Hola from Buenos Aires

January 26, 2014

While the rest of the team is bearing the cold weather in Hanover, Kayden and I are studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina for the winter on a Dartmouth LSA (Language Study Abroad) program. There are actually two LSA’s for the Spanish department—the other one is located in Barcelona, Spain, where Katie, Alli and Kaira are right now. To clarify, seasons are switched in Argentina, so it is summer here. Because Kayden and I are from Texas, we can handle the heat.

We are taking three Spanish classes: a history/culture class, a literature class, and the Dartmouth Spanish III equivalent. Upon arrival, we were immersed in the Spanish language right away. Not only are the classes taught in Spanish, but we also live with a host family. The first day I met my host mother and sisters was awkward and challenging, but now it is much easier, and I love being in an actual home rather than a dorm.  My family is extremely hospitable and social with me.

At first, it was hard being thrown into a big city with a different language, culture and customs. Speaking Spanish constantly and adapting to a different way of life are challenging. One of the hardest things for me to get used to is how late everything is here. Sitting down to eat dinner at 10:30 p.m. is completely normal. It is also the culture to sit at the table and talk for a least an hour after everyone is done eating. Here, they call that after-dinner conversation a “sobremesa.” I find it funny that stores on the street very rarely open before 11 a.m. and close by 5 p.m. How are people making any money? Also, service here is very slow. I think porteños (the Spanish name for people from Buenos Aires) like to take their time with everything. They live casually and without worry, much different than the speed of American life. 

We have free time to explore the city as well as planned events and trips. For starters, every Tuesday we take tango classes. I am completely hooked on the dance now. It is so much fun! I love watching the locals dance. They are so passionate and great at improvising. I plan to join the tango club at Dartmouth when I go back. I have traveled some already. On a free weekend, Kayden and I went to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay to relax at the beach. It was so strange tanning in January, but I wasn’t complaining! This weekend, the group went to the Iguazú National Park, which is in the most northern tip of Argentina. Words cannot describe how blown away I was by it. The waterfalls have been named one of the 7 wonders of the world and I couldn’t agree more. The main attraction was called “The Devil’s Throat,” which was like Niagara Falls times four.  I took a million photos, but I am sure they still didn’t capture the essence. I felt like I was in an Avatar movie or something. It was so surreal. I have never been so blown away by nature. It was hands down the most amazing natural phenomenon that I have ever seen in my life. On our ten-day break, Kayden and I and our moms are going to go to Machu Picchu in Peru. I am so excited! The Iguazú Falls will have some competition.

Obviously I cannot get the same volleyball training and reps that my teammates are in Hanover, so it is an adventure improvising workouts. Kayden and I got a membership to a gym by our house and work out with a personal trainer from Germany (not sure how he got to Argentina). The gyms here are nowhere near as nice as Hanover. In February, the volleyball team at my university in Buenos Aires starts up again. I am really excited to touch a volleyball again and play in a team setting.

Overall, I am elated that I had the opportunity to go on this trip. Being a varsity athlete and being able to study abroad is very rare. In that case, Dartmouth is particularly unique, and I love it for its flexibility with the D Plan. I feel like studying abroad is an unparalleled experience and what you learn cannot be taught in a classroom. I already feel so much more educated and cultured, and it’s only been 3½ weeks. I can’t wait for the weeks ahead.

-Paige Caridi ‘16

Greetings from San Francisco!

 Former DVB setter Alissa Santa-Maria '13 and Lucia Pohlman '15

I’ve been working at my new job for 2 weeks now, and it has been fabulous. One great thing about the D-Plan is that you can avoid the winter in NH! I’ve been enjoying wearing dresses (without tights!) and lounging outside my apartment building basking in the sun. Other than the great weather, my internship has proven to be be better than imagined. The company I work for, Real NewEnergy, is a small sustainability development firm that consults, develops, and commercializes sustainable technologies. It is a super small company so I spend a lot of time with the CEO and get to manage my own project. They have a net-zero impact greenhouse configuration, GoodSpheres Greenhouses, and I’m trying to find a location, customers, and funding to build a greenhouse. One cool idea I have is to crowdfund for the greenhouse in sustainable Eco-Villages in California. As an environmental studies major at Dartmouth, I’m interested in sustainable solutions for urban areas. I’m so lucky to be experiencing the type of work I want to do post-graduation in my Junior year of university! 

Also, there is a great side note to where I work. The company owners are Dutch and many of their projects involve information sharing between entrepreneurs and businesses from the Netherlands. As such, they have worked out this special relationship with the Dutch Consulate here in SF and are their in-house-entreprenuer. Moreover, I work in the Dutch Consulate! I have to have a super security pass, and am friends with the SF Consul General and it all feels very official. Also, the Dutch Consulate doesn’t have too shabby of an office! I work on the 31st floor of One Montgomery Tower in downtown SF. They also have really cool parties where everyone speaks Dutch, and I just walk around and pretend that I can understand. Those are pretty funny.

In terms of Dartmouth, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to capitalize on the time I have here in SF and the spring and summer terms. One great thing about attending Dartmouth is that I can capitalize on Volleyball (training, mindset, practicing, goal-setting), as well as my academic and career oriented interests (sustainability). I’ve been having major cases of FOMO (fear of missing out for all the non-high schoolers that might read this blog) seeing pictures and updates from my teammates in Hanover, but am so grateful for the opportunity to explore my career interests as a D1 student-athlete. I’m so excited to get back in the gym in the spring and work through blood, sweat and tears in order to prepare for my final season in the fall of 2014!

Thanks for reading!

-Lucia

14W from the eyes of our Hawaiian

Thoughts on the first week of 14W? Cold, hectic, crazy, fun. 14W stands for the 2014 Dartmouth Winter term and it’s safe to say there was no easing into it. Between reading multiple syllabi, surviving 7:30 a.m. conditioning, and having our wet hair freeze, we have had a lot of adjusting to do. 

While a lot of the upperclassmen are studying abroad in Spain or are taking part in some rad internships, the freshmen, accompanied by the lovely Maura and Schoney (Alex Schoenberger), have been busy in the library and the gym. 

The neat part about volleyball training in the winter term is that there are only three 40-minute sessions with a group of six or less girls per week. The whole focus of each session is to focus on our technique, something that we don’t get to concentrate as closely on during the busyness of season. Aside from position and skill training with the coaches, we have also gotten to get a few reps with our men’s volleyball club team, which pushes us to play at a faster paced game. In the weight room and conditioning, Kayleigh is pushing our limits, seeing how much we can improve in our strength, quickness, and agility. Winter training is about improving our selves so that can be better for the team and we plan to do that! In regards to the weather, well that’s a whole other story. 

Coming back up to Hanover for the winter term was a pretty big ordeal in my house. Being from Hawai’i, ‘winter’ has always meant Christmas and larger waves to surf on. I’d never really associated the term with drastic weather changes. I found myself purchasing this ‘New England’ uniform that everyone seemed to have. Whether it were these so called ‘bean boots’ (a type of snow boot) or a long North Face down jacket, there seemed to be a very long list of warm clothing that I had never been accustomed to wearing. However, as much as I miss the 70-degree weather back home, I actually have come to really enjoy the cold. 1. It is extremely refreshing to have cool air blowing against your sweaty face after early morning training. 2. More importantly, it gives me a reason to dress up in cute, warm winter outfits. On top of those reasons as to why the winter is actually really awesome, the fact that I am experiencing the winter with my teammates is what makes the extremities of a Hanover winter bearable. Trekking through the icy slush and freezing temperatures becomes amusing adventures when we’re together (especially with the ever-so coordinated Lottie). 

-Julia Lau ‘17

  

Spring is here. . . finally. . .

Hello from (now finally warm) Hanover!

As Scud (Elisa Scudder) said on our walk to get breakfast from lift yesterday, it seems like the entire campus has bloomed overnight. The trees are finally covered in leaves again, there are BEAUTIFUL flowers popping up everywhere, and the Green is actually green, which is always a nice change from the mud that's been there for a few months. The spring is definitely one of the best terms on campus because it seems like the whole campus is in a great mood, especially coming off of what was a ridiculously long winter with a snowstorm in the middle of April. With new puppies all over, barbecues, sunrise hikes, and trips to Ice Cream Fore U, it's pretty easy to see why people love it. However, after the first few sunny days there were definitely a lot of very red people walking around after trying to reverse the Hanover "tan".

With regards to volleyball, we're still rocking the early mornings. It's definitely different playing with a team of only 11 in the spring, but it's a nice chance to reconnect as a team after being apart all winter. Our two conditioning sessions per week with our amazing new strength and conditioning coach have been preparing us to crush the sprint test next Thursday and getting some competitive spirit going with relay races as surprises. We're in the middle of max week right now, which is our favorite week of the term for lifting because we get to push ourselves as far as we can go and see all of our lifts from the term pay off in the numbers. We even have an all-athlete record board that was recently put up in the weight room, so hopefully we'll be representing on that! 

Outside of volleyball, the spring gives us a chance to get involved with some of the incredible things Dartmouth has to offer beyond athletics. While we tend to take our hardest classes in the spring, the whole atmosphere is more laid-back and it's definitely more relaxing studying on the Green or by the river than in the library! Most clubs and organizations also go into overdrive in the spring, so there are even more opportunities than usual to get involved in community service projects like Relay for Life, cooking at David's House, or volunteering at the Upper Valley Special Olympic, just to name a few. Paige, Kaira, and I had the chance to volunteer with the swimming events at the Special Olympics last weekend and had a blast! We met some wonderful swimmers from around the area, did a whole lot of cheering, and Paige and Kaira did a great job handing out awards :) 

Given that it took the weather a few weeks to realize what term we were in and actually get warm, it seems like the spring has gone by absurdly quickly and it's absolutely crazy that 13S is wrapping up already. The rest of the 15s and I are lucky enough to get to come back after two weeks for our Sophomore Summer, but unfortunately it means another term of our team being spread out across the country. However, this spring has been a great time to refocus on getting better and stronger with each opportunity, and I know that we'll all be working as hard as we can wherever we are so that when we reconvene in 3 short months we'll be ready to crush preseason!

Alex Schoenberger '15

First Year Family Weekend

First-Year Family Weekend

A couple weekends ago was First-Year Family Weekend, a time in which families of first-year students are able to get a taste of their child’s life at Dartmouth. Our parents and siblings arrive on campus, receive info about the scheduled events and activities, and experience a beautiful, spring weekend at Dartmouth! One of the many activities sponsored by the school was the Tower Room Tour. Students and their families are able to climb through the tower of Baker-Berry library to experience an incredible view of the entire campus and its surrounding beauty. Kayden climbed the tower with her mom and younger sister, and was able to take brochure-worthy pictures of the Dartmouth campus! 

Another school-sponsored event was the Family Weekend Cookout behind the Baker-Berry library. All of us freshman volleyball girls were there with our families, chatting and eating delicious barbeque, while enjoying the splendorous spring weather. After the cookout, many lectures were held, ranging from talks on Off-Campus Programs to academic department lectures. In this way, the parents become more familiar with the opportunities available to Dartmouth students, and the students are able to showcase their bright expectations for the future.

Later that night, Dartmouth’s a capella groups gathered together for a performance known as the A Capella Showcase. Families and students got the chance to listen to some of Dartmouth’s most talented singers in their element. On Saturday morning, Dartmouth Football played in their annual spring game! Many of the volleyball players and families went to watch, enjoying the warm weather while cheering on fellow Dartmouth athletes and friends. 

On the last night, the volleyball 16s gathered together for a tasty Italian dinner at Stella’s with their families. Most of us wanted to showcase Hanover’s delicious dining throughout the weekend; Katie even took her parents to the original King Arthur Flower in Norwich, Vermont, a five-minute drive from campus. King Arthur Flower is America’s oldest flour company, and Dartmouth has their very own K.A.F. shop in the library, where students can buy the most amazing pastries, ciders/teas, and sandwiches! All in all, First-Year Family Weekend was an eventful, tasty, and beautiful spring weekend spent in the company of our parents, siblings and teammates.   

Alli

Allison Brady '16

Spring Competition

This past weekend (April 13) it was so great to play with the team again. Getting to see everyone’s competitiveness surge out once more was very exciting, especially to see it as a precursor to next seasons attitude. All the hours and hours of very very very early morning conditioning, practices and weight lifting is starting to show in our play. I never thought I would be capable of getting up almost everyday before the sun is even out. But regardless of the hour of the day, the team seems so driven to improve from our last season. Some of my favorite moments out on the court is when we have been tediously and meticulously working on little things – like deep corner shots, diving out six feet for a ball, etc. – and suddenly you see it click in a game like scenario. My teammates at times seem startled by my high-pitched squeals, but sometimes I just can’t hold in all the excitement.

The recent warm-ish weather has allowed us to finally wipe out the sundresses and show off our new bruises from our awesome defense work. At times I feel like it’s almost a competition to see who has the most bruises. But I feel like other people on campus must thing we are in some sort of fight club.

We also had our banquet this past weekend- a very bittersweet moment. On one hand it was great to eat all the incredible food at the Hanover inn and see everyone with her parents and reminisce on the great moments last season. But on the other hand it was very emotional hearing the seniors farewell speeches and thinking that’s only three more seasons away for me! I’m definitely nowhere near ready to a) say goodbye to volleyball and b) go into the real world.

Overall I think this spring off-season has been great. I can feel everyone’s motivation and commitment getting stronger each passing day. I can’t wait to see it translate into our upcoming season!

Kayden Cook '16

Learning to Lead: Dartmouth Peak Performance

DP2 (Dartmouth Peak Performance) Leadership Exercise

We all woke up a little early last Wednesday for our ‘Leadership Exercise’. We had about as much information going into it as you have now. That it was a leadership exercise, and that it required rainboots. We all packed into cars, and headed to base camp, a pullout on the side of the road. Mist was lying low all around us. It was getting intense. Steven Spaulding, a.k.a. Dartmouth’s leadership advisor pulled aside Elisa Scudder, a ‘14 middle, and I to get the lowdown on the morning’s activity. We each had to lead a group through the New England forest to a clearing with a large stump, from which we would find a camera attached to a tree in the surrounding woods. Trick is, you had to travel in groups of 2, and had to pre-select the tree you were going to look at from the center, go look on that tree and if it wasn’t there head back and do it again. No looking around in the forest! Then we would cross the Appalachian Trail, find a rope tied to a tree and do a variation on the human knot challenge. The first group back to the cars wins. Go!

Both groups ran through the forest to the clearing, which ended up being more of a marsh. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, this is a really rocky marsh!”, only to find out later that in fact I was stepping on unfrozen ice chunks left over from winter. We all turned out to be exemplary icy swamp muckers however, and my group raced through the camera finding mission with the help of Holly and Kayden, 16’s, who found the tree on their second time out. We then raced to part two of the mission and completed the knot task, but soon realized we had dropped an essential item (one of the ropes) on our way. We combed the forest, not wanting to give up our lead, and after a long and fearful 10 minutes we heard a coyote call of success and started our race back to the car. Albeit the icy water and long trudging all of our faces were lit up with smiles.

Having that kind of morning is awesome in many ways. First I love nature and being out there with the mist, flying geese and rising light was gorgeous. Secondly, walking into my statistics class at 10 am after that while everyone else had just grabbed breakfast in the cafe made me feel pretty accomplished. But most importantly, the leadership exercise was awesome because it enabled our team to work together in new novel situations and teach us new things about what it meant to lead and to serve. We learned a clear definition of leadership, and were able to see where we fell short. Fortitude and a positive attitude are particularly important to our team because of the high standard of focus and dedication we all agreed was necessary to take us to the level we want to be playing at. I know the team is so grateful for the opportunity to learn these lessons and to have such great resources available to us through the Dartmouth Peak Performance program.

Till next time!

Lucia