Good morning everyone! With the seasons beginning to change, I now find myself waiting for the morning that I wake up to snow on the ground and a cold chill in the air. Coming from Sarasota, Florida, I had never truly experienced real seasons until I moved to Boston and started school at Northeastern, which was an adjustment to say the least. Sarasota has an average temperature of 73 degrees annually, which when compared to Boston’s average temperature of 51 degrees, sounds really appealing. Moving from an area where going to the beach is a year-round activity to a place where wearing a winter coat is sometimes necessary through April was a daunting thought, but I was excited to see what real seasons had to offer.
I distinctly remember the first day it snowed last year; it was November 15, and I had never seen snow fall. I left a club meeting and walked outside to see giant fluffy chunks of snow falling from the sky, and had a very natural response: I cried. I was so stunned by the beauty of the snow and how quiet it made the city that I couldn’t help myself. It was a magical thing to see. Don’t get me wrong, the cold winters can make it really hard to get out of bed, but for me there was nothing better than waking up to a fresh coat of snow on the ground and seeing how muted the snow made the busy sounds of the city.
Hailing from Florida, I was well versed in how to cope with extremely high temperatures, but had no knowledge of the essentials for surviving a winter somewhere cold. Over the course of my first winter I found some essential items that really did help push me through my first winter, and now I’m here to share them with you all to help you survive what may be your first cold winter too!
- A long winter coat
At first, I thought it was silly that my friends told me to get a long winter coat; I thought they looked weird and didn’t really understand why having an extra couple of inches of coat would make that big of a difference….boy was I wrong. Having a little extra coat length to keep you warm is essential because it keeps not only your torso but also your legs warm!
2. An extensive amount of knowledge about Northeastern’s tunnel system
For those of you who don’t know, Northeastern has a system of tunnels under a section of campus to allow for travel between buildings without going outside. This system is extremely useful because it allowed me to travel from class to class without having to go through the numbing and defrosting process that comes along with going outside any time between November and April.
3. A pair of fuzzy socks
This may sound unnecessary, but a pair of good fuzzy socks are perfect for defrosting your frozen toes after venturing out into the cold, and nothing feels better than cozying up with a good book and some fuzzy socks to enjoy the warmth of your home while it’s cold outside.
These are just a few of my essentials that came in handy for surviving my very first winter at Northeastern. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on adjusting to college life and things to do at Northeastern/in Boston!
– Delaney
Delaney's Blog 