STAFF OPINION BY ELYSE WHEATON
Every day there was something new I realized I’d forgot to bring to school as a first-year student. First, it was hangers, a vital thing that is necessary to hanging clothes up in a closet. How I spaced out on that one, I’m not sure.
Next, I realized I didn’t buy any pens. How I was going to get through school without pens, I also wasn’t sure. As the days continued to go by I was fairly confident I didn’t forget anything else and those were the only two items I forgot about. I finally felt confident and good to go as a first year at Drake, but that all changed when “Drake Lake” hit campus.
It was a Monday (of course), and the weather was terrible. It was clearly pouring outside and I had an 8 am class to travel to that day. I didn’t put two and two together and dressed as I normally would. It didn’t hit me until I was downstairs in the Carpenter lobby that I was about to get soaked on my way to Meredith.
The light bulbs began going off in my head. I’d forgotten an umbrella. I didn’t have a rain jacket and I definitely didn’t have rain boots. I trekked toward Meredith, power walking through puddles with my sweatshirt hood up, attempting to shield myself from the rain as much as possible. I tried to convince myself it was working, but it really wasn’t. I showed up to my 8 am looking like I just stepped out of the shower.
There are some essential items one needs to have to survive Drake Lake.
Because campus is built on an incline, the water runs down the sidewalks and forms massive puddles. I never owned rain boots in my life, but they are definitely necessary for how deep some of the puddles get.
An umbrella is also a necessity because when it rains, it pours, and you don’t want to be showing up to your 8 am looking like you literally just took a shower.
Buy an umbrella because it will become your best friend.
I never saw the usefulness of a rain jacket until I experienced Drake Lake. But when you have to walk around campus in the rain, it really helps to keep your normal clothes dry. Even with an umbrella, a rain jacket is nice because then you are double guarded from the rain.
Last, but definitely not least, you will need a kayak to get to class. The term Drake Lake is derived from the fact that Drake floods when it rains. Forget your bike, a kayak is the easiest way to get around campus when it is pouring.
That Monday, my shoes were wrecked, my socks were soaked, the bottoms of my jeans were disgusting and my hair was on its way to a frizzy mess from getting soaked. I struggled through the rain that day. I actually embraced it a little because there was nothing I could do, but I vowed to buy an umbrella, a rain jacket, a pair of rain boots and made sure my kayak would be within reach so when Drake Lake hit next time I would be fully prepared to endure campus.