Dear fellow Irish,
I am writing this letter to you all in hopes that the unfortunate fate that has befallen me will be avoided by all you pale skinned people out there. As a freshman, I was unaware of how the months of sunless Notre Dame could make one tired, grumpy and yearning to see our yellow friend peek through the clouds again. And stupidly, I was also unaware that not seeing the sun for several months made my skin whiter and more sensitive than usual.
When the sun broke through the clouds this past Sunday afternoon, and while the temperatures climbed up to 80 degrees, I, like many of my ginger classmates, forgot about my sensitive, pale skin for the day and ventured across campus at noon to cheer on the boy's lacrosse team as they beat Georgetown.
This is what did me in. Two hours in the direct sunlight without lotion on sizzled my pale skin to a scalding red. I can honestly say this is the worst sunburn I've ever received — every step I take I wince.
So, Irish gingers, if you have by some small chance avoided the first sunburn of the season this weekend, I send out warning to you all: put on sunscreen! We don't tan, we burn. I sincerely hope that others will take heed of my warning and lather up during the sunny days to come.
And if you see a girl walking around campus with lobster legs and arms, you know that you have spotted me.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Ripp
freshman
Lewis Hall
Apr. 11
