Luke Grayson
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Sunset, Snow, and Snacking on Ramen: A Guide to my Freshman Winter So Far
Winter is a time for spending time with loved ones in the warm, drinking tea, and cosying up to watch a film, right?! Oh and did I mention -17 degrees celsius temperatures (1.4 F for those who use the wrong scale), eating obscene amounts of ramen, random midnight snowball fights on the Green, skiing on our skiway (seriously Dartmouth has a skiway!!!), and WINTER CARNIVAL!
I'm not going to lie, I was rightfully terrified of the snow upon my arrival in Hanover. It doesn't just get cold here, it gets COLD; bundle up however, and you should be fine! The weather so far has been pretty brutal, but it is totally worth it for the beautiful New England winter landscape and that really satisfying crunch noise your feet make when you walk in snow (seriously can I buy a bottle of that noise?).
One activity I have enjoyed here so far is skiing! Me and some friends decided to hop on the free shuttle bus and head out to Dartmouth Skiway for a day shredding the slopes. I don't have my own ski equipment - I usually rent it - but luckily for students Dartmouth has a special pricing system for season passes and ski rentals. This is an example of how Dartmouth has made all of its activities super accessible, especially to those like me on financial aid!
A super fun thing we also did was participate in the annual snowball fight! Every year after the first snow, everyone gets an email from Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss' real name) with a Dr. Seuss style poem about snowball fights. At midnight we all go down to the Green and have the BIGGEST snowball fight you've ever seen. It is utter chaos. People (including me) try to stand on the stump of the chopped-down Christmas tree, and random people are attacking each other with snow!
All in all, winter term is looking as though it will be a whole new adventure at Dartmouth. The cold may be piercing, but it makes you truly appreciate the warmth that good company brings. The snow may fill your boots when you misstep, but it also lets you throw it at one another and laugh like kids again. The wind may howl, but that warm cup of tea in your common room to recover is godly to drink. Winter is cool, man.
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