We have been pretty lucky with our mild winter here in the Northeast but Boston was finally hit with a wintry mix this past week and it has been met with various reactions from ELC students. For some, the first signs of snow brought excitement, as it was the first time they had seen the white fluffy stuff. For others, though, there were groans and moans at the thought of trekking around in the slush.
Everyone made the most of it and students like Carlos and Nicole, both from Ecuador, said that they had a ball making snow angels and snowmen and getting into snowball fights for the first time. They commented that they are A-Okay with snow here in Boston but that the mix of snow and rain was not their favorite thing in the world. Despite this, both of them said that it was quite a change from their home country and they could appreciate the difference.
Ahmed from Saudi Arabia told us that he loves the snow when it first falls and is still pure and white. Coming from such a warm country he commented that the colder weather doesn’t bother him in any way and that, in fact, he prefers Boston when it snows. Sultan is also from Saudi Arabia and told us that he doesn’t mind the snow, particularly because he is leaving for sunny Santa Barbara next week.
Despite the weather, students had no trouble participating in this week’s activities. Students also made their way out to the harbor yesterday for a trip to the Institute of Contemporary Art. Although they had to face the driving snow and wind coming off the water, ELC definitely enjoyed the exhibits on color and texture that this hip, modern art museum had to offer. Xuetao from China especially liked one of the exhibits, a collection of blue mints reflecting the artist’s concept of memory, because visitors are allowed to take a piece of the candy from the exhibit, so long as it is just one (something he learned the hard way!) The light and mirror exhibits that another artist had contributed fascinated Venezuelans Alejandro and Angel. Other students were a bit confused by exhibits such as “Oil and Sugar” which was simply a video of crude oil melting on a loop. Perhaps some of the art was a bit too contemporary to understand.
Overall, the weather may have taken a turn for the worse but ELC students have been great sports about it and have embraced the snow and even the rain.
