Out of the Rain, Into the Wind

Just when you think you're out of the rain, the wind hits you. I'm talking about the tunnel in Southwest. During my first two years at UMass, I lived in Southwest and had to walk through the tunnel that brings you into the center of campus by Garber Field. This tunnel is actually a stone bridge that cars drive over to get to the visitor's center and other central locations on campus, but for Southwest residents, it's often the tunnel of death. It's essentially a wind tunnel. It basically sucks all of the wind out of Southwest and if it's strong enough it can actually push you along or pull you (depending on which direction you're walking). So if it's snowing or raining and you're unexperienced with this thing, you get excited. Yay! I can get out of the rain/snow for a minute or two...then BAM! Icy-cold wind in your face and you're not so excited anymore. If it's cold outside you might slip and fall on ice and if it's raining during the fall, the wet leaves are sometimes even more dangerous than ice itself. The Southwest (wind) tunnel is a legend. But it's something that, with a couple year of experience, you can definitely get the hang of.