Ever lived in one of those places where people are glad that the temperature is 0 degree Celsius ? Mamma Mia , the very beloved Windy city of the United States is one of these places, where the Climate Circus is an everyday show for these local residents. Oh yeah , the moment you choose to live in this place, with all the magic it offers, you are automatically enrolled in this circus , where the sun and the skies play squash with your daily plans.
I have been exposed to an Asian climate for a good score of my life with little exposure to anything cold, except for the ice cream in my refrigerator or the 1.5 tonne AC that works overtime during our typical summer seasons. That's not the case here and I for one , learnt it the hard way . People so nonchalantly yet so benevolently have accepted the situation and bend their lives according to the weird climate situation of this place. The summer typically lasts for like a quarter of an year and mostly it is the Winter that dominates right from fall . One would often hear how the locals would say their thanks to the stars when they see the Sun shining in the sky. This is not so the situation in the Southern part of India where , the Sun has rented the place for good and only goes behind the clouds when it's Moon's shift for the rest of the night. It comes sprinting towards us in a couple of hours with such enthusiasm as the whole place warms up.
Myth Busted
I have often thought that people with an additional layer of fat aka , the not so skinny ones would do better in Colder conditions, as the fat would keep them warm . Guess what ? It's Pristine Bullshit. What we read in our science books as kids , about Walruses and sea creatures , how the fat in their body helping them in colder contexts , apparently applies only to these aquatic creatures and not the two legged self proclaimed intelligent creatures evolved from Monkeys. I have a generous layer of fat in my body , dexterously earned from years of rich nutritious home food and limited exercise and it some how gave me an assurance that chilly winds won't deter me from wearing shorts and going out for a stroll. That thought is now no more.
A Cold Attack
The climate here gets so cold, yet without warning as Fall kicks in and gracefully sets the stage for the Bitter winter. One would see the Sun clearly in the skies, cars veering out on the roads and everything looks like a normal day. But the moment, you step out, you would realize how prickly cold it is, and how crazily it affects us in no time. A 5 minute stand outside would hit the nose, hands, legs simultaneously , the cold wind piercing through our skin , making us shiver from within , the skin pressing against the fat onto our bones , nose becoming watery and sometimes even a mild front forehead headache. One wouldn't feel their legs, palms as the cold kind of petrifies us with such hastened intensity that it attacks all the systems of human anatomy impartially. The wonder here is, visually it all looks so normal , but within those clouds and the ground below , all the drama happens unscrupulously . The winds, envelope around us so silently, and you will feel constricted like we were held by an Anaconda.
My Personal Experience
One day, I was waiting in front of a shop after some grocery shopping , counting the seconds for my shuttle to come and pick me up. The moment I came outside, I felt it was cold , but I arrogantly brushed it away thinking that it was just another day. But, as I waited for five minutes, I was frozen in being and in spirit. I rushed to my place of stay , gulped down two cups of freshly brewed coffee, sat in front of the burning flame and after a good 15 minutes , I could sense the blood through my veins. That day still remains fresh in my memory and I replay it whenever I head out , especially when I get lazy to wear all the weather gear such as gloves, head scarf, neck warmer, hoodie and weather jacket . Soon, the skin would start developing scales, the lips would start becoming chapped more often , making us hopelessly apply body lotions in all visible parts of our body. Few bother to complain as, they have mentally accepted the situation , weather wise and go about their daily routines as though there is no hassle .
All this being said, there is still a certain group of people who enjoy the snow. I was also looking forward to my first snow experience, because I have only seen them in desktop wallpapers and videos. One day, it did snow recklessly, much before than it supposed to be. People were baffled, as it was too early to start experiencing snowfall and slogans of global warming started to be thrown all around. I was so star struck, I went out, started scraping my hands through the snow that had fallen all over the furniture outside, made few smiley faces, wrote my name , and one of those "I was here" quotes we all do when we go to scenic locations .I even put some snow into a plastic cup which is still present in my refrigerator, as that was the first snow my hands ever touched. The news channels somehow try to portray the daily weather in an optimistic fashion, trying to not be a buzzkill for the people , right in the morning. Not everyday can be like Christmas and we can't blame the locals when there is an occasional swear , because it is the weather that makes them talk. One day, it went as cold as the antarctic here, which is why people would be glad when it was 0 degree Celsius / 32 degree Fahrenheit because it is at-least not in the negative series. Curiosity is not the best virtue in a place like this, where the weather reigns supreme and we all should meekly submit ourselves to work with this scenario.
