My old research adviser’s husband, a grandfathery psychiatrist, wrote me a short congratulatory email when I was accepted into grad school. He grew up in Ohio and attended Case Western, so was quite pleased when Noam and I both committed to moving to the Midwest (he at Washington University in St. Louis, myself at Illinois-Chicago).
For many years I have believed that having a midwestern experience would be good for people. If nothing else the weather provides a formidable shaping experience, people have to pull together to survive the cold, the winter provides long nights which foster study, reading, etc. (also, unfortunately, video game playing, poker, etc also thrive). Be sure to stay in touch…
While I haven’t played many video games and haven’t touched a playing card since July, I’m not sure if I’ve experienced the supposed beneficial aspects of the winter so far. And yes, this is absolutely the winter, no matter how many Chicago natives tell me I ain’t seen nothing yet. Long evenings are so far doing a fantastic job fueling my Seasonal Affective Disorder, and encouraging me to adopt a grade school bedtime– staying up last 9.30pm is getting more difficult by the day. 5pm, 12am: the same pitch black outside. I have to venture out into the freezing cold so I can buy some underwear that will enable me to venture out into the freezing cold. I really wish I had a TV. All my friends are at home and I’m stuck in Chicago by myself. I have a huge pile of clothes to wash, dishes to clean, movies to see and professors to meet and no motivation to do any of the above. Waaaah.
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I have noticed one thing: I have a much harder time in Spring semesters (because of the bitter cold for the first 3 months) than I do in Fall. Unfortunately, you never get used to it, you just learn to accept it.
I did some math the other day and figured out I only have enough money for Decemeber and January’s rent. That’s it and that’s all. No food or anything else. So I played poker tonight and won $50. Now I can afford a turkey sandwich for Thanksgiving.
As a fellow Florida - Midwest transplant I understand what you are going through. My first winter here, I wore a scarf in September, when the temperature dipped into the low-50’s. (That story has become a favorite joke within my graduate program.) Based on my own experiences coping with the cold, I highly recommend anything wool and long underwear - my first pair were a true miracle for me - silk long underwear is best, it fits better under clothes and does doesn’t annoyingly bunch up. On a more hopeful note, I have gotten much more used to it, and now I am able to go until at least mid-October before first wearing my scarf.