Since the start of winter, the weather in Kingston has been unbearably frigid, creating difficulty for day-to-day life.
As a New Englander and former hockey player, I’m no stranger to a cold environment. Choosing the thickest jacket, gloves and a hat before going outdoors is a normal practice for me. Indoors, I wrap myself in my fluffy purple blanket to keep warm when there’s no heat.
However, jackets, hats, gloves and blankets aren’t enough if it’s 21 degrees Fahrenheit outside with winds at 22 mph. That’s one of the coldest forecasts I’ve witnessed at the University of Rhode Island. Going to classes is like Anna from the movie “Frozen” trying to find Kristoff in a snowstorm. Shivering as she slowly walks, turning into an icicle.
Additionally, I live in Coddington Hall, so everywhere I go during the day takes a long eight to 10 minutes to get to, leaving me huffing, with a racing heartbeat and shivering, even throughout classes. 50 minutes to an hour and a half is not enough time to completely defrost from the freezing temperatures. Even worse, if the temperature affects the classroom, I still need to wear my jacket, causing a distraction and frustration.
Sure, watching snow fall is satisfying, as thoughts of building snowmen and making snow angels are every kid’s favorite activity. The downside of snow is the dangers that come while walking around campus. Traveling around unplowed snow turns to trudging, and snow clumps together in shoes.
It recently snowed, and now the snow continues to melt. Patches of ice on the ground form, causing a recipe for disaster before salt turns the ice into puddles of water. Trying to avoid them is difficult too, especially if you aren’t wearing the right shoes. Your socks become soggy, and now your feet are uncomfortable. You could blame yourself, or the freezing weather like I do.
Don’t get me started on rainy days because they’re depressing when it’s cold out. If you’re a theatre kid and there aren’t enough street lights on campus to sing the song “Singing in the Rain,” the day is ruined. I was once a theatre kid, and because it’s too cold, I’m forced to sing in my dorm room after my four years of choir in high school.
If you don’t have an umbrella, you get soaked or drenched in freezing rain. If you wear glasses, good luck trying to see while spending time outside. Be careful of possible hail knocking against your window and seek shelter.
This semester, I’m taking JOR 445, a photojournalism class, to learn more about photography so I can take my own photos in future articles for jobs when I graduate. There was one assignment that required taking photos, and holy cannoli, the day was windy. My hands were freezing as I took the photos needed to complete the assignment.
If I can blame anything for this weather, it’s the groundhog who predicts the weather. On Groundhog Day, he said there would be six more weeks of winter, which means more chilly days this year. I find this absolutely unacceptable.
As we reach the spring equinox, I’m hoping for warmer weather because I can’t handle the cold right now.
