A Winter Unlike Any Other
Before I officially made the move to Syracuse, one of the main things that I would hear about from friends is the weather during the winter. They would say things like “You will never experience cold like you will here,” or “Bring a snowmobile with you, because that’s how you’ll be getting around.” I even received a screenshot of the weather app in which the temperature was zero degrees for the majority of the day. All of this was taking place while I was graciously dealing with the winter in North Carolina. In NC, it was totally different because it didn’t get nearly as cold and whenever it snowed even a couple of inches I could count on classes and university activities being cancelled.
While I thought my friends were exaggerating slightly, I figured that dealing with winters at home in Philadelphia couldn’t be much different than Syracuse. I was sadly mistaken. Even when I arrived in the summer, Uber drivers and other residents who I came in contact would somehow find a way to mention the winters and feet of snow to be expected. I would always just shrug it off and think to myself that it wouldn’t be that bad. Once again, I was in for quite the surprise. But it almost seemed as if the residents here weren’t complaining about the snow, but rather embracing it. I guess when you have experienced something year after year, it just becomes second nature.
The first encounter that I had with snowfall was in November, right before Thanksgiving break. While I knew it was still early, I thought I hope all of this people haven’t been talking about the couple of inches that I am walking through right now. Not long after that I was out of Syracuse and back in North Carolina for the first half of the winter break. To no surprise when I arrived the temperature was in the 50s with partly cloudy skies. Then, I returned home to Philadelphia where it was moderately cooler but no snow in sight. During the time I was home I would constantly receive weather alerts from Syracuse WSYR about cold fronts moving in, snowfall and even wind chill advisories.
When I got off the bus returning to Syracuse, the first drift of wind that hit me was beyond unpleasant. At this rate I knew that I may have underestimated what my friends were saying and the snow wasn’t even here yet. Within the coming weeks, it felt like the snow was constantly falling. I will never forget the first weekend that it snowed. From Saturday into Sunday all I could do was observe from the window. My first time stepping outside was Monday and I instantly sank into almost two feet of fresh snow – but I didn’t let that stop me from trudging to campus. Since then, there have been many more wind chill advisories, temperature warnings and even cancellation of night classes. There is nothing more discouraging than waking up for class in the morning and seeing your weather app read single digits or even negatives. Not to mention if you scroll up further to see what it feels like outside, it just makes you want to sink back in your bed for the rest of the day.
While I have heard these winters can last as long as April, I have come to accept it day-by-day. However, I continue to hope for the best because I am already tired of grey skies and having to watch my step everywhere I go.
