Walking In A Winter Wonderland....
More like dwelling in a treacherous Siberian tundra of doom. Needless to say, I was spoiled. Living in Atlanta, Georgia for the past few years I grew accustomed to the short winters that consisted of sunny days and cold nights with little threat of actual snow and "ice days". Changchun, Jilin smacked the crap out of my winter daydream and thrust me straight into a very cold reality.
As my eyes opened this morning, I was disappointed. Usually, the sun's warm rays pierce my eyelids and disturb my slumber. But today I was rudely awaken by .. nothing. Sigh. I woke up and looked at my Chinese phone for the weather, and saw that the temperature was going to a high of 11 degrees and a low of negative 2... and to make sure that I was not going crazy, I previously programmed my phone to display the weather in Fahrenheit, and to my dismay, it was accurate. It was going to be a warm day.
Changchun, Jilin China is located in the northeastern region, I am exactly one hour away from North Korea and my province nearly borders Russia. Since I came here in October, I have had to wear a coat every single day. There has not been one warm day since I have arrived. In fact, temperatures have been no higher than 40 degrees fahrenheit.
I will never forget the first snow fall. I meditated. I prayed. I prepared layers of clothing. I had purchased a wool hat equipped with long ears. I had purchased gloves. I had a wool knit scarf that was long enough to wrap around twice, securely. My UGGs were awaiting me at the front door. I thought I was ready ... I was SOOOOO wrong.
Upon walking outside of my apartment, the air was completely still, I figured that everyone had decided to stay indoors due to the level of snow outside. I took a few steps, and thought to myself, "oh, it's not that cold!!" But that's the trickery of it all. It is indeed so very cold that your mind, your very mind, is fooled by the actual wind chill factor. You think for two seconds that you can make it, until a small draft propels its way towards you. Then you realize as the snow, so white and fine like powdered sugar, begins to drift away, forming tornado like wind structures that makes the journey seem even more brusque. As I began to walk further, each and every step I took became more difficult. My big boots seem to grow heavier, and each step was more slippery. My usual fast pace felt like I was walking on crutches, for each time my limb lifted to take a step, it froze a little in mid air, and slowly but surely, the cold had truly penetrated my jeans and entered my body.
The bus was late. In fact, all of the buses were late. The stops were covered in snow. When I finally did get on the bus, I saw why... the bus got stuck at each and every bus stop. My usual 7 minute commute to the office took 25 minutes. When I got off the bus, I realized my doom. Now, I was in the inner city which was still, to my dismay, bustling with college students, workers, parents, and shoppers. I looked up the hill towards my destination, and realized that the snow fall had actually gotten so heavy that the sky was completely dark.
My journey was almost treacherous. As I made each and every step, I had two obstacles to overcome. One, the fact that the snow had a layer of ice underneath it, and my UGGs were not exactly slip resistant, they were not strong enough to grip the small bumps, hills, and rocks hidden and buried underneath the snow. Two, I had to walk on a side of the road where there was no sidewalks and lots of traffic.
Imagine, walking down a street that suddenly turned into a form of Mount Everest on level land. As you take each step, your pace slows down because you realize that the elements, in this case the wind, the snow, and the now 2 degree temperature, are working deliberately and fervently against you. The wind chill factor starts to compromise your faith, making you wish that you had no longer decided to commit to any sort of obligation that requires walking outside. Gravity is now stronger than ever and is pulling you down to the ground with each and every slip of your foot. I adjust my scarf to completely cover my face. The only visible part of my body are my two eyes, (and believe it or not that's enough for the locals to still identify me as a foreigner). My legs are shivering, and I look up towards my destination, my sight starts to fail me as well. The snow flakes are blowing into my eyes, causing extreme wetness, an almost dreary dreamy feeling that does not enhance my vision whatsoever. As I take another step, there's a huge flash of white light directly in front of my eyes, and at this point I cannot even decipher whether or the white is the headlights flashing of a car that I may have walked in front of, or the white color of the snow as I fall down to the ground. WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST CANCEL CLASS TODAY?? These negative thoughts are racing through my mind because at this point my usual 15 minute commute has become an hour. To further disappoint me, as I reach my destination, it stops snowing.
This picture? Doesn't look bad does it? Think again. It was -3 degrees and most of that snow is frozen. This is just the side street I live on ...
To sum it all up, winter in China is disrespectful. It's not the cold that just comes and goes, nor is it the cold that you expect. At least in the States, when you see the weather forecast, you have an idea of how it may feel like outside. But how do you have a memory weather that is below zero? How do you slow down your heartbeat after you realize that it will be - 4 degrees all day and your only mode of transportation is waiting for a bus or praying that a taxi will slow down for you? Any part of your body will freeze up within seconds of walking outside. And forget about having a fashion sense. Red gloves, green coat, blue boots, do whatever you need to, because in the north east it is survival of the fittest, and survival of the strongest. There is no room to be naive here, the black ice itself will send you howling like a small dog who's paw got stuck in the door. Walking in a winter wonderland? More like hiking through Antarctica ...