Oscar Chun
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Oscar's D-Plan
What's a D-Plan?-
FallHanover, NH
Favorite Class: COSC 1: Introduction to Programming and ComputationCOSC 1 was the most challenging but rewarding class of this term. I had minimal coding experience prior to this class, but the course is manageable because of all the support available. COSC 1 is one of the largest classes offered at Dartmouth—a total of 200 students split in two sections—but there was always ample help from Professor Vasanta's classes and concept hours and the TA team's recitation and office hours. I enjoyed that assignments had creative flexibility—I recreated "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" book cover, wrote an adventure story, and made games for assignments.
WinterHanover, NH
Favorite Class: CHIN 22: Intermediate Modern Chinese (Second-year level)I had completed my language requirement by taking CHIN 4 in my last term, but I was interested in further pursuing Chinese through CHIN 22. CHIN 22 is very similar in structure to CHIN 4—small class size, vocabulary exams, and drill sessions. I was lucky to take CHIN 22 with the Beijing Normal University's exchange professor, Professor Yin, who often adds color to lessons by explaining cultural element of China. Some interesting topics we've discussed include the effects of China's One Child Policy, transportation regulations in Beijing, and the symbolism of snow in Chinese culture.
SpringHanover, NH
Favorite Class: CSDA 21: Foundations of Digital DesignWith the development of generative artificial intelligence (AI), why learn design when ChatGPT can create it for you? CSDA 21 (Computer Science/Digital Arts 21, previously known as COSC 21) argues for the importance of human agency in design (and why AI-generated designs are flawed). Using Adobe Photoshop and After Effects, we explored a range of topics, including typography, poster design, generative AI, and motion graphics. Professor Mahoney is an incredibly supportive teacher with deep knowledge of the creative industry—make sure to go to office hours if you take the course! As CSDA 21 was my first digital arts class, I’m excited to explore the department more!
Come Visit Houhai & Shichahai!
On the Beijing LSA+, we have real-world Chinese practice every Friday. Last week we went to two neighborhoods, Houhai and Shichahai, and wrote a photo log about our experience. Read along to see what immersive language learning here looks like!
A Day in My Life: Beijing Edition
For the past few weeks I've been in Beijing on the Chinese Language LSA+. Follow along to see what I'm up to!
- No. 1
6:30 - 7:50AM - Waking Up
After snoozing my alarm a few times, I usually get out of bed around 7. The LSA classes have been the earliest I’ve taken in awhile, so it’s been a big adjustment. I like to take my mornings slow, taking the time to relax before the long day ahead. Sometimes I make it to breakfast, but most of the time I sleep in—today was one of those days. I head to class around 7:50.
- No. 2
8:00 - 9:40AM - 中文大班 (Big Chinese Class)
My first class of the day is Chinese with our BNU professor, Chen Laoshi ( 陈老师 ). On the LSA+, we take the equivalent of two Chinese classes at Dartmouth in one term. Students are on one of two tracks, second year or third year, depending on prior completion of Chinese classes. I’m on the third year track, the equivalent of CHIN 31+32 Advanced Modern Chinese because I took CHIN 4 Advanced Beginners Chinese, and CHIN 22+23 Intermediate Modern Chinese during my first year. If you’re curious about the second year track, check out Madison ‘28’s experience in Beijing!
Every week we complete two chapters of our textbook, “New Horizons: an Intermediate-Advanced Course in Chinese (I)”. In terms of testing, we have two vocabulary quizzes a week, one for each chapter, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then every Friday we have an exam on the week’s grammar structures and vocabulary. In addition, we’re assigned a short composition every other week as practice for long-form writing. This structure is standard practice for Dartmouth Chinese classes, just a little faster paced as we’re covering two classes worth of content in one. - No. 3
10:00 - 11:40AM - 中文小班 (Small Chinese Class)
Following our large, professor-led class, we break into two smaller cohorts, each led by a current BNU student. Our small classes are looser, mainly structured as a review of the lesson just covered in the larger class. Though we often go off on tangents where we learn more about Chinese culture and vocabulary we’re curious about. The other day we were talking about a sick classmate, which expanded into a full lesson on different body parts in Chinese. 小班 is where we learn the parts of Chinese that aren’t in a textbook, from a native Chinese peer.
Eating Vegan on Campus: Trying it Out
After speaking with Amen, I decided to try going vegetarian for a week on campus!
- No. 1
Day 1: Start of the Challenge!
I felt that the first day wasn’t too difficult. For breakfast, I had a veggie danish at Ramekin, a cafe in Anonymous Hall, before my 9S. For lunch and dinner I ate at FoCo, mostly at Ma Thayers, the classic dining station and Herbivore, the vegetarian station. I loaded up on steamed vegetables and added some seasoning off of FoCo’s spice rack. My favorites at the moment are Momo’s Backyard Blend (a savory and tangy BBQ spice mix) and Shichimi Togarashi (a floral, nutty chili mix).
I did notice that there was a lot of corn served today—steamed corn at Ma Thayers for both lunch and dinner, deconstructed elotes at Herbivore, and corn chowder at the soup station. Hopefully I won’t be eating corn the whole week.
- No. 2
Day 2: The Breakfast Incident
On day 2 I already lost the challenge.
I was at Ramekin, deciding what to order for breakfast and decided on a sausage egg and cheese. I even took a bite before realizing I was still being vegetarian for this week.
Well, that’s strike one.
There are a few vegetarian breakfast options at the different cafes on campus. Besides the veggie danish I had yesterday, Ramekin has DIY parfaits (dairy or non-dairy yogurt) and bagels. While Novack has scones and other baked goods. Though a majority of breakfast items on campus involve animal products, usually eggs, dairy, or honey, so I think it’ll be pretty difficult to find an enjoyable vegan breakfast at campus cafes.
I also had lunch at Ramekin today. I tried a sandwich that was made with slices of sweet potato, arugula, mozzarella cheese and sundried tomato paste. It was a delicious combination of crunchy bread, creamy cheese, tangy tomato, and soft sweet potato. Ramekin always has at least one vegetarian sandwich option every day. Some other sandwiches I’ve seen are the brie and apple pita and the vegan patty melt. All of the sandwiches have a cheese component—which I’m not the biggest fan of, so I don’t tend to eat meals at the cafes. But for a quick grab-and-go lunch, the sweet potato sandwich was pretty good!
- No. 3
Day 3: Feasting @ FoCo + Thinking Ahead
Day 3 went pretty smoothly. I had a relatively slower day, so I had more time to sit down and eat at FoCo. A new FoCo favorite I’ve discovered are the veggie fritters from Herbivore. They’re savory, fluffy pancakes with extra texture from the vegetables mixed in.
FoCo was also doing a special hot chocolate pop up, featuring marshmallows from a local New Hampshire business. Unfortunately, the marshmallows were not vegetarian because the gelatin was animal-based. But I was still able to enjoy the hot chocolate.Food is a big part of the community campus—there’s always a food event going on or free food somewhere (there’s even a GroupMe chat called “FREE FOOD @ NOW”). For example, many club meetings will have free food, such as the Dartmouth Outing Club’s (DOC) “feeds”, which you can read more about in this post by fellow blogger Tao ‘28. This upcoming weekend has lots of events: the annual Winter Carnival, Super Bowl Weekend, and a few more Lunar New Year celebrations, which will definitely involve food. Many events try to have vegetarian/ vegan-friendly options, but this isn’t always the case, so I’m a bit worried about missing out.
Eating Vegan at Dartmouth: Amen '28
Meet my friend Amen, who went vegan for Great Lent—here are their thoughts on being vegan on campus!
Wellness @ Wheelock!
East Wheelock House hosts weekly crafting and mindfulness sessions. Read on to see what I made this week!
A Walk Down Tuck Drive
Spring is in the air! Come see some of the greenery along Tuck Drive as I walk to class.
Hood Museum: Choe U-Ram
In celebration of the new Attitudes of Coexistence exhibit at the Hood Museum of Art, artist Choe U-Ram spoke at two artist talks I attended. Read on for highlights from the experience!
Hello From Brace Commons!
Brace Commons, East Wheelock House's community center, is finally complete! Come take a peek at the newest building on campus.
Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month @ Dartmouth
In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), a variety of programming was offered to celebrate AAPI students and culture on campus. Read on to hear about my experience serving on the committee and attending events!
A Spot of Tea, Please
I stopped by the Chinese Language House for tea, community, and learned how to play mahjong in the process!