Perhaps unpopularly, I didn’t fear the cold when moving to New Haven in the Fall of 2023. Moreover, I welcomed it with warm and open arms. I grew up in Southern Oklahoma, a place that often sees snow fall from the sky but hardly ever sticking to the ground. My first year in New Haven was the first time in my life that I experienced days on days of snow and ice covering the ground, and it was the first time I was expected to traverse it. In Oklahoma, if more than two flurries fell within a second of each other, the buses ceased to run, and school would miraculously be cancelled for the day. We had many snow days with no white on the ground. The same was not the case in New Haven. It was a very shocking experience, but it was also very beautiful – I had always loved the snow, and it was one of the primary factors in me wanting to attend college in the Northeast.
To be honest, the novelty wore off. While I do still love watching the snow fall from my window, and the various snowball fights thrown throughout the campus are an adorable tradition, the reality of being incapable of leaving your room without a heavy coat do get a little tiring after a while. However, like most things in life, there are two sides of the same coin. While being endlessly cold with an unstoppable red-nose to rival Rudolph can be annoying, it only makes the warmth of your suite and cozy bed even sweeter. More than just physical warmth, though, the cold has a way of chasing everybody inside, and within the walls of dorm halls, common rooms, dining halls, etc., connections are forged. Though it sounds incredibly corny, there are many nights in which the best kind of warmth to keep you going through the winter is the kind you get from late nights with friends when there is absolutely nowhere else to be that also allows you to keep all sensation in your fingers.
The Ezra Stiles College courtyard on a snowy Super Bowl Sunday
As such, though the cold can be a beautiful curse, it can also be an unforgettable gift. I have many memories of laugh-filled hangouts with friends that were made possible by the collective fear of stepping outside, but what I remember is never the cold, but the fun. Absence does make the heart grow fonder, as well, and when the first warm day of spring comes, there is nothing more empowering than seeing the sun and wearing a short-sleeve t-shirt.
Behind Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall on a snowy day.
