Hi everyone! I'm Yehalah and I'm a '26 coming all the way from Colombo, Sri Lanka. My academic passions lie in Energy Engineering and Environmental Studies. I am a first-generation and low-income student, actively involved with the community. I love to paint and read during my free time. I'm excited that you're here, and I hope you enjoy this account of my life at Dartmouth!
The sequel to Drawing 1! Undoubtedly harder, but definitely a great class. I can now say, with confidence, that I am able to paint a mango successfully.
The Sacred Architecture of Asia is one of the most incredible courses I have taken at Dartmouth! The course is primarily discussion-based, with Professor Seher explaining and initiating conversation about the course material.
Thanksgiving is a tradition that was not a part of my life before Dartmouth. I only vaguely knew what it was, but it is widely celebrated by people in the US.
Winter break at Dartmouth is six weeks, with Thanksgiving and Christmas break combined. While some students stay on campus for this time, the majority travel back home. If you are a student receiving significant financial aid, winter housing and meals will be provided free of charge. I was on campus for Thanksgiving this year, but to be completely honest with you, it can get lonely.
It is important to note that students who are off campus for a term are not eligible for break housing. This applies to students even if they are taking classes in a study abroad program. If students are studying abroad in the fall or the winter, they are not eligible for winter housing, which can be extremely stressful. The best thing to do would be to contact Residential Life as soon as possible to negotiate housing situations!
For Thanksgiving, Dartmouth Dining closes for three days. While there is an option to obtain food in boxes the day before, this can be insufficient as some food will not last for three entire days. A couple of the restaurants in town do remain open, but options are limited.
The United Church of Christ, which is within campus hosts a Thanksgiving lunch which is open to students and non-students! I met many people from the town and had a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
The lunch at the church!
My friends who were still on campus decided to host a Friendsgiving, where we cooked multiple dishes! The best resource we used was the Dick's House 24/7 pantry, where students can access staple ingredients for free. Furthermore, students can also request $25 gift cards to a nearby market for groceries.
If you happen to stay on campus for the break, it is important to plan ahead for the days that the dining halls are closed and utilise all the resources that Dartmouth provides!
It's easy to forget how easy it is to access walking trails during the hustle of a Dartmouth term. As graduation nears, I am reminded of how special it is to step off campus and enjoy quiet moments in nature.
With a solar eclipse sweeping across North America for the first time in nearly seven years on April 8th came a road-trip with hundreds of other Dartmouth students to a zone of totality near campus: St. Johnsbury, Vermont!
