Hello there. I'm May and I'm so excited to share my Dartmouth experience with you! Coming all the way from Southeast Asia, joining such a tight-knit community under the shades of the great trees will definitely make it easier. I love spicy food (but I also do have a sweet tooth!), team sports, and cozy movie nights. Find me in the soccer field during intramurals, with my friends in the common rooms, getting coffee at Collis (my favorite), or volunteering at local service projects!
After a 23-hour flight, 2 transits, and 2 delayed check-ins, I finally found myself (plus a recently discovered love for The Office) at Boston Logan Airport. You can imagine how glad and relieved I am as I write this blog post under the comforts of a warm blanket in my dorm which I share with two amazing roommates. For many of us, leaving family and friends for college is always tough and for international students like me, saying goodbye to home doesn't get any easier.
Me with the most adorable 2nd graders at a local school in Shan State, Myanmar, during my gap year
This time a year ago, I had been travelling with a health charity around Myanmar, making stops at several village schools and teaching English to children at monasteries. I'd never have imagined I'd be at the Big Green. Taking a gap year before college was not what I had planned but looking back, it has definitely been one of the better decisions I've made, and I would totally encourage anyone to do so! Not only will you be able to find yourself through whatever activity you dive into beyond the walls of school, you'll come to understand yourself better as a human being, flaws and all. And if you're like me, starting college will be all the more exciting!
The last day of first-year trips at Dartmouth's Moosilauke Ravine Lodge ( Go F64!!)
At the time of writing this post, it has only been a week into the term at Dartmouth — but when there's a will, there's most definitely a way. From DOC first-year trips and pre-orientation to a capella performances and inflatable basketball showdowns, there is always something happening at the Big Green. As a huge foodie, I've been spending time at the Organic Farm and trying out the famed Lou's donuts and Morano Gelato. Yet, as someone who grew up halfway across the world, food touring is as easy as paying a visit to FoCo, our beloved dining hall. So far, I've absolutely loved the clam chowder, three-bean chili, and the occasional sushi!
A snapshot of the night of Fallapalooza featuring COIN (check them out!) and Ivy Sole
As someone who'll also bust a questionable move (I can't dance ☹️but when has this ever stopped anyone?) whenever there's music playing, I've had so much fun at Street Soul, a student-led dance group. Aside from that, I've been playing badminton, hosting movie nights with my friends, and of course, loving the opportunity to share my experience at Dartmouth with you. Feel free to join me as I start my first year exploring the many dimensions of Dartmouth; it'll be a journey of many firsts for the both of us! Geographically, it took me 29 hours to finally get to Dartmouth from Yangon, my home of 18 years. From this point on, I'm hopeful that no amount of time will be able to take away the Dartmouth experience from me.
The fact that our professor gave us a free textbook of his own design is amazing. With Dartmouth having a ton of free resources, I figured I might as well use some on my younger siblings!
I always knew I would have an on-campus job. It made sense to me—I'd have lots of free time to fill, and it's always nice to have a bit of spare cash for the weekends. Still, I never figured I'd have such an awesome job.
Although I'm not grabbing any burger specials at the Hop or relaxing on the Green in between classes, my first Dartmouth spring is off to a good start. As I promised, I'll be giving updates throughout the term, so here's the first one!
I never would have expected to actually want to do something that entails no showers for five days and sleeping in the woods, but those inconveniences are outweighed by the many reasons why I want to re-experience Trips.
At this point in my life, I know I still have so much to improve on and a myriad of people I want to be inspired by. I wanted to grow not only as a student but also simply as a person, and Dartmouth was exactly what I needed to do just this.
After my first week of classes, I can say I'm happy with my choices so far. I'll definitely share the highlights of the term with you guys, but so far I've enjoyed adapting to the new nature of the term and seeing some of my friends on Zoom.
Me with the most adorable 2nd graders at a local school in Shan State, Myanmar, during my gap year
The last day of first-year trips at Dartmouth's Moosilauke Ravine Lodge ( Go F64!!) 
