As an international student from a tropical country like Thailand, I
had zero idea about how to dress myself in winter when I first got to
Cambridge. It did not take me long to get the right vest, jacket, scarf
and other warm pieces of clothing, but it took me a long time to find
the right shoes. Sneakers are easy to get around, but also easy to get
soaked. Rainboots for men seem to be an overkill. Normal boots, while
warm, seems to not last very long and get stained easily by street
salts.

To be honest, when I first saw the bean boots — I did
not understand why it was so popular. I mean, fashion-wise, each shoe
has rubber on the strangest part! But capricious weather in Cambridge
quickly prompted me to think about shoes that would fulfill my need. I
need something that looks nice in some sense, protect my feet from frost
bite, water-resistant and easy to clean. Sure enough, I took a look at
the duck boots again and I quickly adopt it.

The once-strange
rubber part of the boots now makes total sense. It keeps water and snow
from seeping in as I trek through slush puddles in early spring. The
material is in fact perfect for resisting water that I can even use it
during rainy Fall days. The shoelaces that comes with the boots are
thick, difficult to get tangled up. The shoe tongue is also a continuous
piece of leather that connects from the sides of the boots. This
guarantees that no water can spill inside the boots from the front. All
of these components, including the leather-looking part of the boot are
water resistant and really easy to clean — a property that serves well
when you have to go through muddy ground, or over-salted streets.

The
boots also have little finger holders that you can hook your finger
inside to help you slide the boots on. This allow me to put on the boots
without unlacing my shoelace all the time, and makes it a lot more
convenient than tradition uptight boots.

Moreover, I have come to
love the style. It looks simplistic enough that I can put on with pair
of jeans or khaki without pondering too much. The boots itself seem to
carry a scent of New England culture of hiking and other adventures in
the nature. It can be very casual and exciting.

After trying it
for the first week, I know that I have found my boots that are both
fashionable and functional in New England. The boots fulfills those
characteristics so well that they have become my go-to boots when the
weather outside looks unfriendly.