Experiencing autumn in Boston is one of my favorite things about coming to Boston University. To me, it’s a feeling unlike any other. The leaves change into brilliant hues of yellow, orange and red and gracefully fall to line the streets of the city. The air is crisp and numbing in the most surprisingly wonderful ways — it’s hard-hitting and refreshing. It’s strangely energizing. And as the cold gets colder and grows into winter, Boston is renewed with snow and fresh perspective.
This weather makes coats, scarves and boots essential and is worlds different than what I’m accustomed to. San Diego doesn’t have four seasons as Boston does. Back home, fall isn’t anywhere near as similar. The coldest it ever gets in San Diego is about the same temperature as Boston’s fall. You know, the weather Bostonians would wear shorts in and call a “nice brisk day,” back home, everyone would be bundled up in sweaters in.
When I experienced my first snowfall last year here in Boston, I was completely mesmerized. Before being on the East Coast, I had never seen snow fall. I’m eagerly looking forward to when the snow begins once more. It’s fun to know that I’m experiencing at least one thing here that I can’t at home. (I’m sure that I’ve had many opportunities in Boston that I can’t find in San Diego, but snow is such a drastic contrast to the weather I’ve lived through before.) Well, until Hurricane Sandy hit the city last week.
I was probably more excited and more frightened by the storm than most sane people should be. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, so I was more than anxious. Thankfully, we didn’t have too much to worry about here, but I must say that I was thoroughly entertained on my one and only Hurricane Day.
You’d think that with my extra day off, I’d get a lot of work done — in theory, I really should have. I had fully intended to utilize the day catching up on reading. Instead, I’m pretty sure a large portion of that day was spent staring out of my window, amazed by the wind and rain that thrashed beyond the glass. And that night, before the worst really hit, my roommate and I couldn’t resist from adventuring out and experiencing what we never have before.
I had never felt such powerful winds in my life, before that moment we stood on the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge, halfway out. It was freezing but exhilarating to feel the cold air hit our bodies. It amazed me to witness the sheer force of nature, that this storm could cause the waters of the Charles to move away from the ocean, and that every single tree I watched out of my window on Bay State swayed with such ease. And I have to admit, had those winds been but a little bit faster, they had massive potential at knocking down my short 5-foot-1 frame.
Krissen Kawachi is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. She can be reached at kkawachi@bu.edu.
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