Welcome to April, Dartmouth.
Not sure about you, but I’m sure feeling like an April fool. After dusting off the late March snowstorm and hesitantly shedding my puffer for a meager two layers, it’s looking like there’s more snow to come.
It has been an incredibly busy term so far, especially as I readjust to a normal Dartmouth course load for the first time since summer 2023. Somehow, I’m already behind in my government readings, and I’m desperately trying to learn coding in R from YouTube tutorials so I don’t fail my data visualization class. To top it all off, I feel bogged down in the networking grind for summer internships, squeezing in interviews and cover letters in between classes and dinners with friends. Whew!
But it’s not all freezing rain and Zoom interviews here. I thought I would hate leaving my sunny off term in Florida and returning to Hanover but, after Week One, it’s been thrilling to be back — even if I have to jump across that huge puddle that appears when snow piles up outside South Massachusetts Hall.
Last week was amazing, to say the least. There are so many friends that I haven’t gotten to spend time with for months, and it’s constant euphoria to see them all again. This week, I walked my friend’s puppy around campus and gave her lots of belly rubs. I sat on another friend’s floor at 1 a.m., eating bunny-shaped peanut butter cups for Easter. I drank some tea from Tonga and spent the night belting Jack Johnson songs. And by the end of the weekend, the inaugural onset of Sunday Scaries was put off by contentment and gratitude for all the friends I had the good fortune of seeing again.
So sure, it’s a bit hectic jumping back into spring term. There’s probably stress right around the corner — those Week Three midterms are already getting too close for comfort. But there are also so many things bringing me joy, like setting up a cozy new bedroom, watching people skim across an artificial pond or Late Night mini tacos with sour cream. And spring is nearly in bloom, with a once-in-a-lifetime eclipse, Green Key and sunny afternoons on the Green just ahead.
It’s a slow and snowy start, but here at Mirror we’re beginning to hit our stride. One writer gets a behind-the-scenes look at the life of a Fayerweather Hall custodian. Another looks at the struggle of job hunting for upperclassmen and we editors sit down with our Robinson Hall neighbors, the Web Dartmouth College Radio.
So shake the snow off your boots, and we’ll see you next week — hopefully it’s a little warmer.
