6 Thoughts You Have Seeing Snow for the First Time
The Northern Irish weather can be, erm, unpredictable, but it also throws up some beautifully unexpected surprises, says MBA student Shreya Mohal.
1. Everything looks beautiful in the snow
Being an outsider, I am not particularly a big fan of the cold weather as I have never experienced it before. I’m used to the humidity of Chennai and Mumbai, and the dry, hot weather of Delhi. Seeing snow for the first time was an unforgettable experience. I will never forget 7th December 2017, the first time I saw snow. It felt magical. I was excited like a little girl and ran out of my house and took a friend along with me so that he could take my photos while I posed!
2. I don’t quite know what to do
The first instant I saw snow, I was thrilled. It felt as though I was reliving my childhood since people around me were either playing snowball fights or building snowmen. I wanted to join in, but I got really cold, really quickly so soon retreated back indoors feeling like the only person in the world not having the time of my life.
3. This is actually getting boring
My initial excitement at discovering snow, quickly started to wane. I had an important meeting I was trying to get to on foot – in a blizzard - and ended up frozen and lost! So this week, when I was holding a hot cup of green tea in my hand and looking outside the window, I was both enjoying as well as cursing “The Beast from The East”. Part of me felt reassured that I was now a snow ‘aficionado’. After all, it had been nearly three months since I’d seen snow for the first time. ‘You got this’, I thought. However, another part of me was longing to be back home in India with the comfort of the warm weather and my family around me. Also, I was seriously lacking the willpower to attend the day’s lectures!
4. How can it STILL be winter?
I was delighted to see the first sunny days of spring arrive just days before winds from Russia unleashed the “Beast from the East”. Why had I been silly enough to think I could pack away my winter sweaters already? Once again, it was time for three layers. In March.
5. Let’s just get on with it
Life changes quickly, doesn’t it? One moment you have sunshine and the next moment, you have a red warning alert due to heavy snowfall. What do we do in such situations? Panic? Cry? Take all our frustration on the weather? You could do, but none of it would help. You soon realise life carries on. You just have to get on with your routine.
6. I should enjoy this while it lasts
The snowfall is like most things in life, fleeting. This too shall pass, as they say. So you should enjoy the moment – go out there build a snowman, go sledging, have that snowball fight. The snow will be melted soon enough. Just like my time in Belfast, it will be over too quickly. It was my dream to live abroad and pursue higher studies but like the weather, things won’t always be perfect. I do miss my family and friends back home and it does become difficult staying alone in a new city. But, you cannot give up on your dreams so easily, can you? Not over a few snowflakes, at any rate. Especially as I have come this far and I’m living the life I dreamed of. Like bad weather, bad days are just a phase – the sun will rise again soon! So, get up, live in the moment you are in, thank god for his blessings upon you, dress up and never give up, no matter what.
