Do you want to build a snowman? Muhammad Hamza Gohar ’27 did, and he came all the way from Pakistan to do it.
Gohar was raised in Pakistan’s province of Punjab, where American pop culture is huge and the heat is intense. He grew up at the peak of popularity of the Disney movie “Frozen” and its sequel. Maybe it was the appealing charm of sisters Anna and Elsa, the friendliness of Olaf and Kristoff or the fact that southern Punjab can hit up to 45 degrees Celsius in the summer (around 110 Fahrenheit for us Americans) that made snowman assembly seem so enticing to him and his friends.
“We all grew up watching ‘Frozen’ and hearing those songs,” said Gohar. “But when you live in Pakistan, you can barely step out of your air conditioning because the heat gets so bad.”
Snowmen, ice maidens and towering cliffs of snow were the stuff of dreams for Gohar and his family…until his sister started attending medical school in Kyrgyzstan. She texted her family photos of the snow that she was seeing in person for the first time in her life. Her younger brother wanted a piece of the action.
Planning to study abroad, the chemistry major applied only to colleges in that were in a snow belt. He chose Siena not just for the friendly campus vibe but for the promise of the white stuff.
He first experienced snow in late November, but it wasn’t until early January over break that there was enough to really play with. He and his classmates Elizaveta “Lisa” Sablina ’27 and Ella Parks ‘27 headed to a park in nearby Cohoes for fun in the snow.
How did it go?
“I thought it would be a lot more moldable!” he said, not realizing at first that snowfalls can have differing moisture levels. “It felt different than I thought it would.”
To get the snow to pack, Gohar had to remove his gloves, which left his hands “totally freezing.”
Sablina knows her snow – she’s from Russia and said it has been snowing in her hometown since October.
“It was the first time we finally had ‘proper’ snow here this winter!” she said. “I loved it because I'm really used to winters with a lot of snow, and I missed it so much.”
Next up, Gohar said he’d like to try skating or hockey – “anything that involves snow or ice.” Which is not to say he loves the cold. Gohar said you could put him out in the middle of a hot desert and he would be fine, but the cold temps here have taken some getting used to. He actually has cold-induced asthma (for which he has meds) and his parents were concerned that snow and ice would trigger their son’s breathing issues. Everything is OK, though.
On campus, regardless of the weather, Gohar said he is feeling right at home.
“Siena is a very close-knit community,” he explained. “You can say hello to everyone. Even if they’re not a friend, they’re probably at least an acquaintance.”
“Study abroad opens up so many new experiences and opportunities for students,” she said. “Some may be dreams they've pictured in their minds for years based on pop culture and stories. Many of these experiences end up being so much more than they imagined, and it is so amazing to see our students excited to explore new things in the world and about themselves, whether they are students who come to Siena from abroad, or Siena students who travel to other countries.”
Angie Tario Corchado '15, assistant director of international student services
