Matthew Monroe

Having a tap-dancing background, Irish Dance has always been something I’ve wanted to try. Well, now I can say that I have, and it’s a lot of fun. Irish Dance meets once a week in the Alumni Gym to learn new steps, practice routines, and put together fun group dances. It’s a great workout (my calves were on fire the following day) and a delightful way to improve your balance, learn fun routines, and get to know other people with similar interests.

Before coming to Dartmouth, I had never really skied. Although I’ve yet to hit the Dartmouth Skiway, this past week, I made the trek into Pine Park to Headcorders, the meeting spot for Dartmouth Club Nordic. Nordic (or cross-country) skiing is very different from what a Floridian such as myself would typically imagine skiing to be. After suiting up, hitting the (moderately uphill) slope, and falling down about a dozen times, I finally started to get the hang of it. It’s tough, and I’m really bad at it, yet it’s so fun that I’m determined to improve. I’ve even started using some of the Nordic ski-geared workout equipment in the student fitness center! Hopefully, next time, I can make it around the loop with a few fewer scrapes.

After I was accepted to Dartmouth, I went through a very long waiting phase where I got really excited about all of the minutiae of college. I remember walking around campus on Google Earth, hunting through the Wikipedia pages for new facts about the school, and spending who knows how many hours reading through blog posts (very full circle). On this search, I came across the Dartmouth Timber Sports Team and knew I had to try it. Timber Team is both a chill extracurricular club and an actual team that competes at regional Timber Sports events. At practices, club members learn to saw logs, split wood (my favorite activity), build fires, and even throw axes. Then, once a term, they head to a competition with other New England schools. Although my hands were freezing and I ended up very, very sweaty, I had a fantastic time. Despite being very exerting, chopping wood is somehow quite calming. Every time I’ve felt stressed the past few days, I’ve found myself wishing there was a log nearby I could turn into firewood. I’m taking this newfound appreciation for cellulose a bit further and getting certified to use Dartmouth’s woodshop next week, so if anything exciting comes of that, I’ll be sure to post about it! 

One of the biggest activities I’ve totally missed is lighting a production of Dance Nation for Displaced, our student-run theatre group. I was able to get on the lightboard in one of Dartmouth’s on-campus black box spaces and help put together an exciting show! It was fantastic getting to put my love for lighting design to use, and through talking with other people involved with the technical production aspects of Dartmouth’s theatre productions, I’ve learned much more about what the department and student-run organizations offer. I plan on continuing my involvement by taking a lighting design class next term!

This past week was the first snowfall of the school year in Hanover! Being from Florida, I have minimal experience with snow, and waking up to find campus covered in a beautiful layer of fresh powder was so exciting for me and other people from warmer climates! I made snow angels, made footprint drawings, and even started a snowball fight with a few friends (great practice for the campus-wide snowball fight at the start of winter term!) Although it isn’t forecasted to snow again before I head back to Florida, getting a little taste of what winter term has to offer was so amazing.

As the term comes to a close, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some non-academic time with people from my classes! The most fun was getting dinner with the people from my drill session, essentially an extra language practice class you take in addition to your intro-sequence language courses. We headed to Han Fusion, a Chinese restaurant in Hanover to have a meal together. I haven’t spent too much time in Hanover, so I’d yet to eat at Han Fusion, and it was really tasty! A welcome break after ten weeks in the dining hall.

Ok so here's the thing. Sanborn Library IS directly next to Baker-Berry. But, it is technically it's own separate building, so I'm counting it for this list. Sanborn is one of my favorite spots for working through long readings, or studying textbook passages. The room feels very cozy, and it's filled with couches and armchairs that, while not always the best for keeping you awake, are great when you are pushing through more laid-back classwork. Although I've yet to test this theory, I imagine it's a great spot to nap as well (future blog-post idea?)

The Nelson A. Rockefeller Center for Public Policy (or "Rocky" for short) is next up on this list. I find that writing out characters on a chalkboard helps me learn Chinese a lot faster, so deprived of my usual Novack chalkboards (located in Berry), I needed an alternative. Rocky takes chalkboards to a new level. Despite not being a mandated quiet space like some library rooms, Rocky is always nearly silent, even when filled with people. It's a great spot for studying, and a great spot to host speakers, like Presidential candidate Marianne Williamson who spoke at Rocky last week!

If you prefer a little bit of background noise while you study, the upstairs of the Class of 1953 Commons (aka the dining hall (aka Foco (short for foodcourt))) is for you! Outside of meal rushes, the upstairs of Foco is usually nearly empty. There's also the obvious advantage of easy access to food, which can provide a very nice reward deep into a study session.