
The One in Which I Enter a Real-Life Snow Globe
Before coming to Dartmouth, my biggest concern was definitely how I was going to cope with the cold. As a southerner, I was excited to see lots of snow, but I was nervous about the lack of sunlight and being ill-equipped clothing wise. Luckily, I have a lot of friends that are also excited to embrace the snow with me, so I wanted to share how we've been enjoying winter term so far!
First and foremost, sledding! I went a few times as a kid, but I really forgot how fun hurdling down giant ice-covered hills could be! My friends and I took advantage of the giant hills on the Dartmouth golf course during the first few days of winter term. The golf course is beautiful and is only a five-minute walk from my dorm.
Here are the things I learned during my experience skating on Occom Pond: I can't ice skate and hot chocolate heals all wounds. Nevertheless, getting outdoors during the cold days makes them much more enjoyable. I had fun playing goalie (aka leaning on the goal and hoping the puck didn't go in the air) and my friends from colder climates did give me some ice-skating pointers.
Finally, and a bit more practically, I've been learning to dress for the cold. With some advice from upperclassmen, I rented a car for the day and spent it wandering around Lebanon and checking out the local thrift stores. I found a couple of reasonably priced layering pieces and enjoyed having some alone time off campus. Bonus points for sustainable fashion!