Calling all Floridians, I feel your confusion. The layers, the puffy coats, the black ice, the frigid temperature, I don't understand it either. "Go to school where there are seasons," they said, "it'll be a nice change!" Well, I personally miss the beach, the constant sunlight, and a pigmentation of skin that is not ghostly white. Stepping out of my dorm and bracing the tundra outside it couldn't be more obvious that I am from a state that has never experienced snow, and if you are from Florida I am sure you can relate. Here are some thoughts that us Floridians may experience when Mother Nature graces us with her snow.
1. Oh, there are little snow flakes on the ground!
Nope, it is salt.
2. Why is there salt on the ground?
I genuinely still do not know the answer, but I have been told it has something to do with preventing the snow from sticking. But I still don't see the connection between putting a seasoning on the ground and snow days.
3. First thought within an hour of snowing: "This is so fun! Lets go play!"
And for ten minutes maximum it really is fun.
4. When it is still snowing hours later: Over it
So over it, never leaving my room, when does it end?
5. Why do I have to wear this monstrosity of a coat to stay warm.
I came to college with the heaviest layer of clothing being a hoodie. I was told layering was the key to stay warm, so for a while freshman year I would put on a short sleeve shirt underneath a long sleeve shirt underneath a hoodie and call it a day. Aside from looking literally absurd, it was still freezing. When I struck two 104 degree fevers my mom sent me the largest, puffiest, ugliest coat I have ever seen in my life. I wear it everyday and feel like a marshmallow.
6. I must watch my every step.
I never realized that contrary to popular belief it is actually beneficial to walk through the snow, because if you aren't stepping on chunks of white snow most likely you will go from vertical to horizontal before you know what just happened because of black ice. Whether you are walking alone with no witnesses or walking in the middle of campus, black ice holds no mercy.
7. Do I even have hands?
Unless you want to walk around campus with thick mittens, expect nothing less than numb hands and cracked knuckles. Pass someone on the walk to class? You can't even pretend to be texting because your fingers are so numb they will physically not move.
8. Why did I leave Florida.
Last but not least we are left scrolling through our camera rolls of warmer days, the pool, and snap chat stories that say 89 degrees. I can't help but wonder what we are doing here, and why we ever left the Sunshine State.
