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.
This fall, I am taking'Developing Vietnam,' a fall+ course. As introduced inthisblog post, this course counts as a class taken during the regular ten week term, all in preparation for a three week trip to Vietnam during our winter break, also known as Winterim. Another unique aspect of this course is the 'exchange' element. Us 18 Dartmouth students are matched with 18Fulbright University Vietnam students, and it's not only us that travels to them. Around week five of term, we had the pleasure of hosting our Fulbright students here in Hanover!
The whirlwind of activities started on a Monday morning when, fresh off the plane from Ho Chi Minh City, the students dropped off the bags at the hotel they were staying at, and we then whisked them toFoco, our dining hall. As with anyone experiencing Foco for the first time, they were overwhelmed by all of the options. They noted that as their campus is in the middle of the city, they don't have on campus dining options, instead they typically bring meals from home or order takeout, eating in their kitchens on campus. Their appreciation for our ability to gather together, creating a campus community through our meals was not lost on me.
First meal together!
The purpose of this course is to complete a research project on a topic of our choosing to do with development in Vietnam. During term time, we were to plan the project and then carry it out while in Vietnam. And so, on their first day here, we also had a meeting with the instructional team to discuss where we were with our planning so far. The instructional team is made up of Professor Miller from Dartmouth, two professors from Fulbright University, and then Josie, who works in theJones Media Center, aiding us with the production of our short film. After this meeting, we then met with the reference librarians, who were able to give us guidance in terms what and where to look for sources for the research paper. Their knowledge was also extremely valuable for general academic research, as I was informed about the Dartmouth Library resources available to me.
To properly welcome the cohort, a dinner was organized at the Dartmouth Outing Club House on Occom Pond, the perfect setting to welcome people to the beauty of the Upper Valley. As it was soon to be Thanksgiving, the meal was held in this holiday style, complete with turkey and stuffing.
Another highlight of the visit was the screening of an at the time unreleased documentary, 'On Healing Lands, Birds Perch.' Covering the impact of one of the most influential photos taken during the Vietnam War, 'Saigon Execution,' the film's director was present, allowing us to ask questions about the process of filming as well as its message.
As most of the Fulbright students had never visited the US, we wanted to ensure that they got a full experience of the American university experience. This included taking them to an a capella show, hosted by a Dartmouth fraternity.
Our final meeting in Hanover
We ended the eventful, albeit short visit with breakfast at Lou's Diner. Although the Vietnamese students were at Dartmouth for less than three days, I felt that we truly had the opportunity to connect with them through these shared memories. It was incredibly special to show them what life at Dartmouth looked like, making progress not only in our friendship, but also with the project. I am already looking forward to the culminating trip to Vietnam at the end of term.
Someone recently reframed my thinking about "surviving" in the winter to thriving, and I have really taken that to heart. Read to find out how I (try to) thrive in a winter climate!
If you're a prospective geology, mining, or resources student, this post is for you. "The Stretch" is Dartmouth's field geology program, and it covers exactly those areas!
