Fall has come to the 5Cs. Leaves are turning brown-ish, the temperature sometimes drops into the low seventies — and once even the high sixties — and we’ve seen clouds for the first time since arriving. Girls walk to their morning classes in Uggs and sweatshirts, bemoaning the five-day loss of sundresses but secretly reveling in the fact that it is now yoga pants season. (Let’s be real, it’s always yoga pants season.) Boys pack away their salmon-colored Chubbies and collared shirts in order to make way for salmon-colored pants and collared shirts.
Of course, with Fall has arrived the bubonic plague. At least, I’m pretty sure that’s what this absolutely horrendous cold epidemic is. Every lecture is a cacophony of coughs (a ca-cough-ony, if you will) and I’ve been sneezed on by upwards of 13 people in the last two weeks. The other day, I had to look under my bed for a book I had dropped, and I was actually disgusted with how many crumpled-up tissues I found. If I don’t make it, tell Mother I love her.
Another side effect of fall is that we are now in holiday limbo. For Christmas-celebrating folk, there is of course the eternal struggle of when to start listening to the best music made all year. And in case you were unaware, Taylor Swift made a Christmas album a few years back, so you don’t have to go Swift-less during the holiday season. My roommates continue to tell me that Christmas music has to wait until after Thanksgiving, but I do deeply and honestly believe that Christmas season begins the moment Halloween ends. To add to the holiday dilemma, we’ve entered the awkward waiting period (AKA the entire month of November) during which it is not yet Thanksgiving but we also can no longer walk around in costumes without judgment.
The most infuriating part of fall arriving, however, is that this is the beginning of the end. Just when all of us first years are finally figuring out our Core teachers, devising plans to minimize homework time while maximizing grades and timing our walk to class so that we can get out of bed as late as possible, we’re told that it’s time to find new classes for the next semester. This has led to five separate breakdowns amongst my roommates alone — the constant question is, “What are you taking next semester?” The response is universal — some version of “I don’t know” with various expletives thrown in for dramatic effect. Because honestly, how are we supposed to know? There are GEs to satisfy, interests to explore and personal rules to conform to, like my roommate’s ban on evening classes or my own disinterest in ever having to wake up on Fridays.
And so, another season is upon us. Though it’s hard to tell from what I’ve written so far, fall is actually my favorite time of year. So revel in it. Make sure everything that enters your body is cinnamon or pumpkin flavored. Cut out hand-shaped turkeys to hang on your dorm room wall. Wear scarves. Bake cookies. And most importantly, take a moment of your day to be thankful for mild weather, good health and an education. We’re all pretty lucky, aren’t we?