Snowmen and Snowballs and Snowfights, oh my!

March comes in like a lamb and out like a lion, they say.  The beginning of this old aphorism definitely held true for Williamsburg this March.  Sunday was a blustery and chilly day with snow forecasted, but I remained doubtful, jaded by the many unfulfilled snow days I’ve witnessed in southeastern Virginia.  But I walked out of my choir concert on Sunday night to behold a gorgeous snowfall descending on new campus, and the snowflakes were sticking, no less!

As students continued their studies on Sunday night, apprehensions were high and fingers were crossed, anticipating the freedom that a potential snow day would bring.  And, astonishingly enough, it happened.  We woke up early Monday morning to text messages and emails notifying us of the cancellation of classes for the day, due to icy roads and dangerous travel conditions.  Alarm clocks were shut off all over campus for a couple more hours of welcome sleep, then the games began.  With snow still coming down strong, students turned out in full force to enjoy the novelty of a Virginian snowfall.  Many were armed with cameras to capture the beauty of the Crim Dell coated in flakes and the image of the Wren Courtyard with a full-sized snowman standing proudly in the middle.  Others headed straight for the Sunken Gardens for the snowball fight of the decade.  My friends and I stood on the edge of the Gardens, debating whether the 75 or so snow-fighters below us actually knew each other or not.  Not a minute had gone by before we got pelted with snowballs by a friend on the edge of the crowd and got pulled into the fray for a few good snowballs exchanged among both friends and strangers.  Students walked around campus, giddy and smiling. Never underestimate the joy of a college student at being returned to her childhood.

As the day went on, I retreated to a friend’s apartment for hot chocolate, freshly baked cookies, and warm blankets, and I even managed to get a bit of studying done for an upcoming exam.  Today, campus displays the remnants of snow and ice, and students have been returned to their normal routine of classes, preparing for midterms, and making last minute spring break preparations.  But everyone is still smiling, and just a little warmer, inside in the aftermath of an unexpected snowfall.

Colleen Kennedy, ’10