My First Blog! (Feat. Nashville’s Weather)
To the readers of my VERY new blog,
This is really exciting! Thanks for reading this! I’ve always thought about blogging, but have never found a reason to start a blog myself. When I found out that I could blog about Vanderbilt, it all fell beautifully into place. See, I love talking, writing, and sharing my thoughts and feelings. I also love Vanderbilt and my life here so it’s pretty much the perfect scenario. I appreciate you bearing with me as I make corny jokes, go off on side tangents, and blog with an absurd amount of passion until I get the hang of this. I promise what you read is really how I talk. You might ask yourself how anyone has the energy to use so many explanation points in real life (I ask myself this every day), but hopefully as you get to know me you’ll get over the initial shock!
I hail from New Jersey, which I usually end up apologizing for when I’m introducing myself to people. It’s not that I’m not proud of growing up in the North; in fact I feel extremely lucky to have had the upbringing that I did in the beautiful country-like suburbs of New Jersey known for apple picking and other cute festivities, but we have an awful lot of stereotypes working against us. Regardless of where any of us students originate, when we’re at Vandy, we are all Nashvillians. And I’ve never been more proud. Even today, when the weather is gray and chilly, there’s no place I’d rather be.
The weather in Nashville is interesting to me, especially because I come from the North. Every year, I leave the summer weather of NJ to an even more intense summer in TN. When I go “back to school” it feels like that’s when summer starts because that’s when I’m hit with the heat and constant craving for air conditioning. Yes, it is hot in Nash in August! But, once the sweltering hotness calms, the temperature is absolutely glorious. And it stays that way for so long! While I’ve been used to a distinct four seasons all my life (summer–>fall–>winter–>spring), here it’s more like summer–>a less hot summer–>pretty cold for summer–>starting to feel like normal summer again. Last winter was supposedly the worst we’ve had in a while down here, which makes me laugh because there was probably about 5 inches of snow total. Yes, there were a few days when it was bad, and sledding was possible (which caused for quite the scene on Alumni Lawn-lunch trays for sleds, snowball fights and more)! We had a few “snow days” which, again, were really fun, but if someone had called those “snow days” in Jersey, they wouldn’t have been taken seriously.
A really fun part of snow being such a big deal here is seeing some people experience it for the first time; it’s like magic. And then, it makes me feel like I’m seeing snow for the first time. And all of a sudden, the Jersey girl who’s gone to school in up to a full foot of snow feels as giddy as she did on her own first sighting of the floating white flakes. And that translates to more aspects of Vandy than the weather; with each of us bringing our own backgrounds and experiences, we’re often trying new things that aren’t new to everyone, but feel new to them because doing anything through the eyes of a first-timer brings a certain kind of magic. This can be trying your roommate’s mom’s favorite recipe for a food delicacy, listening to a friend’s (or professor’s) favorite band for the first time, or watching a professor throw a snowball (ok, that really was a first for everyone).
Today, it’s cold in Nashville. I’m sitting in Starbucks working on some homework and taking a break to write this blog. I’m wearing leggings, a sweatshirt, and a vest, and I feel cozy and at home. Next week looks like it’ll be sunny and warm, the Nashville I know and love. For next weekend’s tailgate, I imagine we’ll be sporting black sundresses, cowboy boots, and sunglasses (stay on the lookout for a blog post of mine dedicated completely to tailgating because that is SO happening). With the weather sometimes keeping us on our toes, memories are made getting caught in a spontaneous sun shower, bundling up in a dorm, or running through sprinklers to escape the heat. And even for those of us who are used to the cold and the snow, every experience feels magical again being surrounded by new friends.
