During last week’s snowfall, international students (mostly American) took to the streets to remind everyone how good they were at dealing with snow. “Kiwis here really can’t handle snow”, said one American, kitted out in jeans and jandals for a brisk walk down snowy George. “Honestly. The whole city shuts down, like they’ve never seen the stuff before. It’s madness.”
Another student we spoke to was upset that his party on Thursday night was cancelled: “I did not spend my underage drinking years sneaking whiskey in a field of Midwestern ice just to have some Kiwis cancel an indoor event because of a dusting of snow”, he said, Midwestern-ly. "I've been making fun of people like this my whole life and I'm not about to stop now."
As the snow howled through Dunedin streets, many donned skis and sledges to enjoy it while it lasted. American students, however, remained firm in their belief that this was totally normal and not worth celebrating, even though it is decidedly not normal and definitely worth celebrating. “I’m not gonna frolic, out of spite”, said one American. “I refuse to acknowledge this as ‘snow’. It’s more like pretty rain, and it will get treated as such.”