Dakota Crookston

Until Next Time

Posted on May 27, 2020September 21, 2022 by Dakota Crookston

By Dakota Crookston ‘21 After many years spent dreaming about the city of white nights, opulent Tsarist palaces, and old Soviet metro stations, my semester in Saint Petersburg got off to an anticlimactic start. I touched down at Pulkovo Airport on an overcast, Wednesday afternoon. Itching to finally meet the storied city, I deboarded the plane to find myself in a listless ai...

Being in Bishtek

Posted on January 15, 2020September 21, 2022 by Dakota Crookston

By Dakota Crookston, ‘21 Moving beyond mosaic tabletops and colorful couches, the lot of us had taken our seats at a table in the back. The booth was grand, tucked behind thick drapes and lavishly upholstered. Our rowdy bunch eyed each other apprehensively. I knew that this moment would come eventually, but I thought it would happen after my own decision. I had not expect...

Getting to Kyrgyzstan

Posted on August 8, 2019September 21, 2022 by Dakota Crookston

By Dakota Crookston ‘21 My parents met online, I found Pomona through a web search, and I’m flying to Kyrgyzstan in seven hours because I googled “intensive russian study summer.” My trek started late last August, when I was scrubbing the internet for summer opportunities to learn Russian abroad. Unfortunately, the well-known Critical Languages Scholarship was out of the ...