Intertwining My Fingers With The North Wind
Intertwining my fingers with the North wind was not one of my sanest moments but I am getting ahead of myself. Let me rewind a bit and tell you about how I got into this situation in the first place!
I was but a child when I heard my aunts and cousins tell me about snow. I dreamed of a white Canadian Christmas. If you’ve heard of Goa (a small state on the coast of India), you will know that it is a tropical paradise. It isn’t a place where snow is seen. I must have been around 5 years old when my Dad told me that many years ago Goa had once had hail. No big guesses… I spent the rest of my life waiting to see hail in Goa. Luck however did not favor me!
It took me a while before I decided that enough was enough! I would see snow no matter what and what better way to ensure that I see snow than to go to the Arctic? With Shawn working in Siberia Russia seemed liked the most obvious bet. That’s how I left the warmth of the Indian sun and met the cold frigid fingers of the North wind and he became closely acquainted with mine!
MY FINGERS MEET THE COLD WINDS OF THE NORTH
This is the first time I stepped out in snow! This however was in the morning not at night.
It was late at night as I stepped out of the airport. It took the cab under 5 minutes to reach us. This particular Goan novice did not know that she had to wear her gloves at -23oC. That’s how my fingers first got acquainted with the cold winds of the North. They sure as hell didn’t like the company but the North wind was so surprised to see bare flesh that it seized the moment and embraced them! They say first impressions stay with you forever... Well this was one of them!
THE ROMANCE CONTINUES
I was so happy at this point in time but I soon realized the importance of pockets!
There wasn’t much that I could see in the darkness of the night. That’s probably why I will always think of my first glance of snow as the one I saw outside my window when I got up in the morning. I think Shawn was happy to be around and I was certainly glad that he was because the romance between my fingers and the North wind began to be a bit too hard to handle.
No surprises I wanted to go out. The concierge looked at me as if I was crazy because the temperature had dropped below -23. When I explained that I had never seen snow before she said that she would turn up the heating in our room for when we got back! Smart woman! Me not so much… In retrospect I'm so glad that she was proactive!
To my credit I made it to the metro station without freezing over. This time I had my fingers covered with gloves. No more romances on the way. The wind was going to have to stay away from my baby fingers. I could not stand to be separated from them!!!
Things were okay till I reached the subway near the Kremlin. Have you been in -23oC and been seized by 20m/s wind? It is very very cold. I think it was the North winds way of warning me against coming in between its courting. It seeped in through my woolen gloves and began to chill my fingers in anger.
Now when I say chill my fingers I mean that my fingers went from numb to pain. Shawn says it is a burning sensation. I however have no idea. It feels a bit like when you try to hold a frozen fish for a long while when defrosting it underwater. I tried everything. Double gloves, running into the mall but as it turns out warming up is far more painful than cooling down.
MY FINGERS (to give them credit) howled: We made a mistake! Keep this ardent suitor away!
ME: Why did you encourage him in the first place?
FINGERS: Don’t ask stupid questions do something about it!
ME: SHAWN!!!!
By now poor Shawn was trying to warm up my fingers whiled I uttered all sorts of unladylike exclamations. Poor man struggled to keep a straight face. While my husband was going through his ordeal my brain and eyes decided to have an argument of their own.
BRAIN: It’s cold! So cold!
EYES: I can sense the pain. Calling all tears... Calling all tears… Prepare the battle stations!
BRAIN: No… No… No!!! Send the cavalry back! ASAP!
EYES: I can’t do that. It’s protocol!
BRAIN: The tears will freeze on the cheeks you fools!
EYES: Oh dear Lord! We must disobey protocol! I’m not even sure if we can!
Well I guess I had to blame the romance in the air for the North winds efforts. It was Valentine’s week after all. I’m sure he has few fingers to court come winter but however much he fancied mine, he wasn’t getting anyway close to them!
THE BARRIERS GO UP
Cool within warm out? Logic didn't really work!
While the rest of Moscow went on at its hectic pace we went in search of thicker gloves for me. Thick enough to keep the North wind out. Warm enough for me to have fun. Lesson learned! The North wind can be persistent. Keep yourself well guarded! That includes your toes, feet, chest, face, neck and ears!
I guess when you start to feel cold your whole body begins to feel frigid. So we had a wise idea. If we felt cold from the inside we would probably feel warmer from the outside. We then proceeded to buy one of the famous ice creams from Gum at eat it outside. It was really cool… Sorry I meant cold. It was also interesting. This was the first ice cream that we have ever eaten that would freeze as we ate!
Jumping in snow, watching people go by, eating Russian food… That was certainly something to enjoy. Even as I type I’m sitting by my window looking out at the snow below because it captivates me so. Moscow is really beautiful when it is draped in white. I’ve even seen Christmas trees for the first time.
However each time I step out I keep an eye out for my new found friend. The North wind clamors to meet me and my fingers each time. He is a funny fellow, very enthusiastic and he does get around but like I said… I’m vary of strangers. Especially those of the frigid kind!
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Very well written 👍
Thanks Sharon 🙂
Lol! Loved it! 🙂
hahahah you are actually the first person I saw doing dialogs in blogs. So great! 😀
Thanks! It was just a source of inspiration. Made me smile as I thought of it and hope it would make others too.
That is too cute! I can totally imagine how weird the freezing cold is to someone's fingers who' is only used to tropical climat. But it seems you had fun 😁☃️
I did! I still am. From Moscow I decided to head to Arctic and I've been here for the past few days. It's fun and when you are determined even bad weather can't stop you.
This is so cute. I grew up with snow and now I haven't seen it in 15 years since I moved. I was cold for you!
It took a bit of acclimatizing but I did it. After a day or two things looked up. 🙂
Hehehe, I can relate! I grew up in the hot desert. We had to travel several hours to see any fluffy white stuff, and I was a teenager before I actually witnessed snow fall. This is a great account of how many of us warm climate folks really feel about snow!
Thanks Jen. It is amazing to finally have a dream come true even if it comes with its own set of difficulties.
Wow, you learned about the cold at 23°C , that's serious cold weather. That's cool eating ice cream that doesn't melt but freezes. You can now proudly say to your friends back home in Goa you've seen proper snow!
Absolutely! I'm actually quite proud of myself (after I got over the initial shock!). 🙂
Such a fun post and very entertaining. I always love to see the reaction when people first experience snow or cold weather for the first time and you described it so well. Really enjoyed reading about your experience.
Thank you Christine. 🙂
This is just how I feel about the snow, having grown up in the desert. So, I really love the story you tell here. It is funny and endearing. <3
I've been getting that a lot in Russia. People are so surprised that this is my first snow. I feel the same when people react to a beach in the same way. I guess we all take these little things for granted.
Lol I love this post! You sure picked a freezing place to experience your first snow. I'm not sure I've ever been in a place that cold!! (Ps I want to visit Goa.)
Two totally unique but worthwhile experiences. If you can then why not!!!
haha, I like the dialogue with the 'BRAIN' & 'EYES'. Very entertaining read. Glad you found some warmer gloves!
Thanks Karen 🙂 Warm gloves were by far the best thing I have bought in Russia.
I know, warming up nearly frozen fingers hurts so much! Haven't met with temperatures that much below zero though, and certainly didn't eat any ice cream outside when it's freezing! 😀 We're from Belgium, and temperatures do get below zero, but not as cold as -23 degrees! And I'm already freezing here in winter. Guess Russia isn't for me! 😀
I loved the experience. It took a day or two to get acclimatized but it wasn't long before I was dancing in the snow.
So interesting. I liked the way your organs talk 😀 And I can understand your craze to see snow , I am currently in Bangalore. And have been to Goa also. Snow is like a dream in South India and tropical Goa.
That it is... That it is...
It's one of those things I, as a German, have so far tried in vain to imagine: What it must be like to never know winter and snow. Where I grew up we have every year. And I hate it! Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful to look at. But so is a tiger and I still wouldn't play with it 🙂
Happy continued playtime in the snow!
C
Hahaha... I love your comparison with a tiger. I'm having fun though no that I have got acclimatized. Heck! I'm typing this from the Arctic!
Hope you enjoyed your very cold experience!! I am aiming to move abroad to a place where it doesn't get lower than 20 degrees! haha I hate that numb feeling you get what you come in from the cold!
In a way I can understand that but make sure that you don't up the temperature notch too high. Hot temperatures aren't much fun either.
I grew up in the north so I'm used to the cold, but Russia might even be a bit much for me. Looks like you still had a wonderful time despite the cold, which is awesome. Thanks for sharing!
I think everything is in the perspective. You can choose to be unhappy or you can choose to be happy. I've stopped allowing the world (that includes the weather) to dictate how I feel. 🙂
Living in a country that is cooler than Goa I am still waiting for that downpour of snow. In my 36 years I can only remember 1 occasion where snow was unbearably deep and I had just started school. Today, we have become a pathetic nation that stop as soon as a snowflake appears, saying that we can't possibly travel anywhere or do anything because it is too dangerous. Other countries manage it but we seem to fail every time.
Which country are you from?
It must have felt extremely cold for you since you are use to a much warmer climate. I, myself, am from Canada, and love, love, love the snow, maybe not so much the freezing temperatures, but it is way better than rain. I am glad you got a taste of the bitter cold and magical snow.
The snow is really beautiful when it falls. You quickly learn that warmer isn't always better because that beautiful snow turns to mush.
There is no better reason to travel than to see new things! I remember seeing snow for the first time as a child, but it was already on the ground. I so wanted to see it fall from the sky. When I got the chance to see that years later it was a magical as I knew it would be! What a wonderful memory you have made!
Thanks Natalie. The memory is certainly worth cherishing and one that I have always dreamed off.