This winter it has snowed, and snowed, and snowed. We learned quickly that snow is really much more fun to watch falling from your window and playing in before it's been marred by dirt and exhaust. After the first 12 hours, the reality of the fact that you have to get out and dredge through it to get anywhere sets in, and it's not so exciting anymore.
Last year, as we experienced our first Italian winter (grey and cold and days with limited hours of sun), we had an American friend tell us, "Just keep March 1 in front of you. It all gets better then." And she was right! Right around March 1, it warmed up, the days became longer, and we began to have some sunny days again. As this winter has been even colder, with even more snow, we had a big red circle around March 1 on the calendar. We couldn't wait for it to get here. Sure enough, the first two days of March were glorious.
And yet, here we are March 10, and I think it's fair to say we're in the middle of a blizzard. Oh, for crying out loud! The honeymoon with snow is definitely over.
Today also happens to be the first day of a two-day outreach we have been planning for months. We've brought in three Swiss to lead a seminar on Effective Studying. We've invested a lot of time and money in this first attempt to hold a large-scale outreach. And though it is being held near campus, it is going to be incredibly challenging for students to attend. Travel around town is horrible. Since it seems crazy to actually get in your car, everyone is riding the buses. Not that they can go much faster.
Crazy. My only hope is that such a long, cold winter means a shorter, cooler summer. . . One can hope anyway.
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