1As I sit here and write, snow falls behind me. It’s the weekend snowstorm that all of Union has been anticipating (and, perhaps, dreading) for the past couple of days now, and it’s finally here. For my first encounter with snowy weather at Union, it’s exciting. White fluff sits piled over half a foot on the tops of cars in the parking lot and outdoor seating all around my dorm building. I’ve always been truly fascinated with the way snow piles up on the bare branches of trees in particular, and we’ve got no shortage of that here at Union. As a first-year, I don’t have a car to scrape off this winter, and it being the weekend, I really have nowhere I need to be, so I can thoroughly enjoy this little winter wonderland—except I don’t.
Not to be a Grinch (though I’m just a couple of weeks late on that joke), but I do have one major issue with the weather this year at Union. It’s simply too cold. I know what you’re thinking: Sophie, you just talked about a snowstorm at Union, of course it’s going to be cold. But that’s where you’re mistaken. Even before this snowstorm passed through, it was too cold out. Last Thursday, not a single snowflake could be spotted in the grass or on the surface of an outdoor bench, but the temperature sat at 32°F, just barely freezing, and we were hit with over 25 m.p.h. wind gusts that made the “feels like” temperature sit at around 20°F. I could hardly hold a conversation without interruptions of “it’s so cold” and other expletives that are less appropriate to include in a school-sanctioned newspaper.
After reading about my gripe with 20°F weather, you may think that I’m not used to this type of weather, or that I’m just a wuss, but you’re wrong about that, too (at least the first part, anyway). When I’m not here at Union, I live in northern Connecticut, often experiencing weather that isn’t too different from where we are in mid-state New York. From my house to Union, it’s only about a 2-hour drive (I’m lucky, I know), so you’d think that the weather couldn’t be too different between the two. Yet, somehow, I’m the coldest I’ve ever been up here. Maybe that’s not entirely true, and maybe I’m only suffering because I’ve failed to bring with me the proper outerwear/outer accessories for the winter season, but it’s still pretty dang cold out!
Back in elementary school, let me tell you, I could brave the cold. I belonged to that sub-classification of pre-teen boys who would wear shorts in the dead of winter, and then make a face of disbelief when someone dared to utter the words “it’s cold.” The last time I owned a proper pair of winter boots (NOT including my failed attempt at waterproofing my Uggs in middle school) was when I used to ski back when I was barely even conscious. I didn’t know what fractions or semi-colons were, but I knew to wear those big, bulky boots (and I knew how to do a mean pizza stop). Needless to say, I’m not afraid of a little cold weather—Union’s just unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Or, maybe it’s not. Maybe I’ve changed, maybe I’ve gotten weaker over time, as I’ve started to actually wear pants in cold weather and not resent my mother for making me wear big winter coats to school. Maybe I’m weaker now and it’s really not that bad at Union, but, still, I think it’s pretty cold out.
