A winter storm welcomed Yale students back for the first day of the semester. New Haven, which reportedly received over 9 inches of snow by Monday afternoon, looked arctic as whiteout conditions persisted through most of the day. As classes continued online, much of the Elm City's bustle grinded to a halt. Not so for many Yalies, who took advantage of the wintry occasion for some outdoor fun.
Yale staff were hard at work sweeping steps and sidewalks. While their efforts were certainly not in vain, snow continued to fall throughout the day, making the clearing of it a frequent necessity. Despite the inconvenience caused by the weather, students took advantage of its temporary beauty.
Yale is known for its architecture, and for good reason — it looks as if it was designed to be snowed upon.
Students, both those who are currently quarantining on campus and those off campus in New Haven, took to courtyards and streets during the blizzard. With most traffic extinguished, walking in the middle of the street provided a new perspective.
Of course, the problem with snow is that it makes it more difficult to walk. While many pulled on their boots, some got more creative and dusted off their snowshoes. Others strapped on their skis and glided through the city.
Cross Campus and courtyards became battlegrounds for snowball fights. Pandemic pods turned on each other as frigid frenzy ensued.
Campus became a playground for quarantining students.
And yet, as snow muffled all but Zoom lectures, moments of tranquility marked the stillness of the day.
It felt as if time paused, that there was nothing in the world but this new landscape.
Even in this era that history will surely remember as a time of plagues, grief and exhausted hope, beauty briefly came down to earth.
While isolation seems to be the major theme of the past twelve months, it's worth remembering days like these, when friends observe the miracle of snow.
While this semester will certainly trudge on, these moments of joy will continue to billow around us.
Credits:
Cover photo by Phoebe Liu, Contributing Photographer