Winter is Coming

I remember before arriving I heard alot about Canadian winters and how they can be rather harsh, but I never really knew what to expect. As time went on and I had been in the country a few weeks, the weather started to turn and it began getting colder. I had come kind of prepared you could say, but UK winter is very different to Canada winter, so although I had thought I came prepared, there was still work to be done.

I remember the first time it snowed here and how I was in shock at how heavy it was, but people around me were not even phased by it. With each snow flake that fell to the ground I noticed it would settle, and one after another after another they began to cover the cars and roads around me.

I always felt that when it snowed the world around me looked that much more beautiful, with snow on the trees and a blanket of white snow on the floor just covering everything in its path.

I was also facinated by the fact that life went on as normal, just becuase it snowed did not mean life stood still. In my experience when it snows in the UK we would be unable to drive to work, the roads would be covered in snow all day, however here as soon as the snow starts to settle you would see snow plowers out cleaning the roads and making a path for people to be able to walk along on the foot path.

As months went on I began work and my colleagues asked me "Taz, do you have a winter coat?" I replied "yes, erm I was just going to use this one for winter" and pointed at the one I was wearing.

my colleagues looked at my coat, which to be fair was my winter coat in the UK and I assumed it would be fine here....but I was mistaken lol I was told I had to buy a "proper winter coat" as they put it. The search now began for a winter coat, I kept hearing I need to buy a "down coat", this was the first time I heard that word and was unsure what it was. A down coat is about the insulation, if it is down it is well insulated and will keep you warm I learned. So that weekend I headed out to buy one, they are pretty easy to find as it is common in Canada but expect to spend a few hudered dollars on it. I was also told about heat tech leggings and long sleeve tops which is great to wear under your sweater to keep you extra warm. These things really make a difference during those cold winter months.

I was also advised to check the weather in a morning and the reason for this is to know what to expect for the day and you can prepare accordingly. I very rarely did this back home but here it's become routine, as the weather here changes very quickly. I was told to always dress according to the temperature it feels like, so you will see the main temperature and under it you will see the words "feels like" so and so. The first time I ever experienced cold was on a working day so I was up and getting ready for work, and decided to check the weather where I saw it said temp is -19°C (which to be fair is pretty cold for me, the most I personally experienced back home is -10°C) this was a shock to me until I saw what was written under the -19°C it said "feels like -27°C" and at this point I nearly fell off my chair haha. I was super glad to have my winter gear. 😂