Growing up I experienced two seasons: hot and humid or hot and rainy. Rarely anything in between and definitely nothing that came close to chilly unless we visited the mountains. So, after a lifetime of tropical weather, you can understand why I was excited to see the four seasons for myself.
Fall was the first. Amidst the flurry of Halloween, Pumpkin Spice, sweaters and warm tones, I fell in love with the season.
Making the switch from cold to hot drinks heralds the arrival of chillier temperatures for me. I trade in my Iced Mochas and Iced Hazelnut Lattes for Hot Chocolate and Peppermint Mochas. I never did get on the Pumpkin Spice bandwagon. The word pumpkin is forever associated with the giant orange ones from Hagrid’s garden in Harry Potter and the “wattakka” (the Sinhala word for pumpkin) curry that is a lunch staple back home. Neither of these, in my mind, belong in a drink. I will, however, support the Pumpkin Spice cause. Everyone deserves to enjoy their Pumpkin Spice Lattes in peace.
Moving on from pumpkin to plaid, one of my favorite things about fall is the clothes. I live for layers: unbuttoned plaid shirts, knit sweaters, loose cardigans, long sleeves that cover your hands, thick socks and boots. It is, for some reason, really comforting to have an extra layer of clothing, whether it be to protect you from the elements or protect you from judgmental eyes. There’s something so satisfying about the wind blowing back your cardigan or jacket, so it trails behind you. It might be the inner child in me that dreamed of wearing a cape or a fancy trench coat, but I do know that wind and layers do something for my self-esteem. Speaking of fall clothes, I know I look forward to hoodie season as soon as we hit September. I still remember the first sweaters I ever bought. They were from Kohl’s and one was a deep red, almost burgundy, and the other was golden ochre, both knit. I had unintentionally picked colors to match the foliage. They remain staples and you’ll see me in one or the other at least once a week once sweater weather hits.
Speaking of foliage, my favorite thing about fall is easily the trees. They crept up on me. I barely noticed the first signs of the trees turning, but one day the fully red-toned leaves made themselves known. Having grown up only seeing the trees change colors on screen, seeing it in person blew me away. I couldn’t quite believe it actually looked that way. The first year I spent in Lawrence I almost walked into someone on Mass Street because I was too busy looking at all the trees in South Park. I have so many pictures of the trees from my first fall here and at least a few videos stepping on crunchy leaves. The vibrancy of the colors adorning the trees on campus brightened my morning walks to class. Fall unlocked a part of nature I had never gotten to appreciate before. The first signs of the leaves turning brings me so much joy.
Something else I hadn’t gotten to appreciate before? Halloween. Spooky season is beloved across the United States. To me, however, it was nearly fictional given that it isn’t celebrated in my country or in most countries outside of the United States. Seeing the excitement firsthand was something special. My first year here I bought a skeleton decoration from Walmart for my room door (which now greets visitors to my scholarship hall from our front desk) and got some Halloween makeup and painted my face into a skull, not once but on two occasions. Haunted houses, discounted candy, black and orange decorations and Tim Burton movies; O ’tis the spooky season.
Fall is special to me because I get to join in the fun that had previously existed only on screen. So many different elements of the season combine to create an environment that feels like it was made for me. There truly is magic and wonder woven into it. After having to spend last fall back home while taking the semester online, I know better than to take it for granted. Now if only the season would make itself known. Summer has gone on a month too long and I am more than ready for lower temps, sweaters and hot Starbucks drinks. As they say, hot girl summer is over; it’s time for sad girl autumn.