Hi everyone! Welcome to my blog, also known as my digital diary. I'm majoring in Asian Studies modified with Business, a new program here at Dartmouth, so feel free to ask me anything related to that. Beyond the classroom, I love the Dartmouth sunsets, the traditions, the classes, the merch, and the people, of course. Come along with me as I explore the ins and outs of life in the woods.
A course that definitely surprised me, I did not know what to expect and had very little philosophical knowledge before taking this course. It was a mixture of current and past readings, with the final project to make a group video, testing my technological ability. Professor Bumpus was amazing, and I got to know her more when I took her to breakfast at Pine through the Take Your Professor to Lunch Program.
I was recommended to take a history course, specifically a history course with Professor Lu, and it has not disappointed! This course is cross listed with Asian Studies, my major, but it has made me consider a history minor... We start every class off with a song relating to the topic of that class, and then we move on to discussion based activities.
So far, the Dartmouth classes I have taken have been all based around discussion and essay writing. As an Asian Studies and Government major, I expected that the rest of my time at Dartmouth would follow a similar pattern, but in fact a pre-requisite for the Government major is a Political Analysis class. This class involves coding, analyzing survey samples, and other quantitative methods. The professor is amazing—a friend and I got to know him better by taking him out to breakfast at Pine through the 'Take Your Professor to Lunch' program. The final group project involves making projections for the 2024 elections using past data. Although, obviously, this election already happened, some of our predictions were more accurate than the polls! It is super interesting to take a class that I can see the themes in real world news outlets.
My favorite class this term had to be Developing Vietnam, which is a ten-week course taken in Hanover, in preparation for three weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam during the winter break. The goal of this class was to plan and carry out a research project pertaining to development in Vietnam. During our time at Dartmouth, we collaborated with Fulbright University Vietnam students to come up with a shared research topic, research brief, and agenda. The interdisciplinary nature of this class meant that we had the opportunity to explore Vietnam through different angles/themes spanning religion, history, political economy, and environmental governance.
With this blog post, my time in Vietnam comes to an end. This is the third and final week of my time on the'Developing Vietnam' Fall+ program, a specially designed curriculum that involves ten weeks in Hanover, preparing a research project, followed by three weeks in Ho Chi Minh City, during our winter break. What makes this truly unique is the 'exchange element'—we work with students from Fulbright University Vietnam, in teams of six, with half from Dartmouth and half from Vietnam. After myfirst andsecond weeks in Vietnam, I can barely believe that my time is coming to an end. But I shouldn't speak too soon—plenty can happen in one week!
After a hectic Sunday evening submitting the rough drafts for our research papers, Monday was feedback day, where we met with the instructional team. Consisting of Professor Miller from Dartmouth, and Professor Lan and Huang from Fulbright, they were excellent resources to draw on. Between them, we really could get any question answered.
:taken from the back of a motorcycle
Beyond the research paper, we also had to produce a short film. As very few members of the cohort had any experience in video-making, the instructional team also included Josie Harrison, who works in theJones Media Center at Dartmouth. She accompanied us in filming, and was crucial in formulating ideas about putting the mini-documentary together.
As a celebration for completing the draft, the instructional team took as to the AO Show, a contemporary circus at the Saigon Opera House. It was truly a feast for our eyes, as the performers did stunts I didn't even know the human body could do. There were multiple times that I held my breath during the performance. The school provided transportation there and back, making it extremely efficient.
Our table of food
Two highlights from this week were our Hai Di Lao group hot pot trip, which included a noodle dance, which was trumped by one of our groupmates' invitations to his house for dinner. We met his family, and then sat outside, in front of a table piled with seafood, vegetables and plates. The six of us chatted for hours, talking about our time in Vietnam, our childhoods, what we wanted to do post-graduation. It was bittersweet, being so close to the end of the trip, but a wonderful privilege to gather like this.
Getting to the end of our project with Professor Miller
The last couple of days were a whirlwind completing the film, leading up to our final team presentations at the university. It was an amazing afternoon—screenings of each team's documentary followed by questions showed how hard everyone had been working to complete their projects. Our group could not have been prouder with how everything turned out. There were definitely points in the three weeks where I wondered how we were going to complete our film, but it turned out better than I could've imagined. Getting to share our hard work with the rest of the cohort and professors meant that everything came into fruition.
An art gallery that I happened upon
Not only did I gain a closer understanding of our topic and just generally of wider Vietnam, I made amazing friendships with my Fulbright teammates. Developed over the past 13 weeks, the bonds that were created, through shared academic and personal experiences, are lifelong.
The following day, the entire cohort made a day trip to Ho Tram Beach, where we had access to a resort's pool, beach, and restaurant. The pickleball courts were also open to us, but I found my place on a beach chair and didn't feel the need to move! A relaxing way to finish off a busy three weeks.
The resort!
All in all, this program was rewarding beyond words. I didn't really know what to expect going into it, but it far exceeded anything I could've imagined. The people I met, what I experienced, the stories I have. Yes, perhaps it is a cliché to say that 'my study abroad changed me,' but I truly learnt so much about myself from my time in Vietnam. I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity, and I know it will continue to be one of the defining moments in my Dartmouth career. I look forward to taking everything I learnt home to Hanover, allowing it to guide me in my academic and social lives.
Curious about how declaring a major works at Dartmouth? Concerned about getting trapped studying something you don't like? No need to worry. Come explore with me how majors and minors work at Dartmouth!
Learn about my first internship at Dartmouth, DSCI's ImpACT Winterim Initiative, and more about internship opportunities, DCSI, and pursuing hands-on experiences at Dartmouth!
