The season of autumn began on the 22^nd of September. Fall is when we see and feel the weather getting colder, night approaching earlier, trees changing color, leaves falling from its branches, pumpkin picking, pumpkin spice flavors, Halloween and Thanksgiving. It is the start of the season of drinking hot cocoa and snuggling up in blankets watching seasonal movies.

Everyone in the northeastern states fall with the autumn flow: participating in the holidays and dressing up for the weather—scarfs, beanies, boots, sweaters, and more. Participating in the seasonal foods or drinks like hot chocolate or pumpkin spiced flavored coffee.

The northeastern part of the U.S. is very popular during the autumn season for its fall foliage. Tourists and locals love to see the display of the arrangement of the different colors of the trees in parks or on high mountainous areas.

Unlike in the northeast, the middle and western part of the U.S. do not experience fall to its full potential with the change of weather and scenery like we do.

Julie Hill, an ACE program advisor at AIC, lived in New England for the most part of her life, she mentions her love of autumn.

“I just love it. I just love the foliage—seeing the trees change the leaves change,” Hill said. “I love opening my window and seeing the scenery.”

Asked if she had any dislikes about autumn, after a short time thinking about it, she replied: “I don’t feel like there’s a lot that I don’t like about fall….maybe that it introduces winter,” she laughs.

Siale Alatini, an AIC freshman Rugby player who is from California, experiences her first fall season in the east coast. Witnessing the trees change its pigments, the bi-polar weather; Alatini describes her first-hand experience here in Massachusetts as an AIC student.

“I came here and I was like, freezing wearing this,” gesturing to her coat that she bought. “And it wasn’t even snowing, it wasn’t even raining, like it was just night time and I was over here wearing a coat while everyone else was wearing cut tee-shirts, or shorts, and I’m just like ‘how’re you not cold?’” she said in amusement.

“I don’t like the cold. I like fall but I don’t like the snow,” Alatini says. “It’s cold for one day and then the next it’s not. I had to buy this fat coat since it was freezing. It’s heck-a bi-polar. It was snowing one day and the next it was all sunny, and I’m like, ‘what?’”

Alatini also mentions that California cold does not compare to our cold.

“Your guy’s cold goes down to the teens while ours is the 40s, and when I was here, I was freezing,” she said.

Her and many others who are living in the east coast for the first time find themselves having a bit of a hard time adjusting to October and November’s bipolar weather and temperature; one day being warm and then the next chilly.

Thanksgiving is coming up soon, as well. Many students heading back home for the holiday, others staying with family who are residents here in Massachusetts.

Hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving holiday that is coming up this month, enjoy all the food, and taking the time to spend with family.