Admittedly, for a sizable portion of upperclassmen, the consensus is that winter is the ideal term to scratch an "L," "T" or "O" into one's D-plan. For starters, it's cold, and the sun has a tendency to increasingly go AWOL. The grass on the Green is replaced by ever-accumulating tons of snow, and when one has to layer and de-layer repeatedly it certainly puts things in greater perspective. The hot clam chowder in Food Court seems to run out at an exponential rate when compared to other terms. And, if you're from the tropics (like me, a proud resident of Singapore, located one degree above the equator) there are just some days when you want to curl up and "put an end to it all," as a close friend of mine likes to say.
On the flip side, what's a little cold to an army man from the tropics? (OK, granted it's not a "little cold," but you get my point.) There are definitely some obvious upsides to the winter. Cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, alpine skiing, snowboarding, trips to the Second College Grant -- the list goes on and on. (Of course, there's also the pleasure of seeing our hockey team kick some ass, but I digress.) A subtle point in favor of the winter is that the lines at Food Court somehow seem shorter -- and you derive the occasional chuckle from seeing someone survive an awkward moment on the icy pavement.
Winter Carnival, in one sense, is the manifestation of all the pent-up energy of the student body -- it is the culmination of what there is to be enjoyed about the winter. It's one of the big weekends that Dartmouth has every term; Homecoming, Green Key and Tubestock being the others -- and the College even graciously grants us the Friday off! I should qualify that statement. It isn't really a day off, given that it is clearly stipulated in the academic calendar that X-hours must be held, but by now you should have realized that nothing is for free with the administration at Dartmouth. Anyway, it still represents another chance to get out and have a good time. And, may I add, the good times start from Thursday night (as early as Wednesday night for some), all the way to Sunday night. (And, again, this stretches even beyond for some.)
This year, the Carnival Council seems to have done a good job of reviving this event. The sculpture on the Green has been promised to be substantially better than last year's amorphous lump of snow, and even the inter-dormitory snow sculpture contest has received a shot in the arm. The weekend is packed with activities for everybody, catering to a diverse range of indoor and outdoor interests. Webster Ave., as usual, will be having its usual round of parties and fun. Sledding always provides an adrenalin rush, and Occom Pond promises pick-up hockey games and chances to skate. Undoubtedly the snowboarders and the skiers will be out in full force to take advantage of the abundance of snow this year, so remember to set your alarm early, get some hot chocolate down your throat and rush to the slopes early.
For those hesitant souls out there -- if nothing else, give Carnival a chance. I was guilty of that last year -- but, I must add, it turned out to be great fun in the end. Get out there, take photos, throw snowballs at Safety and Security vans. The list of things that you can do (some more advisable than others) goes on and on. You'll see all the weird things that different groups do during Winter Carnival, and some of them provide for very good entertainment. At the very worst, you might just run into that friend that you haven't seen all winter, for some inexplicable reason -- and that in itself isn't too bad.
So, get out there and enjoy the Carnival holiday -- it's a holiday for a reason, even if you have three more X-hours during the week. Get the schedule of events, mark out what seems interesting and just make a personal commitment to GO AND DO IT. Simply put, you deserve the break--before you know it, it'll be back to the usual quarter grind. Put the work on the back burner, and let yourself go for the weekend. Some good, clean fun is coming up, and it's being served up Dartmouth-style.
Only then will you conclude that those people who are off this term simply don't know what they're missing out on.
