I expected Japan to be unlike anything I'd ever known—and in many ways, it was. But, somewhere between sipping matcha in Kyoto and wandering temple gardens in Tokyo, I realized something strange: I kept finding little pieces of Dartmouth.
When I look back on my time at Dartmouth, and it is hard to believe I will be graduating in just two weeks, I know that Africa Week will always stand out as one of the moments when this campus felt most alive, most joyful, and most like home.
Arriving on campus as a sophomore, I felt comfort in knowing I made it back to my second home. It may sound a tiny bit exaggerated, but there's something magical about the campus at 9 p.m. on a Thursday night.
From September 15 through October 15, Latinx Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States. As an international student coming from Brazil, I was genuinely excited to experience a month of commemoration to the place and culture I call home.