, where I can sleep on a full-sized bed and shower without shower shoes.
After a long winter term where everything was overlaid in snow and serenity, the weekly Norwich farmer's market is finally back—and I could not be more excited.
When I look back on my time at Dartmouth, and it is hard to believe I will be graduating in just two weeks, I know that Africa Week will always stand out as one of the moments when this campus felt most alive, most joyful, and most like home.
