A Winter Blues

Tonight I am gonna make some justice to last winter.

It was freezing cold, most of the time (pretty much bellow 0°C for at least two months), and it beat me. So, I complained a lot about the cold, about the several layers I had to wear, even about the beautiful snow! I hit rock bottom and got homesick! 

But the truth is that I am a fan of winter! I actually enjoy a lot the cold, and I don't mind the layers. I love sweaters, hats, gloves and scarves. What is more, and to be trustful, I do not get to have snow often, specially in Colombia, and SNOW is definitely something amazing to watch, absolutely worth being freezing cold and all bundled up. 

My first winter in the USA was lovely. I arrived to NYC before New Year's Eve / 2012. It was cold, but somehow I was ready for it - even when I had never experienced such low temperatures. I was in love with the immaculate, gorgeous, crunchy, white snow. I loved to feel it on my hands and face, and to see it all tangled in my hair. I was dazzled by watching it fall and cover everything around with that thick, fluffy, white blanket. Although it was frosty, I was warm and cozy in my coat, and my gloves and hat were so comfy. What is more, I went outside everyday, drove everywhere, walked around a little, and a lot, and took a lot of pictures without any complains. 

Then, Spring, Summer, and Fall came and passed by... And here it was, the cold again. Oh, and how cold!

Watching the days get shorter was kind of sad, after the novelty of interminable days with sun light till 9 pm (absolutely fun and long) in summer. Then, all of a sudden, I had to get boots, coat, scarf, hat and gloves.  The temperature dropped and it was pretty much the same as when I first landed in this land of yours and mine, but I did mind it this time. I was not expecting it to happen so quickly (my wrong, of course), since it is the most natural thing to happen every year, and it was just the beginning of December/13.

So, it got bitter colder. For the very first time I was dealing with -5F° (around -20°C) in my whole life! And I remembered the guy who issued my visa a year before, saying "Colorado is one of the coldest states in the US, you better be prepared for that" instead of  "your visa has been approved". Thanks for the advise, though.

Then, I moved to NY state. and it was coldER, windiER, and MORE humid. I was definitely wearing more layers than during my first winter, and still, I felt my face freezing, and my fingers getting stiff.

First, it snowed twice a week for around three weeks; so as soon as the snow started to melt away, more snow came to the rescue, heaven forbid we run out of snow! After that, it stopped snowing for a while, but the snow, which piled up high enough for me to sink to my knees, turned into ice as the temperature stayed  around the 20s F°. ICE! we had the same ICE-SNOW for about a month on our lawns! A Month! It took for ever to melt, and that does not help the dis-coordinated like me at all! 

And to top it all, the sky was always grey. Grey, cloudy, and foggy, and some random rain, yeah, why not. frozen water for the dead trees and grass! 

However, now that it is over, and my time is running short in here, I reckon it may have been the last winter for me for a while. It may, or it may not. I cross my fingers and hope for me to have another chance to freeze my cheeks and the tip of my nose up! 

When  I got to Scarsdale I said I was bored, I did not fancy to go out because there was nothing to do. I did a lot of complaining, and wished for Spring to come ASAP. I wished for the snow to melt away, and I blamed the cold for my loneliness and sadness. I had gotten the winter blues!

Today, a beautiful, sunny, hot and sticky day in post-Summer time, I remembered all the fun I had in winter. I liked it today, but it was so good to remember that during the bitter cold winter I made the fun, crazy, good friends I have now.  I did a lot of ice skating, snowball fights, sliding, and all the snow I had been missing before coming to the States. In spite of the icy snow and the cold, I was able to move around, walk (properly dresses, wearing layers and all the stuff) and  that is how I got to know the place I am living (apparently not that well, for I still get a little lost sometimes), I actually got to build a snowman for the very first time, got to see NYC all Christmas-y and white;  I had a lot of hot cocoa and marshmallows, coffee, tea, cookies, great food from different places around the world, and even did some traveling. Besides, as a plus, I did never slide while driving on the snow, which did happen last year in Colorful Colorado and was not pleasant at all.  

The layers were not that fun. There was too much stuff, and I felt heavy and puffy all the time, but oh, well. It was just what I had always said I wanted. I am actually glad Last winter was that hard and long. I did not see it before, but I do now. I really had a good time! It is just once a year, and it lasts just four months, and if you do not seize it, you miss it. That is it.