Homecoming Weekend: A National Tradition with a Twist!

This past weekend was busy and fun! It was the weekend of Homecoming. As an international student, I never really knew what that meant in the beginning. If you feel like I felt last year, in short, it is an annual tradition when colleges welcome back their alumni. This custom is centered around a special event: an American Football game! However, Dartmouth adds a nice twist to this national tradition by hosting other local events.

Since I had a lot of homework to do, I decided to only attend the two main events of the weekend: the bonfire the night before the football game, and the game! However, there are also many other events for people that are interested in engaging in school spirited activities. One of them, for example, happens right before the bonfire: the Parade! It is a march around campus led by members of athletic groups who scoop the freshmen along the way and take them to the bonfire.

Onto the bonfire night: I had a great time! I met up with a couple of friends and we walked together to the Green, a grass-covered field known as a central common space on campus. There was a huge bonfire in the middle of the Green, which was built as a form of celebration for the start of the year and to welcome the new students. The freshmen were allowed to walk around the bonfire in front of all the other students and visiting alumni while they were being cheered on. It was a beautiful moment to make sure the '26s (students from the Class of 2026) knew that we were excited to welcome them to our family. After watching them walk, I took a couple of pictures with my friends and ate snacks as we waited until the fire died down.

The next day was the day of the football game! Although I don't fully understand how American Football works, I still went to watch the game and cheer for Dartmouth! It was an amazing experience because I really felt like all of the students in Dartmouth's bleachers were a family. The abundance of school spirit was evident. I also love free stuff, and we were given free tote bags and bottle sleeves with Dartmouth's logo on them on our way out.