The first snow of every year is always so mystical. It's the first time in months where you see the delicate flakes floating through the sky and in your head you start hearing jingle bells and carolers. Well, that's usually in December. I was gone for most of December, but from what I saw (and what I was told), December was devoid of snow. Snow now seems like an insult. All you see is blowing snow, icy roads, salt trucks, and all that slush that seems to find it's way up your pantlegs and all over your nice shoes. The nice boots from Spain? Yeah, they're now grey from all the salt. boo. :(

I sent a picture of the ice-covered trees to my intercambio (language partner), Juan, and he replied that the sight of all the ice was certainly unnerving, but what was worse was that he had never seen anything like that in his lifetime. It still seems to baffle me that there are people in this world who routinely miss the highs and lows that winter brings. As much as I hate the damage cold winds do to my poor face and how my car turns into a hockey puck when I'm driving, there's still a quintessential beauty to gently falling snow in the evening. Not to mention the comfy joy you feel when you see 2 feet of snow outside and "Eastern Michigan University" under the school closings ticker in the morning. :) I certainly have to admit that Eastern's campus is one of the most beautiful campuses I've seen, and even in the bitter cold of winter, I still like walking around and seeing the snow-covered buildings and trees.

Even though this week has seen some snow, the more prevalent phenomenon has been the blistering cold. The heat at the Admissions Front Desk has been faulty (currently it's 60.3 degrees!) and the windchills have been in the negative numbers. The weather has been so frigidly cold that my morning walk to campus made ice form on my eyelashes. Yes, ice. It's just part of Michigan, though. We have to get used to cold. If we can't (or if I can't), looks like a teaching job in Arizona might be the best fit for me!

If nothing else, this winter wonderland gets me closer to my favorite time of year on campus: Spring. A walk from Pierce to Welch is always so wonderfully intoxicating walking past those lilac bushes... Until then, I'll be dreaming of making snow angels and hoping that 3 inches of snow is enough to cancel classes."