It feels as though many members of the first-year class have finally settled into their life here at Kenyon: they have a daily routine, a good group of friends, and are (mostly) managing their classes. A big change is coming soon, however: winter. Although many Kenyon students are from Ohio or surrounding states and therefore know what to expect of the coming winter, we also have many students who are from warmer climates and are unused to experiencing snow and freezing temperatures. Read below to see how these first-years are feeling about their impending first Ohio winter.
“I am from Southern California, and I’m excited about the snow since it will be the first time I’ve seen it, but I’m also terrified. I will most likely slip and fall at least once a day.”
–Jenny Nagel
“I’m a Canadian by birth, but I spent most of my winters in Atlanta. So I have the memory of well below freezing weather every day, and of snow, but I haven’t lived in it for a while. And I’m so excited. I desperately missed the cold and the snow. In Atlanta, people panic at an inch of snow. Grocery stores are cleared out, we lock our doors and panic inside our houses. But this girl is ready to put on her snow boots and go have a snowball fight.”
–Gabrielle Ivanier
“I’ve spent most of my life in Arizona, and the fact that I’m already freezing is scaring me a little bit for winter. I love the snow when I get to see it, but I’ve received warnings that snow is only fun for about a week. So overall I guess I could say I am a bit nervous for the temperature to dip below freezing.”
–Juliana Delsante “So I’m from Arizona but also lived in Montana for three years and visited family there in the winter after we moved. I have a lot of happy fun memories of the snow like sledding, and I have a coat and a hat and boots but I’m sure it will be less fun than when I was a kid.”
–Mackenna Goodrich
“I’m from Arizona and I don’t know how to winter. I’ve already worn my winter coat, so I don’t know if that counts as a winter coat??? I sweat indoors because I don’t know how to layer. My hair freezes on my way up from the KAC in the morning after my shower, but I don’t have a winter hat yet. Everyone keeps telling me this isn’t winter yet, so PLEASE SEND HELP.”
–Anonymous First-Year
“I’m from Los Angeles, California, and so I came here lacking in acclimation and in gear for the cold. After thrifting several coats and gloves, I don’t shiver constantly, and I’m excited to see the seasons change for the first time. Ohio is beautiful, and I fully expect to fall in love with it anew with every season. I have a beanie and a few scarves, so I’m ready to take on sledding for the first time! People keep trying to scare me with horror stories of a pernicious winter, but I fully expect a beauty unlike anything I’ve seen before, and I can take on any cold as long as I have hot chocolate.“
–Christopher Paludi
“I am from Mexico. The coldest weather I have ever experienced is -5 Celsius. I expect the weather to get really, really cold (I was following the temperature in Gambier while I was applying to the college last year). I expect a lot of snow, which will be a whole new experience for me given the fact that I have never seen a snowfall. I am excited by possibility of sledding and trying winter sports for the first time. I am already trying to figure out what to buy to stay warm, and even though I have an idea of what to expect, I feel like I don’t really know what have I gotten myself into coming to Ohio.”
–Luis Platas
“I’m from Texas. Like…5-minute walk away from the border to Mexico Southern Texas. I literally had not ever faced anything below 33° before I got here. My mom, a cute little Mexican woman, has mailed me warmer sheets and big blankets that can only be found in Mexican closets, despite my objections, because she is so scared for my winter here. Probably more than I am.
I might just be in a state of denial, though. I packed up warm clothes, but I’m generally really confused about when the appropriate time to wear them is. Like, I don’t want to be the only weirdo wearing a hat or a thick sweater amongst all these Northerners who know what they’re doing, y’know? My roommate has lived in Ohio her whole life, though, so she usually helps me with things like that if I’m feeling indecisive.
Ohio is weird, though. I’m tired of dressing warmly and regretting it by mid-afternoon. I’m trying to learn from my mistakes, and trying to hold my annoyance back by remembering that there won’t be very much sunshine soon, and that I should embrace it now.
I have a lot of days where even the thought of going into the cold is pretty terrifying. But I’m at Kenyon, and I’m learning, and I have great friends. So, I throw off my mom’s blanket, ask my roommate for advice, put on my coat, and attack the day.”
–Paola Liendo “I’m from New Mexico, and I’m honestly scared for winter. The recent lows have been the most intense cold I’m used to experiencing. I have been sledding, but I was too little to remember much about it. I’ve seen snow and been cross country skiing but that wasn’t in Albuquerque. I’ve never experienced snow that cover everywhere (not just patches) for more than a day. I do have gloves, but I’m not sure if they are waterproof. I bought a large coat that looks a sleeping bag with arms. Also I’ve only took part in making one successful snowman that I can remember. But I’m hopeful that it will all be okay and excited to experience something new.”
–Keely Lovato
“I expected that it would be colder. I come from Houston, Texas. The weather currently reminds me of Texas in January. I did not come prepared for the cold because I did not know what I need, and still don’t know what I need but I will get things as I need them. I am actually a little disappointed because I have never seen snow so I was hoping to see snow soon but it seem like it’s still far away.”
–Lesly Maldonado
“I’m from Williamsburg, VA, which is basically southeastern Virginia. I’m used to the heat, because we have summers that can be as hot as 115 degrees. Honestly, I am not ready for the cold, despite the fact that I bought the warmest winter coat I could find and sub-arctic North Face gloves. Honestly, I already feel like I live in Antarctica here, and all my friends from up north on campus always make fun of me. I’ve never been able to make an igloo, because we’ve never had enough snow back home to make one, but I’m determined to craft one by the end of my four years.”
–Margo Minor
“I am from California, and I am half-Mexican half-Argentinian. As you can probably guess, I am not prepared for winter, and my parents were not prepared to adequately prepare me. My pre-college shopping entailed buying rain and winter boots, wool socks, and a giant, ankle-length parka. I’ve already worn said parka out twice, which does not bode well about what is to come. My mom especially is very concerned. She checks the Gambier weather every day.
Honestly, I am really excited. Most midwesterners have told me not to be, of course, but I still am. There’s something very human and natural about living with seasons. Since the dawn of humanity, we’ve been measuring time through this change from warm to cold, and I look forward to joining that cycle. My hometown’s motto was “Climate Best by Government Test” (awful, we know), because we literally fluctuate from 60 to 85 degrees year round. Gambier’s fall has already wowed me, and the winter promises to do just the same. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been sure to get to my 8:40 fifteen minutes early so I can run around the frosted grass and twist glittering frosted leaves in the sunlight. It’s so beautiful!
Obviously Cali has made for a super cool childhood and life, despite the lack of snowy Christmases and orange/red/yellow Halloweens, but I am so overjoyed to be here now. I’ve been to the snow enough times to know how to deal with it, but living in it is a whole different story. I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into, but 4 years is the perfect, albeit short, length of time to try living somewhere new and different.”
–Mijal Epelman First-years, are you ready for you inaugural winter at Kenyon?