From Miriam Dia ’27 in São Paulo and Salvador, Brazil
I like to think I’m used to international travel, but my experiences in Brazil have been unique because I’ve made local buddies. I’m not a Latin American, Latino, & Caribbean Studies or Portuguese major or minor. In fact, Brazil is the first country I’ve visited in South America and the first country I’ve visited where the official language is not one I can speak. I have come to absorb everything Brazil has to offer. The country is vast, the culture is vibrant and diverse and the views are breathtaking.
The most impactful, though, has been the people I’ve befriended. Our study abroad coordinator, Laura, and an embroiderer named Miriam stand out. Laura and I connected on an unfortunate afternoon when I was bedridden with allergies. Miriam and I connected through weekly chats on my walk back from Sunday Mass. Dartmouth has taught me to connect with others but with a subconscious (and frankly unsettling) urgency. I suspect it’s because I’m studying abroad during my junior spring. When I daydream about returning to campus for commencement in June, I’m faced with the graduation of my ’26 friend. Then, my ’27s and I begin our year of “lasts” before our own graduation.
In Brazil, most of our firsts are also our lasts. This is a reality of study abroad that I’m still getting used to, even though our last weeks are already upon us. I may never see my Brazilian buddies again once I return to campus, but I’m certain the memories will last. Lasting memories and meaningful learning are the best things one can hope from a study abroad experience.
From Margot Ruland ’27 in Paris, France
My first memory from my time in Paris — coming through the fog of a sleepless red-eye and no breakfast — is the gleaming dome of Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, which I saw from behind the walls of the highway that encircles Paris. I felt completely loopy, my adrenaline waning after navigating the airport’s mile-long customs line and finding a taxi. Home already felt so far away.
I didn’t have any friends on my study abroad program yet. I was scared to speak entirely in French. But when I saw Sacré-Cœur, it finally sank in that I was in Paris. For a moment I could see beyond my anxieties and let myself get excited about all this program had to offer. Taking that leap opened up so many opportunities: Learning to love Paris as a local, traveling to new countries and making new Dartmouth friends.
Whenever I feel overwhelmed or frustrated (my train is delayed, the barista returns my
French greeting in English, I’m really craving some Jif peanut butter), I just need to take a pause and look at the city around me to remember how special this experience is. Paris’s magic goes beyond the Eiffel Tower; a deep breath and a glance up at limestone apartment buildings and wrought iron balconies, cobbled streets glistening in the rain, and I feel grounded. I have had such a wonderful time on this program, learning about not only conjugations and metro routes but about myself.
From Vivian Wang ’27 in Vienna, Austria
I am so thankful for the opportunity to study abroad in Vienna this spring as part of the Music FSP. Growing up studying music, I associate Vienna with its deep roots and connections to classical composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Despite this city’s strong associations with classical music, the professor leading our trip, Richard Beaudoin, has worked to curate a diverse selection of roughly 30 concerts over our 10 weeks here, covering artists who range from an Indian classical music trio to a New York jazz quartet to an orchestra performing Mahler’s ninth symphony. We have gotten to experience as many different types of music as possible.
We have also traveled as a group to neighboring cities: Overnight to Graz and Linz, as well as day trips to Eisenstadt and Wachau. In addition to incorporating music-related events — we saw “Castor and Pollux,” an opera by the Baroque composer Jean-Phillipe Rameau, in Graz and visited Haydn’s birth house in Eisenstadt — these trips have also brought us to non-musical local attractions, such as a wine tasting in Wachau and the Zotter Schokolade chocolate factory in Graz, where we got to try essentially every variation and flavor of chocolate, from the cacao beans themselves to cocoa liquor.
As much as I cherish these new experiences, I have also found just as much joy in settling into a routine in Vienna. I discovered Stadtpark, a gorgeous park located in Vienna’s 1st and 3rd districts, during our first week, and I have gone almost every day since the weather has warmed. I choose a bench, either in the shade or with my back to the sun, to sit and work on the musical I am currently writing. The park is usually quite packed, even in the middle of a weekday, and I love that I get to be around people while still maintaining my anonymity. All around me, people will just sit, sunglasses on, some alone, some with company. Few people are on their phones, a rather rare sight, and one I did not realize I loved existing within this much.
Janel Sharman '27 in Peru and Chile
During my off term I worked on two farms in Peru and Chile! I really enjoyed interacting with local communities and traveling in a different way than I’d done before. I spent my free time hiking the nearby mountain range. After a hectic Dartmouth winter, I loved being off the grid and spent a lot of time relaxing, reading and going on walks. I’m now back in the U.S., but I’m grateful for all of the unique experiences I’ve had on my off term.
These photos are from hiking in Peru!
