Now that we鈥檙e at the start of the new year, it鈥檚 time to start thinking about this Winter Term. This year鈥檚 gonna be pretty different because it鈥檚 the first time I won鈥檛 be on campus for all of January. In a way, this feels a little more like I鈥檒l be facing uncharted territory than last time. I mean, I had already gotten pretty used to the campus by this point last year. I knew what a hike it would be from my dorm at the south end of campus to Stevie, the northernmost dining hall. What I didn鈥檛 realize then was just how brutal Ohio winters can be. Of course, any midwesterners reading will know that this was completely an oversight on my part. Just know that it is COLD.
With the extreme wind, though, also come the best snow storms. That鈥檚 something I鈥檓 really gonna miss while being home all of Winter Term. We don鈥檛 really understand what a true 鈥渨inter wonderland鈥 is in New York City. The most we get is two inches of snow that turns either black or yellow within about an hour of falling (and honestly, you hope for black or yellow. Let鈥檚 just say there鈥檚 potential for every color of the rainbow out there). I鈥檓 never going to forget the time the little pond outside of the Environmental Science building froze over and my roommate dragged me over to start a mini ice skating challenge. Or the time we had a snowball fight after dinner and ran home with snow in our shoes, our toes slowly defrosting back at the dorm as we watched Jurassic Park.
The hardest part is going to be being away from my friends for an entire month. I鈥檓 already feeling it on the holiday break, texting them every day and checking in on everybody鈥檚 now entirely individual shenanigans. I think of the people I know who are going to be on campus all of January, getting to have all three meals with the people they鈥檙e closest to, raiding Walmart鈥檚 handwarmer section, and going on walks in the flurry-covered Arboretum.
It鈥檒l be nice being home, but I have a feeling that waking up the morning after a snowstorm and not getting to run over to my roommate鈥檚 side of the room to declare a snowball war will take its toll. I know Winter Term will be a fun time even being home. Right now, though, I can't wait for February!
