Students share how they make the most of the cold and fog
After an unfathomably short break, we return to Davis for Winter Quarter and hit the ground running during “syllabus” week, all while preparing for gray skies ahead. As we watch our semester-system peers enjoy another week or two of relief, we’re here, studying and biking with gloves on.
Out goes the sunlight shining through the trees as you bike to class, and in its place comes rainy, remarkably short days that make it impossible to get any work done after 6 p.m. As bleak as these days may seem, there are ways we can bear, and even enjoy, these next few weeks. The California Aggie asked students for tips on how to conquer Winter Quarter.
When it comes to staying dry, there are some great techniques that seasoned Winter Quarter-ers have.
“Layer a sh-t ton,” said Makenzie Nye, a second-year international relations major. “I take the bus instead of biking, which is sad because I like biking.”
“I wear rain pants,” said Kendall Siefert, a second-year biomedical engineering major. “[So] your butt doesn’t get wet when you ride a bike, and you don’t have to worry about the seat being wet.”
Some people don’t even bother protecting themselves from the rain.
“I don’t go to class to keep dry,” said Kate Heller, a fourth-year statistics and economics double major.
So it sounds like the way to have the driest quarter possible is to ditch your bike, wrap yourself in plastic or just stay home.
The Davis chill is so shocking that even the East Coast kids are complaining.
“When you come to California, you expect it to be warm, so you don’t really dress to prepare, but it gets cold,” said Seifert, who is from Philadelphia, Pa.
“You can’t be blasting the heat [all night], so when I wake up it’s so hard to get out of bed because it’s freezing,” said Antonia Sarria, a fourth-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major.
“Cold. Breezy. Gray. Snow. Shiver. I have been cold, I have been cold,” said Carwyn Gambling, a second-year civil and environmental engineering major.
And if that doesn’t sum up Winter Quarter, what does? It’s chilly out here. But there are bright sides to the gloomy weather!
As far as activities, people don’t seem to mind being forced to stay inside — “I lay in my warm bed with my heated blanket and do homework,” Siefert said.
Nye hangs out at her friends’ apartments.
“It’s quality time with people you love which is better than big parties,” Nye said.
For some, staying inside also provides incentives to start exercising.
“In the cold weather, I go to the gym more,” Heller said. Nye added that she enjoys inside exercise, like dance and yoga classes.
If you’re bored at home, put that New Year’s resolution in motion and head to the ARC.
Studying is also a good option when being outside is suddenly the worst part about going to class. Everyone crowds the usual study spots, and you can’t sit alone at the CoHo.
“You can find random empty classrooms to work at,” Sarria said.
“I live at the Sycamore study lounge,” Heller continued.
There is also snow. Not in Davis, of course, but we are relatively close to the slopes here in Northern California. If you get up early enough, you can make a day of it, without having to worry about lodging. But check the weather first — you don’t want to get caught in a storm.
There’s no denying that Winter Quarter is a tough one, but we can see that there are some pros to this part of the year. If it weren’t for the chilling outdoors, the great indoors wouldn’t be as pleasant, and the possibility for productivity improves when more time is spent inside. If nothing else, Winter Quarter brings us together through our shared animosity toward this time of the school year and gives us the opportunity to appreciate the normalities of life.
“I jump in puddles,” said Gambling. It’s the little things.
Written By: Allie Bailey — arts@theaggie.org
