Don’t @ Me: I Hate First Snow
The Insufferable Challenges of Canadian Winter
Although snow is aesthetically pleasing and looks good through the window there’s nothing more annoying than snow. It is cold, wet and inconvenient. With every snowfall, my life becomes a little more difficult.
Don’t get me wrong, it is nice to drink hot chocolate and look at a white-covered city, but the positives end there. I have to wear chunky boots, a heavy winter coat, gloves, a scarf and multiple layers, which completely ruins my outfit. On top of that, for some unknown reason, I decided to buy a huge red winter coat last winter. I’ll let you guess how well that goes with my wardrobe.
Since moving to Canada, I haven’t been able to understand how all winter boots look ugly. And yes, I may sound shallow, but style and practicality should go hand in hand. Believe me when I say I’ve tried to wear my dresses during snowfall. If you want to end up sick for two weeks, please go ahead. Otherwise, I encourage you to learn from my mistakes and never do that.
I vividly remember last winter, when my friends were praying for a snowy November. Mind you, they mostly come from warm climates and have never seen snow. Being my usual positive self, I rolled my eyes and told them they would hate the weather in a couple of days. Turns out, I was right.
The white snowflakes melted into grey slush. Roads froze into slippery death traps and the never-ending cold wind made it all worse. Suddenly, my casual on-foot commute to school became a dreadfully freezing speed walk to the closest Concordia entrance.
Seeing snow in the morning makes me want to skip all my classes, forget all my responsibilities and never set foot outside again. Uber and DoorDash are now my go-to apps, and a 300 metres walk is still too much cardio for the day with snow to trudge through.
The first snow is often the start of a grim season of depression. The relentless cold nights, 4 p.m. sunsets, lack of motivation for life and nostalgia for the warm summer nights will linger for the next few months. Whenever I forget how much I dislike the snow, the myriad of Instagram stories depicting the first snowfall definitely remind me of it.
This wasn't always my attitude towards winter. Growing up in Bulgaria, I used to wake up with a huge smile on my face after the first snowfall. It was like an early Christmas present. My brother and I would go out for a snowball fight or build a snowman before heading inside to watch a winter-themed movie. I’ve probably watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas at least ten times. This was the season we would assemble the Christmas tree and wait for my grandpa to take out the sled. We could glide down the slippery streets and have fun despite the cold.
As an adult, I suppose I’ve become more of a pessimist. Although Christmas movies are still a part of my routine, the negative aspects of the cold season come to me more easily than when I was younger. Even though we’ve learned to romanticize winter and its fairytale-esque aspects, the countless challenges that we have to face daily for four months can’t be forgotten.
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