Northern students flock to UT in part for its warm weather, but according to some, there can be too much of a good thing.
Students like Billy Caldeira miss the fall foliage, cooling temperatures and traditional winter activities.
‘I miss carving pumpkins and seeing the leaves change colors,’ the senior said.
For Emily Olson, Autumn is more about style than weather.
‘I miss the changing of the seasons because I miss fall fashion,’ said the junior. ‘I miss my fall clothes and winter clothes.’
Although many feel they are missing out, others are happy to be in the Sunshine State while their friends and families back north are freezing.
‘The reason why I came down here was so I could wear bikinis and flip flops every day,’ said freshman Mia Palatano, who would rather give blustery weather the cold shoulder.
‘I would rather be surfing down here.’
And all that sand and sunshine can add some spice to phone calls back home, Olson said.
‘I do like to make my parents jealous when I tell them I’m at the beach and they’re in the snow.’
In mid-December, just when many snowbirds are heading to Florida for the winter, some of UT’s Northerners are headed home to get their cold-weather fixes.
‘I get enough of my winter activities when I’m home for the one month over winter break,’ Caldeira said. ‘I ski, sled, skate on the pond and throw snowballs.’
During her break, Olson has plenty of wintery adventures when she heads back to her hometown of Southampton, N.Y.
‘I go to the city to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center and go ice-skating there.’
Some students from the Northeast say the beach gets old and they need other activities. Caldeira said the feeling started in his junior year.
‘This year I miss it a lot more,’ the Massachusetts senior said. During his freshman year, he didn’t really miss it much, ‘But now it seems like it has been a long time, so I feel like I am starting to miss it more and more.’
Students from colder climates say they miss skiing, snowboarding, building snowmen and ice-skating the most. But the majority feel thankful to only have to bear winter for a month, and once again, it’s back to tropical Florida.
A Few Ways to Incorporate Northern Traditions Into Floridian Life:
– Go to Walt Disney World’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
– Make s’mores on the stove.
– Carve a pumpkin.
– Drink some apple cider or eggnog.
– Go to the mall and sit on Santa’s lap.
– Crank up the A/C and put all of your sweaters on.
– Go to a local ice-skating rink
– Get a garbage can lid and sled down the local dump, Mt. Trashmore.
– Bribe a Sodexo employee to let you sit in the Caf’s walk-in freezer for a few hours.
-Wear your Uggs year-round