I grew up in sunny Southern California where you are more likely to have a fire warning than to have rainstorm, much less a snowstorm. As expected, the question I’ve been asked the most often since I’ve gotten to New Jersey was if I had ever seen the snow before. While I have seen the snow, it was only on special occasions when my family went on trips specifically to see the snow, so having snow on campus for the first time is a new experience that I have been trying to make the most of. Whether you are a Californian, or have been in the snow all your lives, hopefully this list will bring back fond memories.
1. Making jokes about milk and bread.
Before the snow even started to come down, my friends started to joke about how I needed to get milk and bread in order to make my first snowstorm complete. I thought it was odd that two of the most perishable food items would be the ones that people would stock up on, but then I started to realize what a tradition that is. Every time we watched news reports of the impending storm, they would show the grocery stores getting rampaged before the first storm, and it felt like I was officially living on the east coast when I bought some emergency rations for myself.
2. Waking up to see snow on the ground.
In every Christmas movie ever made, the protagonist wakes up to a beautiful first snow as nature’s present on Christmas morning, but that is never the case in Southern California. While we get into the holiday spirit by wrapping our palm trees in lights, the sky typically clear and blue when we see what Santa brought us. When I woke up to see the snow plastered on the window and a foot deep on the ground, I felt like I was transported into a classic Hallmark movie, despite the fact that Christmas has well and truly passed, and was awed by the magic of snow.
3. Putting on all new snow clothes.
Because Southern Californians don’t typically see the snow unless they go to the mountains for skiing or snowboarding, there isn’t a need to have snow clothes handy at all times. While you can get away with wearing nothing but a long sleeve shirt and maybe a sweater and pretend you are dressed for winter in Southern California, the same cannot be said of the east coast. I had purchased the appropriate boots, jackets, scarfs, hats and gloves for the east coast weather and so getting suited up in all of the attire and getting ready to test it out was a source of pride for me when people questioned whether or not I’d really be ready for the snow.
4. Playing in the snow.
To someone who has very little experience with snow in their childhood, playing in the snow fulfills many of the dreams that were never recognized due to our lack of weather. Whether it’s building a snowman, having a snowball fight, rolling down a snow covered hill, making snow angels or catching snow flakes on your tongue, a Southern Californian will feel like they are finally unlocking achievements on a video game that they have wanted all of their lives.
5. Hanging out with friends.
While you can hang out with friends on any day, it is a unique experience to do so with east coast friends during the first snowstorm. My friends, like many others on the east coast, don’t think much of the snow anymore because they have been exposed to it for so long, but as they see me experiencing all of this for the first time, they start to feel nostalgic. Sometimes it takes a Southern Californian to have someone on the east coast remember the magic of snow and someone on the east coast has to show a Southern Californian the ropes.
