June 30th, 2005
it can’t be all THAT bad, can it?
I had drinks last night with a friend of mine from college who is moving to a new city this weekend for a fellowship. Her new city is actually not that far from MY new city. We talked some about how cool our respective cities and how nice the summers are going to be.
And then she told me that she’s terrified of the winters. This from a girl who went to high school in Connecticut! It doesn’t seem to matter, though—she is really worried about coping with the cold!
Come to think of it, a lot of my future classmates are also terrified of the winters in that part of the country—such that they’re planning to pay hundreds of dollars more than we are to live in apartments that are super-close to campus, simply so they won’t have to venture out in the cold too much come winter.
So, am I missing something? Because I’m really not all that worried. Cold sucks, yes, but you bundle up and walk fast and get to where you’re going quickly. Or you take the bus instead of walking, or you call a cab if it’s really bad. Right?
Those of you who live in the tundra, tell me—it’s not really so bad that I should be terrified, right? Assuming I have a warm coat and good boots and gloves, right? I’m starting to think I should be more worried than I am.
comments
It could be worse - AK, ME, NH, MA, NY, MT, ND…
I’ve lived in Your New City. Cold is one thing. Wind chill is something else. Bundling up doesn’t help much with the latter, because it knifes through anything.
But it bothers some people more than others. As someone who’s lived for years in both Connecticut and Your New City, I can say that the latter is more than a bit worse weather wise than the former, but it doesn’t affect everyone the same way.
What will be a shock to you, IMHO, is not the cold or the wind, but the Everlasting Grey. It’s difficult to understand what having the sun go away for weeks at a time does to your moods til you go through it.
Well, my undergraduate college was isolated on the top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere and is somewhat well known for fog. So the gray, while not fun, is something I have lived through and with.
There will always be some days so bitter you want to cry when you step outside. Some winters have more of those days, some years you only get one or two. Most of the time you can cope.
So sorry, Kristine. Didn’t know you had experienced it. Sometimes I can be such a pedant (usually?).
If you’re used to it, then it obviously won’t be a shock to you.
Well, I’m used to the gray, but not the cold, you know? I mean, my college got cold, but usually while I was home for Christmas break! I am pretty good, though, at getting my sun when I can.
But yeah, that wind is something I’m a bit concerned about, especially given where my campus is. Eek!
What sucks is the proximity of Your New School™ to the, well, you know.
The winter here is cold, this much is true. But even after being completely wimpified by life in California, I was able to deal with the cold. But the wind, my god, the wind…
On those cold, grey days in the middle of February, when you’ve just plain had enough of the cold and the grey, the wind will lash out and stab you repeatedly, attempting to end your misery.
But as a warm climate fan myself, I can tell you it’s possible to cope.
When I visited law schools, people at the ones in colder climates (i.e. Michigan) could not stop talking about the cold. It’s hilarious to me - yeah, it gets cold but you deal with it. You bundle up and get where you’re going quickly. You will be fine. I went to college in VT and never felt like it was all that bad. And when the sun does come out in the spring, it’ll be the happiest day of the year. Also, I found that exercising outdoors, even if it’s cold, is really helpful for the mood when it’s grey. Exercising in general helps. My 2 cents…