Last Thursday, South Bend was a beautiful 65 degrees. Students were throwing footballs and tanning on the quad, jackets were shed in favor of shorts, and my journalism professor let us have class outside. As I walked back from Duncan Student Center with my friends after a dinner of Chick-fil-A, admiring the sunset and basking in the newfound warmth, a smile overtook my face. Spring was finally here at Notre Dame.
Today, it’s a high of 38 degrees, and I sadly had to dig my winter coat out from the back of my closet before leaving for class. Any hope I had of a walk around the lakes or studying on the Lafun patio is gone. Oh, the duality of Northern Indiana weather!
I’m a sophomore, so this is not my first rodeo with Fool’s Spring at Notre Dame. I should know by now to not get caught up in the delusion of a few warm days right after spring break. But unfortunately, I let myself have visions of grandeur. When it’s warm at Notre Dame, life is amazing.
All my favorite things at Notre Dame happen in nice weather. Welcome Weekend, when we get to welcome new students to campus in summer camp fashion, takes place at the end of August right before FDOC (the first day of classes). There is no better feeling than a South Bend breeze in your hair as you yell “You wish you were a weasel!” with 85 new girls in Pasquerilla West Hall. Notre Dame Stadium reopens in early September for concerts, game days, and one of my favorite events, ND 110. Hosted by Duncan Hall, it’s a stair climb across Notre Dame Stadium in remembrance of 9/11. I participated in it with my friends this past year, and it was such a special experience for the Notre Dame community.
Football games definitely deserve their own shoutout. There is no better feeling than waking up on a Saturday morning, the sun shining through my window, and knowing that the Irish are about to get another win. Football games are such an amazing way to see people. I love when my family or my friends' families come to visit. It’s so much fun to do all the gameday activities. My grandmother’s favorite part is the bagpipe march on God Quad, and my little brother’s favorite part is the player walk from the Basilica into the stadium. I’ve also made friends from gamedays. My parents met this couple, the Hecks, on Welcome Weekend my freshman year. They stayed in touch, and the Hecks are from Indianapolis, so they come to most games and have a tailgate. My mom urged me to go introduce myself, which was scary for freshman me, but the family was so welcoming. Now, my friends and I always stop by the Hecks’ tailgate, which we have discovered has the best food.
Fall is so beautiful at Notre Dame. The leaves are changing color, everyone is so happy to be back on campus, and doing homework with my friends on the Flaherty Hall patio on a Sunday evening is an unmatched feeling. Spring is gorgeous too, with all of campus in bloom. I’m from the South, so the lack of pollen here is amazing for my allergies. Students come out of their hibernation at Hesburgh Library to bask in the sunlight, attempt to keep their spring break tans, and, if they’re the random men I always see on South Quad, have a massive Wiffle ball tournament that seems to take up all their time. Spring is really the light at the end of the tunnel of the second second semester, a reminder that one’s calculus exam or SIBC deliverable isn’t really the end of the world. When it’s nice at Notre Dame, I feel like stress disappears, and life is amazing.
Spring is also a little bittersweet. My friends who are seniors only have a few more weeks as Notre Dame students. Maybe don’t mention this to my friend Avery, she was having a bit of a crashout on the phone last night. She told me she liked the snow because it made it feel like there was more time left. I am going to miss her so much.
This is my last spring living on campus. I’ll still be in Pasquerilla West Hall this coming fall, but I will be in Washington, D.C. in the spring as a part of Notre Dame’s Washington Program. Students get to live and intern in the nation’s capital, while taking classes in the evenings through Notre Dame in D.C. It’s available to all Arts and Letters and Global Affairs students, and will be such a great opportunity for me to learn more about government and policymaking. While I am excited for the cherry blossoms and warmth of Washington, I will miss the whiplash of a Notre Dame spring.
As I zip up my jacket, thankful I didn’t put it in storage when the sun first peeked out, I attempt to brave another fool’s spring on campus. But thanks to the magic of Notre Dame, there’s beauty in all the seasons here, even the ones I would rather skip. When you’re at Notre Dame, life is amazing.