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.
One of my hesitations coming to Dartmouth was a) that there would be limited things to do on the weekends and b) that I would never get to do anything ever on the weekends since Dartmouth is located 'in the woods,' inaccessible from a city. I am here to disprove both sentiments to my former self. Well, mostly the latter. For things to do on a winter weekend, check out this blog posthereandhere. But for now, allow me to debunk the misguided belief that once at Dartmouth, it would be difficult to do weekend trips to cities.
Saturday morning, I hopped on the Dartmouth Coach. As I slightly overslept my alarm, I didn't manage to take the bus I originally intended to, but luckily, the bus to Boston runs a regular schedule of a departure every hour. There are two destinations: the first to Boston South Station and the second to Boston Logan airport, which was my final stop, as I was meeting my dad who had just flown in from London.
We taxied into the city, and then immediately went to get lunch. When in Boston, what better cuisine to have than seafood, right? We then did the classic walk up and down Newbury Street, stopping in the stores, all the while trying to avoid the masses of snow on the ground. We also made a trip to the Prudential, a large shopping center right off Newbury.
After a brief pit stop (and nap) at the hotel, we made our way to Seaport, where we were having an early dinner. Our main event of the day was a concert that we had bought tickets to. I was unsure what the genre would be, but trusted my dad's musical taste. It was a mix of bluegrass, country and Americana, and the concert was amazing. It was in the stunning Citi Performing Arts Center, which added to the otherworldly atmosphere created by the music.
The Performing Arts Center, in all of its glory
To finish off the night, we stopped by Mike's Pastries on our way back to the hotel. Famous for their cannoli and long lines, we really couldn't resist.
The next morning, after a delicious brunch, my dad and I sadly had to part ways—but my weekend in Boston was not over yet. One of my good friends from my old school, who I hadn't seen in too long of a time, goes to university in Boston, and I had suggested that we meet up in the afternoon.
We walked around Boston, and I got to see her campus and her flat. We finished the visit off with some ice cream and waffles, before I had to head to South Station to catch the bus back up to Hanover. Before 9PM that night, I was back in my dorm.
At lunch with my friend from home
The ease of the entire trip was incredible—it was only the Friday night that I purchased bus tickets, which took me right to where I needed to go. Just over two hours, the bus ride gave me time to finish any outstanding work that I had.
All in all, this weekend was a perfect break from life in the Upper Valley, and it definitely enhanced my appreciation for college in the woods. Next weekend is reserved for skiing!
In this blog, I share how joining Ujima, Dartmouth's oldest hip hop dance team, became not just a creative outlet but a family built on collective work, responsibility, and love.
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!
Staying connected to significant people in my life is very important to my emotional well being at Dartmouth. Here are some ways I stay social around Hanover and a little bit away in Boston!
My final week in Saigon was nothing short of adventure. Bittersweet, but still jam-packed with activities, come with me as I conclude my time in Vietnam
