Hello there! I'm May and I'm so excited to find a home away from home at Dartmouth, 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 trying new food (especially spicy cuisines, but I do have a sweet tooth!), meeting people through sports, and cozy movie nights. Find me in the soccer field during intramurals, getting coffee at Collis (my favorite), or volunteering at local service projects!
Hello again guys! I hope you are doing amazing from whichever part of the world you are in! Here in Hanover, we just had our first snowfall in mid-November (it was very light, though!) but for me, it was my first time ever seeing snow. I love how the little flakes come sit on the tips of my fingertips and just melt so fast. I love how the thick layer of my coat feels against my skin and the soft crunching sound of stepping on small frozen puddles.
The first snowfall on campus !
For me, my first snow at Dartmouth is a chilly but sweet feeling of being loved. Why?
Because coming from a place where temperatures don't go below 15°C (47°F), and bracing myself for the winter ahead while adjusting to living away from home means finding warmth in the people around me. This has definitely been a whole lot easier because of the friends I have made at Dartmouth, especially one of my roommates.
My roommate and I getting ready for Homecoming 2019!
I remember the summer before I came here. Housing assignments were released in mid-July after about a month since having filled in the application. The housing application asked about our preferences, such as the number of roommates we want, if we prefer substance-free housing, our study habits, and our lifestyle choices. I was assigned to a two-room triple and in the email, I also received the contacts of two girls that would be my roommates for freshmen year.
Cue the worries. Would we get along? What if they get rowdy in the room? My initial worries were put to rest a bit when my roommates and I got in touch over the summer and starting talking. Yet, I knew that living together was a whole different story. As an international student, I was the first to arrive to our dorm. While I sat on what would be my bed for the entire year, I glanced around the room, trying to fathom what kind of memories would fill these walls.
We do so many activities together, like touring the clock tower!
Fortunately, one of the best things that has happened to me since I've came to Dartmouth is my friendship with one of my roommates. If I hadn't been randomly assigned to my roommate, I would have never gotten to know her in the way that I do now. I am from Myanmar, South East Asia, while she is from Los Angeles, California. She is planning to major in government while I'm thinking to pursue quantitative social science. I add extra red pepper flakes to my chicken and rice at lunch while she stays far away from anything spicy. We are very different people from different backgrounds but we get along wonderfully well. From walking back together from the library at 2 am, supporting each other's club events, and going out together for a little "roommate date," we have built such a strong bond.
I think that getting along with your roommate is one of the biggest factors that decides the course of your freshmen year. Even if you might not become the best of friends, it's important to still respect each other's space and understand where he or she is coming from. But, being great friends with your roommate definitely has its perks. You see them every day, through the best and the worst of times, and you pick up on the small things that others don't notice. Freshman year is still underway, but knowing that I have people like her by my side gives me so much strength.
Because the town and school are small, they are extraordinarily interconnected and, in my experience, people in the community have been super welcoming. One long time Hanover resident even helped me pick out a good winter coat!
When I think of "old" at Dartmouth, I think of the many parts of campus that are rich in history. So this week, I went around to a couple of locations on campus to capture some of the historical parts of campus and their history.
I don't think any place exemplifies the stereotypical college town like Hanover and our dear old Dartmouth. Of the places at Dartmouth that have the best vibes, my vote — without question — goes to The Hop.
When I came to Hanover almost four years ago to start my freshman year, finding every place that serves coffee was of the utmost importance. Here's the rundown on the best places in town for coffee.
It's almost the end of my first winter here in Hanover, but that doesn't mean my friends and I didn't hop on the opportunity to go check out some ice castles an hour and a half north of us.
Pond Party is a family-friendly Winter Carnival tradition, hosted by the town of Hanover. It takes place at Occom, a pond set within a residential area south of the Dartmouth golf course and north of the main campus.
The first snowfall on campus !
My roommate and I getting ready for Homecoming 2019!
We do so many activities together, like touring the clock tower!
