The first time I remember seeing snow was in 1989 in Gainesville, Florida. I was in school at the University of Florida and working at a department store in the mall. Because I worked in retail I was unable to leave Gainesville to go home for Christmas until Christmas Eve. That afternoon as I was about to make the 3 hour drive to my parents house, the Florida Highway Patrol closed Interstate 75 due to snow. We were stuck in a blizzard (granted a Florida blizzard) so there was nothing left to do but get drunk and make snow angels in the slush. Two days later I had the flu.
The next time I experienced snow was in 1995. I arrived in Saitama, Japan in July and it took me two months to learn how to set my air conditioner. By the time I learned how to use it, winter was in full force. In December I had pneumonia. By February I was feeling better but had lost 30 pounds and had a cough that lasted all the way through March.
The following year I was ready for winter and I knew how to set the heater. When the lead teacher at my high school asked me to help chaperone the students on a ski trip I was ready. This would be my first time skiing. When we got to the slopes I attended a beginning ski course and after 10 minutes I was ready for my first run down the mountain. As I headed down the beginners slope I started going a faster than I expected and suddenly lost control and ran over one of my students. She couldn't have weighed more than 75 lbs but some how she remained standing while I cartwheeled down the mountain. The only thing that stopped me was when I put my hand down and my thumb anchored into the snow. Unfortunately, while my thumb stayed put the rest of me kept going. When I finally stopped rolling, the thumb of my glove was pointed back towards my wrist. I couldn't get my glove off my hand to check my thumb so I decided I had to pop my thumb back into place. To this day this was the most pain I have ever felt in my life.
I spent the rest of the winter with a cast on my left hand which being left handed posed many problems as I could no longer write or use chopsticks. Personal hygiene became a challenge as well.
My third winter in Japan proved less eventful as I stayed indoors for 5 months, too afraid to go outside. Since then I have had to travel during winter to places with snow including spending 6 weeks in Buffalo, NY from January through February which may have been the most miserable I have ever been physically or mentally.
I could happily spend the rest of my life never seeing the change of the seasons or snow. On the rare occasions I have to be in snow I can't wait to get back to Florida where winter does not exist.
The next time I experienced snow was in 1995. I arrived in Saitama, Japan in July and it took me two months to learn how to set my air conditioner. By the time I learned how to use it, winter was in full force. In December I had pneumonia. By February I was feeling better but had lost 30 pounds and had a cough that lasted all the way through March.
The following year I was ready for winter and I knew how to set the heater. When the lead teacher at my high school asked me to help chaperone the students on a ski trip I was ready. This would be my first time skiing. When we got to the slopes I attended a beginning ski course and after 10 minutes I was ready for my first run down the mountain. As I headed down the beginners slope I started going a faster than I expected and suddenly lost control and ran over one of my students. She couldn't have weighed more than 75 lbs but some how she remained standing while I cartwheeled down the mountain. The only thing that stopped me was when I put my hand down and my thumb anchored into the snow. Unfortunately, while my thumb stayed put the rest of me kept going. When I finally stopped rolling, the thumb of my glove was pointed back towards my wrist. I couldn't get my glove off my hand to check my thumb so I decided I had to pop my thumb back into place. To this day this was the most pain I have ever felt in my life.
I spent the rest of the winter with a cast on my left hand which being left handed posed many problems as I could no longer write or use chopsticks. Personal hygiene became a challenge as well.
My third winter in Japan proved less eventful as I stayed indoors for 5 months, too afraid to go outside. Since then I have had to travel during winter to places with snow including spending 6 weeks in Buffalo, NY from January through February which may have been the most miserable I have ever been physically or mentally.
I could happily spend the rest of my life never seeing the change of the seasons or snow. On the rare occasions I have to be in snow I can't wait to get back to Florida where winter does not exist.
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