Although originally from Chicago, IL, I spent most of my life in Charlotte, NC and went to college in Columbia, SC. I argue with anyone who calls me a southerner because I am lacking a southern accent and an endless collection of Vera Bradley and Lilly Pulitzer dresses. Just as I start to think my recent move to the north was easy and I blended in, I look out the window of a bar, break from the crowd, and run outside screaming “It’s Snowing!!!” Duh! It’s New York City in December.
Don’t get me wrong, I have seen snow before but it has been a long time since. In the Carolinas it doesn’t really snow, it ices. Rain falls, or maybe really wet snow, and school is cancelled. We all layer up and look ridiculous in mismatching layers and play in the ice. Sure, one or two neighbors have sleighs that we dust off and share, but it is more painful and colder that we thought. Within an hour or so we are all inside sipping hot chocolate by the fire. In New York, most people know how to dress for the cold weather. Where I would just grab the warmest thing I own and look like a caterpillar in a cocoon, New Yorkers are stylish in their hats, scarves, coats, and tall boots.
I hope to evolve into the fashionable New York winter wear scene. Thankfully, I do love to shop so adding to my wardrobe will not be a problem. I am looking forward to going home for the holidays and showing off my new style but being that it is 65 degrees in my hometown today, I think I will be right back to my old ways in no time. I will always appreciate snowfall because it will remind me of this time of change in my life. I think from now on I will hold back the sudden urgency to broadcast the weather and scream "It's Snowing!" and replace it with a simple smile.
---Emily
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