Hi everyone! I'm Tess, and I live 30 minutes outside of London. I love everything Dartmouth, including the sunsets, the traditions, the classes, and the merch. I'm super excited to experience everything I read about in this blog over the next four years. Come along with me as I explore the ins and outs of life in the woods.
Being in a completely new environment means lots of 'firsts.' So, for my term's reflection, I am going for an alphabetized parody of some of the best moments that I experienced for the first time. Hopefully it won't be the last! Forgive me, some of them are long stretches…
Apple Picking: @Riverview Farm, 10/10 experience. The only downside was the difficulty in choosing between picking apples, pumpkins or berries. My roommates thoroughly appreciated my apple haul.
Think we got enough apples?
Bonfire: my term recap would be incomplete with the bonfire's omission! I look forward to many more years admiring this tradition.
Bonfire night!
Coop Haul: the go-to store for Dartmouth merch. From sweatshirts to dog bandanas, they have it all.
Dance Show: whether you're an avid dancer (unlike me), or someone who is better suited to being in the audience (like me), Dartmouth has dancing for everyone. A good friend of mine is in Ujima, a hip-hop dance group, and I love going to support her, and the group!
Egg: yes, egg. Sunday mornings is my Foco (our dining hall's nickname) omelette day. My preferred omelette filling includes mushrooms, eggs, jalapenos, beans, and cheese. Lots of it.
Farmer's Market: let me put you on something: Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate from Norwich Farmer's Market. And also the grilled cheese with avocado. And the apple butter. Let's just say you will never go hungry at Norwich Farmer's Market. But it's not all food—I got some cute sock ghosts for my room to celebrate Halloween.
(School) House Cruise: a beautiful cruise on Lake Sunapee with my dorm mates. The Shirley Temple was the cherry on top.
Ice Cream: I love ice cream. My favorite flavor would have to be maple. Maple ice cream from Mac's Maple, maple ice cream from Foco Late Night, maple ice cream from Scoops…
Maple ice cream made my month
Joining Clubs: So. Many. Clubs. Sudoku Club to Field Hockey to Model United Nations to Dartmouth Investment and Philanthropy Program… I don't want to ramble, but you get the idea. Opportunities to try new things, old things, meet people.
Karaoke: New Student Orientation involved more than one karaoke night with my new classmates.
FocoLate-Night: Late Night is the fourth meal period of the day—operating from 9:30PM to 1:30AM. As said above, the maple ice cream is always a winner, although I also love grabbing a bag of popcorn to enjoy while watching a show with friends.
(Annie's) Mac and Cheese: this had to be a favorite meal of First Year Trips, although I would have to say it was more cheese than mac.
Newspaper: The Dartmouth, our school newspaper, is a great way to catch up on current events around campus.
Overnight: myself and a group of people drove about thirty minutes to some cabins just off Lake Morlee, where we did some team building activities, and of course, s'mores.
The cabin I stayed in—a beautiful view!
Pickleball: having never played Pickleball before I came to Dartmouth, I would like to think that I am now a master… don't ask my friends what the score was though! At any point, Dartmouth students can borrow pickleball paddles (and tennis racquets) and play on one of the four pickleball courts.
Quiz: actually, midterm…
Roommates: my two roommates and I always have a great time together, whether it be a late night study session in the room, or morning outfit crises.
Squash: unlike pickleball, I don't actually play squash… maybe that should be a goal for next year! I have enjoyed watching the varsity squash team squash other schools.
Twentieth Birthday: a couple friends and I celebrated a 20th birthday! We bought a cake, and we celebrated by eating on the Green.
(Suit)Up and Score: another sporting endeavour—this time at a women's basketball game, I was asked to go on at half time and participate in a race to put on an oversized jersey, shorts, size 20 shoes, and then shoot a hoop. Luckily the team was better than I was at scoring.
Voting: my first time voting! Dartmouth made it easy for us all to get to the polls by providing walking trains and buses.
Woccum: whenever it's a nice day, I try to get out and go for a walk around Occom Pond.
Xtra Long Study Session: this one is definitely a cheat… I was struggling here.
Sanborn Library is one of my favorite study spots
(First) Year (Trip): what a relaxing three days… I met one of my closest friends at the final night at Moosilauke Lodge. Oh, to go back to the days of Trips!
Zumba: well, not Zumba, but spin classes. Dartmouth offers a variety of classes for PE credit, and this term I did weekly spin classes. I've heard Zumba is also a huge hit.
So, that is my term, boiled down to twenty-six moments. I had a great time, but I'm looking forward to a break. See you in six weeks!
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