Some might say heading south for college makes me weak, a traitor to my Northeastern upbringing. However, it’s hard to take this to heart as my former classmates get ready for the season of shoveling. When I travel home for holidays, it becomes clear to me that my migration was adaptive, rather than a sign of frailty.
Besides, what many Northerners don’t understand is that the South has it’s own climate challenges that accompany the changing seasons. As a transplant, I feel equipped to catalogue the unique events that happen when it gets “cold” in the South.
You can walk around the park without sweating through your shirt.
Your food groups expand beyond snow balls and fro yo.
People get back together with their jeans after a long hot summer with shorts.
It actually makes a difference what you do with your hair since fuzz ball isn’t the only option.
Indoor and outdoor temperatures come within a 10-degree radius of one another, eliminating the need for sundress with a side of parka.
Your remember how nice hugs are when you don’t have to peel yourself apart after.
Homes and establishments break out previously unseen standards of holiday decoration to welcome the novel weather.
Living in New Orleans not only allows me to make it through the winter wearing just one pair of socks, but it also gives me a newfound appreciation for my former foe. My thin-blooded friends may find a season much more their speed if they follow the example of birds and avoid the snow down south. `
