Coming from a tropical country provides absolutely zero preparation for what winter brings. After living in Nigeria all my life and only seeing snow fall on TV shows, I had no idea what I was in for when I came to Syracuse University in the fall.

At first, I was excited. I was ready to experience everything and finally feel like I had lived in this world. When autumn came, I embraced it with open arms. I could finally rock my boots and massive hoodies. Hot chocolate and apple cider galore. My phone was filled with pictures of perfectly random trees, which would be weird if you knew nothing of my background. I had never watched a tree turn various shades of red, brown and orange.

As a millennial, what another way to prove I saw it then take pictures?

So, pictures I took. Hundreds of pictures of autumn trees from all angles at all times of the day. It became automatic for me to stop on my way to class, whip out my iPhone and snap a few pictures of a pretty tree. I was enjoying life, really. The air was crisp and clean and the sun was still shining in the sky. Even if it was a bit brisk, it was nothing a sweatshirt or two couldn’t beat.

And then came the rain. With it came a horrible bitter wind. This I did not like at all. All my sneakers kept getting soaked through and two sweatshirts became four to fight the winds. Even then, it wasn’t enough because my face would sting from the ice-cold rain droplets and the wind would blow in to make my face and hands feel numb.

To say I was disappointed is not enough. I was angry as well. Someone had not seen it fit to inform me that autumn came with so much rain! What’s worse, after finally splurging to get some cute rain boots, the rain ceased. I was too late on that front.

During this period, I barely got to see the sun. It was always hidden behind pregnant grey clouds. I came to hate going outside for any reason whatsoever. My 8 a.m. classes got skipped without second thoughts and I stayed in bed, snuggled under the blankets for as long as I could get away with it.

After my body finally adjusted to this new dynamic of the weather, it changed again! I was told that the winters in Syracuse were really snowy and despite my bitter half of fall, I was eager to see snow and play in it. That was not the case. It seemed like the snow refused to fall despite how cold it was outside.

At this point, I had finally acquired an awesome coat that was both cute and warm so most of my body was good. The sun would be shining high in the sky yet the temperature would be in the negatives. Waking up became a true struggle. Extracurricular activities fizzled away. It was simply class then back to my room to curl up next to the heater and watch TV.

And finally, the snow came. And came. And came. And is still coming. My impatience for the snow has now turned to anxiety about how much would fall. The first day it snowed, I was so exuberant. I ran outside, camera at the ready, to document my glorious experience.

Fast forward to two weeks of constant snow, I was sick and tired. Walking around was precarious because of how slippery steps could be. My glasses kept frosting over so that I could barely see a step ahead. And snow kept getting into my socks SOMEHOW despite how tight I laced up my snow boots.

Combined with the winds and ice blowing around, my movements became even more limited. My nose was constantly running and I refused to do anything other than sleep, study and eat.

At this point, I am convinced I need to hibernate during the winter.

All in all, my first winter was not a total let down. I did get to experience what I came for, even if I got sick of it pretty fast. I never knew it could be so cold… and now I know it can still get colder. As time goes by, I’ll hopefully get used to it and finally go sledding or something.

For now, though, I think I’ll stick to hibernating.