Being an Iowa girl, attending college in Michigan already makes me smitten with the mitten, but with all of this cold and snow, it’s going to take some serious supplies to endure the winter.
As promised earlier this fall, I put together a list of necessary survival tools for the Holland winter. This is only the beginning, and I’m sure I’ll be adding more tools later in the year — but so far, here’s what I’ve come up with:
1. A real winter coat
Up until now, I’ve survived with my 7th grade Aeropostale pea coat, but since the temperature has dropped down to a mere 23 degrees (and today all of the buttons fell off of my coat, so… that’s quite the issue.) In the meantime, I do have my crazy patterned ski coat here, so that’ll do until Thanksgiving break when I see my mom and she can pass along my new blue pea coat. 🙂 My suggestion is go for something warm with a hood, so that you don’t always have to juggle a hat if you’re just walking down the street.
2. A highly attractive scarf
In the end, who doesn’t want a warm, cozy way to keep your neck from getting chilled? Therefore, the solution is a scarf. Regardless of age or gender, the scarf is one of those personal items that will enhance your style and add conversation (that is, if you have a good one.) What do I mean by this? Well…
3. A positive attitude
Let’s be honest here. What college student truly wants to leave the depths of their nice, warm bed for an 8 AM class across campus? (The answer? No one. Not even if your crush is in your 8 AM class.) In this case, we must adapt our “But my bed is so warm” mentality for a “Just think about it — I can get 50 cents off my coffee at Cool Beans coffeehouse as an early bird bonus!” These minor changes in thinking will impact the rest of your day and give you a warm-up from the cold.
4. A pair of boots with grippers on the bottom
Being a blonde, this one may only apply to me. However, trying to wear shoes without grips on the slushy sidewalks is a recipe for disaster. Although these types of boots are not always the most attractive, put all worry aside and put safety over style. Believe me, you won’t be disappointed.
5. Coffee, Tea, Hot Chocolate, blankets, fluffy socks… warmth.
On the lucky side, even though most of the dorms are lacking air conditioning, heat is highly prevalent in the dorms. In fact, our room was starting to get so cozy I had to turn on the fan earlier last week! Now with the cold setting in full swing, the fan has been tucked back into the closet. On the plus side, though, Hope’s heat (at least in Kollen) is definitely working! But if the heat just isn’t enough, a mug, the comforter from your bed, and some of those fuzzy wuzzy socks will be sufficient alternatives.
Stay cozy with your laptop or smartphone and keep up with me @hopesophie17! If you have any questions, comments, or anything in between, feel free to comment below or send me an email at sophie.guetzko@hope.edu.