One day in particular sticks out to me when looking back at my Yale career (that is unbelievably almost halfway over). That day is March 3, 2024. By most accounts the day was fairly normal. No special events were occurring – at least to my knowledge. There was one major magical difference to that day from those that came before it – it was actually sunny and not freezing cold outside.
Coming from Oklahoma, I was a little concerned about the cold Connecticut weather, even though I was excited to finally experience a proper Winter. Not to scare any future Yalies, but it hit me like a semi. I had never before experienced such a sustained period of utter chill in my life, and snow and ice resting on the ground for days at a time was unimaginable prior to my August move in. Yes, it was amazing to see the snow, my skin was never so separated from the outside world by constant lairs of clothes. March 3rd was different, though.
When I stepped out that day, something I had almost forgot existed began to happen – I felt a little warm in my jacket, and the sky was a uniform blue. My pale skin was probably near translucent in the light, but I didn’t care. I went back into my room and changed in to a t-shirt and let my skin breathe for the first time in months. It was glorious.
I wasn’t the only one experiences solar euphoria. A couple friends and I began walking around campus enjoying the day, and when we reached Cross Campus – the central quad of campus in front of Sterling Memorial Library – what we found was nothing short of breathtaking. People were actually outside again. Students rested on blankets, speakers blasted music, and footballs were tossed to and fro. In many ways, it felt like a festival, one that was entirely spontaneous created from a collective desire to enjoy the nice weather together.
Throughout the day, more and more people joined the informal festivities on Cross Campus (and made their own mini-picnics in the courtyards throughout the campus) until the sun went down. I distinctly remember the intense amount of work I had to catch up on in the week before we left for Spring Break, but absolutely none of it was completed – at least until the sun went down – as we were all far too busy enjoying one another’s company.
The Spring semester of 2025 has been a little colder than last year, and that magical day has yet to come at the time of writing this, but I know it will come, and I eagerly await.
