From the ‘almost’ nonexistent squirrels to the frozen mulch path on the way to Perkins, winter weather has now fully bestowed itself upon us. For most people, North Carolinian winter is something that you don’t really understand until you’re in the midst of it, wondering what on Earth is going on. There are some beautiful, terribly snapchattable days where it’s a glorious 70 degrees outside and you see people scattered on the lawn and the quintessential swingy benches are brimming with movement. On others, you see people covering themselves with cardboard shields to protect themselves from the wind on the walks to Marketplace. The unpredictability of the weather definitely has some perks though:
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On an “average” winter day it’s cool enough to dress in all your cute winter apparel, but it’s definitely not cold enough to freeze you over.
- If you have the misfortune of waking up for 8:30’s, you get to see the little ice particles in the grass shimmer away, making you feel like you’re in a sparkly magical Disney movie.
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Hot chocolate is a survival mechanism on most days, so having large quantities of it on a daily basis suddenly becomes totally justified.
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North Carolina weather means you can still keep those summer dresses in your wardrobe. There’s always that one random 70 degree weather day, approximately once a week, where they will come in handy.
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It’s cold enough to freeze over the famous Perkins mulch path, meaning no battling with the “quickmud”. #winning
And some slight cons:
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Hair static is a thing. Coming from a warm climate, this was something I was NOT expecting. I remember the day I was brushing my hair and it suddenly began to crackle with electricity and I had no idea what was going on. Through extensive googling I discovered that this was a winter weather phenomenon, and that laundry dryer sheets are the things you need to use to neutralize your hair and keep the mane under control. Also, hat hair is real.
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Tenting becomes a lot more arduous when the temperatures drop.
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The weather fluctuates on an hourly basis, so you have to keep checking the weather – and unfortunately it means that you also have to leave your dorm for your 8:30am class wearing your thickest jacket and then lugging it around as the day progresses.
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Midterm season is usually depressing enough as it is; coupling it with a cloudy day and chilly temperatures makes you want to just curl up and lay in bed.
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When the sun sets at 5:00pm, it can be pretty miserable. Waking up to your 4:00pm nap to pitch darkness can also be quite disorienting.
Try and make the most of our gothic winter wonderland and don’t let the winter get you down!