Seasonal

My first winter in Canada has been a wonderful experience. I came from the tropical zone of South America, where we do not have snow in that part of the world. I had never seen snow or felt cold from those low temperatures. I arrived in Calgary, Alberta in March, which is a little further north than Toronto. There the winter is stronger and lasts longer, therefore the temperatures are lower in winter. In the second week of living in Canada, I wanted to go for a little walk around my neighbourhood. When I went a block from my house, I had to turn back to protect myself from the cold and what it was doing. As I did not dress with the suitable clothes to support that temperature, I felt that the cold penetrated my bones and made my whole body tremble.

From that moment I knew that it was the real winter. Then I started looking for the right clothes so I could go for a walk outside my house. However, after that experience, I learned to enjoy this season of the year because there are many fun things to do. My friends and I went out to have fun in the snow sliding on some snowboards, making snowmen and throwing snowballs. It was a lot of fun. I had never worn so many clothes on me at one time, but I had to do it because I had to go out to work or just have fun with my friends, this had been a totally new experience for me. I started to wear gloves to protect my hands, a scarf to protect my neck and face, and wear the right coats so that my body feels warm and comfortable when I should go out.

I had not driven a car here in Canada until two years ago when I had the opportunity to buy my own car. When winter came, I had to drive in snow; this was a perilous experience for me because the first snow had fallen and the asphalt was of course slippery. I was leaving my work, I was heading home. I started to drive and at the first corner, my car slid onto the sidewalk. Fortunately, no cars or people passed the street empty. I was scared, and from that moment I had to drive 40 km per hour to my house. Normally I spent 20 minutes arriving and that day I spent an hour and a half. It was a terrifying experience for me.

Thank God, now I know what I have to do when the winter comes to be prepared with my winter clothes and drive slowly and safely.