From Gray to white

In this place where winter is really cold and the land is covered with snow from December to April, I thought the first snowfall of the season won't matter. But when the first shower of snow happened in Lapland, the news certainly didn't miss it. I then thought, well why not? In my country, I could compare it to the first rainfall after the dry summer season, which typically happens in May. I can remember kids being warned not to play in the rain for the reason that it could cause illness like flu, but they still take a shower anyway.

I've been here in Finland for over a year, and it was winter when I arrived. Helsinki was already covered with some snow. The temperature outside was about -5°C, and the air was too chilly for me that I had to go back inside the airport building to fix my layers and scarf. It was hard for me to acclimatize specially because my body is used to the tropical climate in the Philippines.

This year, the onset of winter was far more bearable for me than when I first felt the dry cold Finnish winter air. It seems that experiencing the gradual transition from autumn to winter was really helpful.

The first heavy snowfall in our place this winter happened last Sunday night. The view from our window, which was often black and gray since autumn passed, turned into glowing white almost instantly. That transformation was truly captivating. It brought a unique sense of joy to me and to my husband who was beside me. The falling snow made our gray cat's tail wave too.

"There is no such beauty as the gift of nature." -one of my father's favorite lines