I can’t believe this is my last blog. The semester flew by. I guess, when I think about everything that’s happened, I’ve been at PSU for longer than it feels like I have. Honestly, I live my life in a cycle of “just survive this week.” 

I really hyped up this low in my last blog. I don’t think I can adequately describe the anguish it caused me, but I will try my best to help everyone understand.

Before Thanksgiving, I wanted to go home so bad. I missed my parents, my cat, and even my brother (I didn’t get along with him until I moved to college. Since I left, we have gotten closer, and I actually want to see him. How ironic is that?) 

Words cannot describe the severity of my academic burnout or my exhaustion. I wrote a blog about it, but I need to say it again. The semester had been 13 long weeks of studying, essays, and assignments, without a break. I needed to get away from all things school-related. I needed to sleep. 

On Tuesday, my dad called me. He said, “Honey, I have bad news.”

I thought someone died. Thank god, that was not the case. However, the news still wasn’t good. My dad told me that Buffalo, my hometown, was supposed to get five to six feet of snow. 

Sounds fun, right? 

The catch: the blizzard was forecasted for Thursday through Sunday. I was planning to drive home from school on Friday. 

You may be thinking, “It’s just a snowstorm, what’s the big deal?”

Blizzards in Buffalo are not the kind you can drive through. Five or six inches of snow can fall in an hour, and there is no way for plows to keep up. The roads get slippery, and you can’t see the center lines because they’re buried in snow. Sometimes, the flakes are falling so thickly you can’t even see headlights coming towards you. 

(Yes, this is an actual picture of Buffalo during the storm — I found it online)

My dad told me I wouldn’t be able to come home until Monday. 

My battered, tired, burnt-out heart dropped. My family, my cat, my bed, I couldn’t get to any of them because of the stupid snow. 

But that wasn’t all. There was another problem. 

The residence halls were supposed to close on Saturday at 12. I had to leave my dorm, but from what my dad told me, I wouldn’t be able to go home. 

I had no idea when I would be able to go home, or what I would do if I had to stay in State College when the dorms closed. 

I said to my dad, “All we can do is hope that it won’t be as bad as they say it’s going to be.” 

Here’s another important thing about snow in Buffalo – it’s very unpredictable. A slight change in wind patterns can mean that the next town over gets five feet of snow, and your town only gets six inches. My best strategy for a triumphant return home was to hope for a miracle. To hope that the snow would fall somewhere slightly North or East of my route. 

This picture shows the line where the snow “band” is. You can see that half of the city is getting buried by snow, but the other half has clear skies.

Reality check: On Thursday night, my dad called to tell me that the storm had begun. The snow band was over my hometown, exactly as forecasted.

I, naive as I am, still had hope that it would move away from my house, and I could go home the next day.

Friday morning, my dad called again. He said, “I’m so sorry, but you’re not coming home today. I don’t know when we’ll be able to get you home. This is bad, Mara.” 

I was exhausted from my exams. All I wanted was to hug my family and snuggle up in my own bed, but my parents and I decided that I would stay in the residence hall Friday night. We would figure out the rest of the weekend as the snow progressed. 

That night was horrible. I had to watch (what felt like) every other student at PSU pack up their stuff and get in their cars with their parents. They were living my dream. Going home. I was stuck in an empty, eerie dorm room.

My family had no power and was worried about their roof caving in. The storm was not a fun experience for them, but I would argue that it was equally horrible for me. I was trapped, alone, at Penn State. All of my friends were gone, and I had no classes. What was I supposed to do? I had to occupy my time by sitting and wishing I was home. 

On Saturday morning, my dad called again. He said there was still a driving ban in Buffalo, meaning that it was illegal to drive.  

My heart dropped, and my mind jumped to conclusions (a bit prematurely). I thought, “I have to stay at Penn State. I’m going to have to sleep in a hotel alone. I won’t be home with my family, AND I can’t even be in the comfort of my own dorm room.”

But my dad, my hero, had a way to get me home. He works for the state police, and he arranged a police escort that would take me through the driving ban.

This blog is getting pretty lengthy, so I’ll skip to the end. I did eventually get home. It was a harrowing ride, and my car did get stuck (briefly) in eight inches of nasty, slushy snow, but I made it. After the longest Friday night and Saturday morning of my life, I was home. I could finally relax. 

Thanksgiving break was blissful, and I’m equally excited to go home for Christmas. For now, I’m back on the grind. I have more school work than I’ve ever had in my life, so please, send help if you’re able. Finals week is already awful, and it’s not even here yet. 

My high was when my aunt brought her puppy to my house for Thanksgiving. I have never been able to have a dog because my mom is allergic, so it was fun to have her little guy around.