In her three years living in Pennsylvania, Hawaii Club President Karinn Libby (junior-elementary education) said she has adjusted to the cold temperatures, which differ greatly from the 70- and 80-degree weather characteristic of Hawaii.

"I had to buy all new clothes when I got here. I didn't own a winter coat or anything," Libby said.

Libby isn't the only one trying to adapt to this winter's harsh cold and storms. Many students from warm climates are learning to cope with central Pennsylvania's frigid conditions.

Javier Moreno (freshman-agricultural education) came to the United States from Puerto Rico two years ago, where he was used to average temperatures in the 80s throughout the year. He said the gradual changing of the seasons here helped him with his adjustment, but when winter hit, the cold was still hard to get used to.

"By January, I was dying," Moreno said. "It's nice weather [in Puerto Rico]. I wish I was there now."

Moreno and Libby said they found one way to deal with the cold was to wear several layers of clothing.

Njeri Githire (graduate-comparative literature) is from Kenya, where she said the climate is fairly temperate because of the high altitude. However, she said State College's exceptionally cold weather this year was still a shock.

"I actually started walking backwards because the wind was so strong I couldn't stand it," she said.

Githire said she had seen snow once before coming to the United States, and she had to adapt to walking in the snow and wind. "You think [the snow] is a hard surface, but when you step in it, sometimes it goes all the way to the knee," she said.

For Moreno, snow was a new sight. The first time he saw snow, he said he could not get enough of it.

"It was absolutely amazing," he said. "I just jumped up and down."

Libby also said she enjoyed the snow's appearance. "If it's cold; it might as well snow because I think it's very pretty," she said.

Despite his fondness of snow, Moreno said he is not enjoying this year's extended cold spell.

"I like the cold, but not this long," he said.

Libby said she prefers the warm climate of Hawaii to the recent freezing conditions in State College.

"[In Hawaii], you can go outside without having to put on 20 layers of clothes," she said.

Githire also said she misses the warm weather. "I'm looking forward to spring more than in previous years because it's been so cold this winter," Githire said.