Saturday, November 14, 2009

Weather Affects... (yes, "affects" is intentional)

It stormed pretty hard last Monday. A thunderstorm blew into town like
nothing I had ever seen before. Our friends, Stan and Juliane were at
our apartment with me when suddenly, the sky turned green, then dark-
it was about 3:30 in the afternoon. I've always been told a green sky
means tornado weather, but I'm pretty sure this one was a result of
rain mixing with the smoggy haze of pollution.

The rest or the week was a cold, dreary mess of winter rain. It really
took its toll on morale around our house. Getting up early for work
was hard, and getting out in the cold was harder. We spent more time
thinking about the central heating we used to enjoy back home, as well
as travellng everywhere in our cars- only being exposed to cold and
rain long enough to walk the driveway or parking lot to or from our
cars. Instead of taking those things for granted, our focus had
shifted to doing eveything we could to keep dry and warm.

The cold seems to just creep into your body from the concrete walls
and floors of the buildings, regardless of the layers of clothing you
have on. When teaching, you often see and hear students- bundled in
their warmest attire- stomping the floor to shake away the cold,
clutching their glass or plastic tumblers of hot water or tea to
protect their hands.

The weather coupled with the shortened days of winter definitely takes
a toll on those of us softened by the luxuries of our American
creature comforts.

No comments:

Post a Comment