Yehalah Fernando

Yes, that is an actual word. Blobby aka the Baker library lobby! Besides the beautiful architecture, it is also study space for students. It is quiet enough that you cannot hear other people's conversations but there is a constant buzz. The higher up you go in Baker Library, the quieter it gets, so this is good place to study if you are someone who likes to have some background noise while studying. 

Being an engineering major, I will probably spend the majority of my time at Dartmouth in this building! Exploring it with my friend Victoria, we found really nice classrooms and spaces that we could study in. The center also houses the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship, the Dali Lab, and the Electron Microscope Facility. 

This may sound bizarre, but the first time I stepped into Rauner Library was during finals week. I instantly regretted not doing it sooner, especially because it is a one minute walk from my dorm! The Rauner Special Collections Library is home to Dartmouth's rare books, manuscripts and the archives. They are constantly rotating through exhibits of the works they have! The study spaces are picturesque, with a beautiful view from the long windows. I will definitely see more of Rauner in the Winter Term, when it is way too cold to walk anywhere else!

I feel like this one qualifies as both outdoors and indoors because it an outdoorsy activity being done indoors. You know what I mean? The Climbing Gym is a bouldering cave with varying skill levels (I only got to level one of course) and is free to all Dartmouth students! If you are courageous enough to try the higher levels, I truly admire you. One foot up and I already want to be back on solid ground. However, the instructors there are extremely friendly and will teach you the ropes (disclaimer: there are no actually ropes). It takes some time to get rid of the fear of falling but it gets easier the more you do it!

A Sunrike is just what it sounds like; a sunrise hike. Except in this case, courtesy of New England weather, it was more of a foghike. We woke up at 5AM to drive to Frenches Ledges and then hiked in 4 degrees Celcius to the top! Now that I think about it, it was so early that it feels like more of a fever dream than reality. Regardless of the fog, it was a nice hike and the drive back through peak fall foliage was beautiful.

Last weekend I went on a West House paintball trip (all expenses paid)! The bus ride was a good two hours away but it was worth it. I am proud to say I managed to take out three people (not much, I know, I am not skilled). It was extremely tiring but definitely good exercise. I left with an expansive collection of bruises ranging from my leg to the tip of my finger (which is still not healed) but also left with the satisfaction of knowing I can survive in paintball.