Coming from a country where you can stand outside naked during winter for at least 5 minutes until something bad happens, New York's weather in mid-February was a pleasant surprise to say the least. When I applied to Vassar Early Decision, I had three things on my mind: nice people, two lakes, and financial aid. I was told winter in New York can be brutal, but let's be honest--if you haven't lived in ridiculously cold places before, you don't know what ridiculously cold really means.
First semester, Vassar was mind-blowingly beautiful; you could take a picture of random trees on campus, and you would get at least 10 likes for each tree. Birds were singing, sun was out, students were sun-bathing on the quad, and you felt like California just might be missing out on some of that orangy-yellow stuff. Then comes December and it gets a little chilly. Leaves have become covers for the pavement, and the gardeners have come back to re-plant the flowers in front of Main. You know that something must be wrong when you can clearly remember the same gardeners planting the same flowers two months back. But then rolls around February and flowers become the least of your worries.
I distinctly remember this one day last year probably sometimes in March or April. It was a crisp Monday morning at 6:30am. I looked out the window and what a view.
As much as I hate the cold, for a moment I forgot about my new-found hatred for snow as I looked mesmerized out my window. I put on my soccer gear and get ready for the Monday morning 7AM team workout session. I opened the front door of Jewett about 3 millimeters, and I was reassured once again--of my pure dispassion for winter. I could feel the inside of my nose begin to freeze, and I remember wondering to myself how we manage to keep our eyes from freezing. And then I blinked and I realized why. I check my iPhone for the temperature, and it's a cool -26C (-15F). I know this is nothing compared to some of you, but give me a break, I have a 26 mile walk to Kenyon on a Monday morning at 6:40am in the middle of a snow-storm.
The only thing that kept me from purposely slipping and falling so I could say I hurt my leg and have to sleep until Friday was the fact that the soccer team is extremely committed and I knew everyone else would be at training (I love the team, but a little less in winter). The point is, winter at Vassar can be hard for students who haven't experienced something similar. Every student has a moment of realization, whether it's at 6:30am on a Monday morning, or when you actually slip and fall on your butt on the stairs in front of entertained onlookers. These are the moments when you lean towards the latter half of the title of this post.. At times, Vassar really is just a freezer with some trees.
But now that I'm in my second year at Vassar, I can't help but feel a little excited for the depressing, long, cold, lonely, white, inconvenient winter. I mean, when else would we crave the $1 hot chocolate at Mathew's Bean? When else can you truly understand and appreciate the importance of that big hot thing in the middle of our solar system? Oh, and of course, friends and companions.
As we prepare ourselves mentally and physically for the 2nd semester, I want everyone to know that if you want to go get some hot chocolate, go to Mathew's Bean. See you there!
