I’m from the Jersey Shore. Not the shore you may have seen on MTV, known for intrigue, big hair, and the occasional Staten Island accent, but the shore that’s there even in the winter, when the tourists aren’t around.
Living by the shore usually means that the winters are fairly mild. Schools and colleges close or are delayed with just a few inches of snow. So, when I told people I was going to RPI, any well-wishes were accompanied by warnings about the endless blizzards I was sure to encounter over the next four years.
Ironically, I have yet to encounter a really serious amount of snow in Troy. Sure, the past weeks have had some crazy precipitation, to the point where I’ve given up on my snow boots and resorted to tromping around in rain boots, but it hasn’t been too intense. Meanwhile, my shore town has been getting an unheard of few feet of snow every few weeks since January. My Facebook News Feed is full of friends back home rejoicing over yet more cancelled classes at local colleges, or posting photos of their still-pristine back-yards, or snowed-in cars.
So, I ask you: what gives? How is it that I go to upstate New York in search of a winter wonderland, and all I get is slush and e-mailed photos of snowbanks by the beach in New Jersey?
As some of my high school colleagues were fond of saying, my life is your vacation. So, Ocean County, if you need a break from the snow… just come visit me.