"Winter is coming" are the exact words you hear echoing with a hint of fear in my household at this time of year. Sometimes, you might even hear these words starting mid August. For me the approach of winter actually alters my mood, making me less of my happy go lucky self. I consciously, have to make an effort to reset my mood and stop the horrible weather from depressing me. As is obvious by now winter for me and most of my family is a dreaded time of year that just seems to always drag on incessantly. The incredibly dark mornings, bitterly cold days, the slippery roads and sidewalks are all things I never look forward to. I most especially hate the multiple layers I am forced to wear underneath my down filled jacket. Having to then haul my jacket around everywhere while indoors makes an already dire situation worse.
I distinctly remember my first winter in Canada. I was about 9 years old when my mom and I moved here from Nigeria, a country in western Africa. We arrived in Edmonton is July and in trying to prepare us for what we would soon face in coming months, family and friends would often tell us stories of blizzards, forty below days, mountains of snow and frost bitten cheeks. I actually thought by hearing these stories I was mentally preparing myself for what was soon to come. I would often stick my hands in the freezer just to get a taste of "winter". Once winter finally arrived, I became well aware that no amount of physical, emotional or any type of preparation can actually equip you for its bone chilling ways. The drastic change from a humid equatorial climate to the dry arctic weather of Edmonton was like no other.
My first winter was the first time I had even seen snow apart from the movies. When I did finally see it in person I remember thinking how beautiful the white crystal flakes were.The day of the first snow fall, my cousins took me outside to make snow angels. I had a wonderful time jumping and dancing in the snow but the amusement and delight of my first snowfall and winter has long faded. I haven't made a snow angel since.In fact now during the winter months I will rarely be found outside. However, an outdoor winter experience I will never forget was my elementary school field trip to Rabbit Hill for sking and snowboarding lessons. At the trip I decided to try skiing as I was told by many that it was much easier. I was enrolled in the beginner class and I very much enjoyed it. I remember clumsily skiing down the bunny hill and then climbing back up to do it all over again. I did this for several hours gaining a little more confidence with each run. I then met up with my friends who were very much more experienced. Wanting to spend time with me that day, they suggested I go up the big hill with them. "It's easy don't worry" they repeated several times after noticing the petrified look on my face. Before I knew it, I found myself sitting on the chair lift half way up the big hill with my heart racing like never before. When we reached the top of the hill I wobbled off the chair lift with skies awkwardly crossed. At the very top, I scanned the area looking out and down to the very bottom and all of a sudden my mouth dried out with fear. In that very moment, I knew there was absolutely no way I could ski down that hill. My friends looked over at me and with the look on my face they also knew that I wasn't making it down the hill on skis. After minutes of just sitting at the top of the hill pondering what to do next, it was decided, I would slide down the hill on my bum. And this I did. Two of my friends each carried one of my skis as they rode comfortably down the hill like veterans.The trip down the hill seemed to take ages and when I finally arrived at the bottom I was overwhelmed with relief. The relief of finally being on solid ground. That horrid experience on skis, is one I often look back at now and laugh. Till this day I have never touched a pair of skis however I did adopt snowboarding for a while during my years in junior high and high school.
I can honestly say I detest winter with a passion but I have come to realize that at the end of the day, the sun will rise and summer will arrive. As the mornings grow colder and the days grow darker with winter's approach I cope by continuously repeating to myself, "summer is coming".
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