Going to school in one of the worlds coldest capitals has its drawbacks. Despite the incredible beauty of Ottawa’s winters and all the exciting activities it entails, it’s safe to say that most of us get sick of Ottawa’s relentless, bone-chilling weather shortly after Christmas holidays. It might even be safe to say we despise it, and here’s why:
1. Wind chill factor: The wind is a sneaky foe, it’s basically inescapable. No matter how many layers you pile on, the frigid Ottawa wind somehow finds a way to chill you right to the bone. You’re only as cold as you feel, and here in Ottawa the wind chill is bound to make the temperature feel about 10 degrees colder than it actually is. Wind chill makes for a treacherous walk through campus, and forces even the most Canadian of us to proclaim “F**K it’s cold!” 2. Getting up in the morning: You’re nestled all snug in your bed with dreams of tropical vacations dancing in your head… when your 6 am alarm abruptly wakes you from your winter slumber. Not only is it cold outside, its cold in your room and its dark… very dark. Most mornings you have to hit snooze about 5 times before you can force yourself out of the snuggly, comfy, warmness of your bed. And if that’s not a good enough exercise for your will power, trying getting out of the shower.
3. Sandy Hill Sidewalks: Or should we call it “Icy-death-trap Hill”? As the snow and freezing rain accumulates, many of the steep slopes in Sandy Hill become full-on sheets of ice. The walk to and from campus then becomes less like walking and more like Redbull Crashed Ice. You’re essentially guaranteed to see a humorous fall a few times a day… just don’t laugh too hard, you could be next!
4. Crappy Drivers: It seems like every year once we receive our first snow fall, about 50% of the Greater Ottawa area population forgets how to drive. I get it, the roads are slippery and it’s hard to see out your windshield, but is it so hard to still follow the basic rules of the road? I personally think there should be a winter drive test; if you fail, you sit passenger until the snow goes bye-bye.
5. Chapped lips from Hell: I’m not really sure if it’s the cold winds or all the dry artificial heat that we are exposed to, but chapped lips are inevitable during Ottawa winters. You know- the chapped lips that burn unless you lick them, or the ones so rough you want to pull off all the dead skin until they’re smooth again. The only solution is to carry around at least 7 lip chaps in every bag, coat and pocket from November till April.
6. Sickness: Since its winter, it’s pretty much guaranteed you will get the flu. Sniffling, coughing, sneezing and all the fun that comes with it. The best part is… There’s no real cure, so you just have to wait it out. Some orange juice rich in vitamin C would probably be good, but would feel like you just dumped acid on your chapped lips.
7. Short days: The sun doesn’t rise until 8am and it sets before 5pm. Many of us are leaving for campus before the sun’s up and coming home long after it’s down. Sometimes if we’re lucky we’ll have a day full of beautiful sunshine. Then later you’ll hear warnings for the next big snow storm that’s about to hit and it’s like nails on a chalk board…Oh Please! No more snow!!
8. Late Buses: It’s a rare occasion that OC transpo can get their sh*t together… but winter conditions seem to worsen the odds significantly. After a snow fall, it’s inevitable that every morning bus will be late. This leads to gigantic crowds lined up trying to fit on one bus and standing nose to nose at the back of the bus with a fellow bus rider with major coffee breath…Perfect.
9. Weather forecasters: We expect it to be cold, snowy, grey and miserable tomorrow here in the Capital. What else is new?! No one ever paid me to state the obvious.
10. Seasonal Affective Disorder: It’s a thing. It’s so sad even its initials are S.A.D. Warmer weather really does lead to better moods. It doesn’t help that most of us are in our second semester of the year and starting to burn out. The way I see it, there’s only a few solutions. 1) An all-inclusive trip somewhere warm and tropical to turn those frowns upside down. Or 2) we continue with this whole global warming thing. At least then those of us who haven’t drowned can be free of S.A.D.