Column: Snow or no snow, I’ll be around

W hy am I staying in Chapel Hill this summer?

That’s a great question. I’ll get back to you on that.

See, I live on an island.

I’m from Oak Island, N.C., where we spend our summers tan and happy. After the past three months of thinking, “This is going to be the time I freeze to death,” when I walked to class, going home where it’s always warm sounds like heaven.

In my hometown, we don’t have snow days — we have hurricane days. We skip school only to see our teachers relaxing on the beach a few yards away. I still haven’t forgiven Chapel Hill for the icy hell that was the past three months.

And I’m giving up a summer of hot sand, the ocean and a weekly 25-cent wing night to live and work at 151 E. Rosemary St. as the DTH’s Summer Editor-in-Chief.

Some may call me crazy. You wouldn’t be wrong.

If it helps any, I also can’t find a subletter for my apartment.

Everyone says the summer in Chapel Hill is an experience you can’t miss. These are the same people who told me going to UNC would be one of the best decisions of my life. Turns out they weren’t wrong, so I’m going to trust the majority again.

I’ll revisit the question — why am I staying in Chapel Hill this summer?

My answer: I love this town, I love this school and most importantly, I love The Daily Tar Heel. I can’t say UNC-Chapel Hill was anywhere near my first choice when I was applying to colleges, but now that I’m here, I know I didn’t belong anywhere else.

Now, I’m ready to dive headfirst into what many say will be the best summer of my life.

I want to know what it’s like to be an integral part of creating something I care so deeply about. I want to completely immerse myself in the University, the town and everything else that comes with staying here over the summer. I want to know where the best trivia night is and what taking a summer class feels like. I want to discover Chapel Hill’s hidden gems and tell all of the untold stories I can.

And when you pick up a copy of the DTH every week, I want it to be a product full of stories, photos and designs my staff and I put everything we had into. I want to pour my heart and soul into creating the best print edition and online content the summer has ever seen.

So I’ve gathered together a team of the nine most talented, creative journalists to accompany me on my adventures and dedicate their entire summer to the DTH. We’ve cleared our schedules, and we’re ready to take on whatever the summer throws at us.

I guess you could say that I can’t imagine being anywhere else.

Snow or no snow.

I’m giving Chapel Hill a chance to thaw my frozen heart this summer. If any town could do it, it would be this one.

No funny business, UNC. If I see one day below fifty degrees, I’m going home.

opinion@dailytarheel.com