Freezing and Far Away

I liked Holy Cross from the moment I stepped on campus. My family was in Boston for a wedding during Christmas of 2011 when I asked my Dad if we could drive out and take a tour of Holy Cross. He agreed to spending one night at a hotel in Worcester in order to do an early morning tour. I was a junior at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California and this was going to be my first college visit. While on the tour, I turned to my dad and said, “I think I could go to school here.” He stopped and was like, “Whoa. Hold on buddy. Do you know how cold it gets here?! Do you know how far away from home we are?!” I didn’t know the answers to either of those questions and although I couldn’t really tell you why, I l knew I wanted to go here. Now, I know the answers to both questions.

First, it’s really cold here. Last Sunday, I was on the phone with my parents when my mom asked if I’d worn the base layers she bought me. I responded, verbatim, “No, I haven’t needed them!  It hasn’t really been that cold.” Little did I know, the temperature had dropped twenty degrees from Saturday night to Sunday morning. I left my dorm at around noon to go get lunch. I was dressed in the usual, a long sleeve shirt and a sweatshirt. Much to my surprise it was about 28 degrees, not to mention the harsh windchill. I was freezing! Winter had arrived.

“Siri, how cold is it outside?”

The wind is what gets me. It literally takes my breath away and I’m left gasping for air.  It’s gotten colder and colder. Supposedly, I haven’t even seen the worst of it yet.  There’s not even snow on the ground. People keep telling me, “Just wait until February…”  All I’m saying is California boy is cold already!  I think it goes without saying that, I’vestarted to wear my base layers.

Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket = One of the Best Things Money Can Buy

 Second, according to Google Maps, Holy Cross is between 2,954 and 3,091 miles away from my home in Sacramento. At first, that distance was hard to comprehend. Looking at a coast to coast map kind of made my head spin. The fact that I was able to watch not two but three movies on the flight home for Fall Break helped me understand a bit more. The flight time from here to Sacramento is anywhere from 6 to 8 hours, depending on the direction of the tailwind. However, I didn’t really feel the distance until this past Thursday.

Home to Holy Cross

Thanksgiving. Considering that two weeks from this very moment I’ll be in midair flying home for Christmas break, my family and I didn’t think it was worth it for me to go home for Thanksgiving. The idea of not being home was harder than anything else. Although I wasn’t able to be with my family, my friend Ben invited me over to his house for the holiday. I wrote a bit about Ben and his family in an earlier post. I met them previously on Homecoming weekend. Ben had invited me to join his family at their tailgate.  Spending Thanksgiving with Ben’s family was wonderful! They welcomed me in and made me feel right at home. I am so grateful to have spent the day with them.

Me and a portion of the Nicholson Family. All current HC students or alum.

I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t miss my family on Thursday. I still miss them now! But, the countdown has begun. I’ll be home for Christmas.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 1st, 2013 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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