Revisiting snowmaggeddon

News about the blizzard in Washington and New York made it to Russia. Russians told me about it before Facebook could. I've written about the harsh cold and the snow here. I'm glad that we can share these experiences together now. I thought we finished with the snow and the unnatural cold, but it's still going. There is a layer of ice that's a few inches deep (almost like a step). For most of the winter, people didn't bother removing it because they knew that it would just come back again. A few weeks ago, it started snowing and I thought, “Hooray! The snow will cover the ice and give me better traction.” And I fell (for the third or fourth time).

One major difference between snow storms here and snow storms in the US is that life here doesn't stop. There aren't fewer people on the streets just because there's a foot of snow on the ground. People don't stop going to work or to school. In the US, people rampage supermarkets and stock up for the storm. I think this habit is reminiscent of the times when families had to prepare for nuclear attacks. It makes sense. I've only seen people delay meetings/classes/work when it was -30 degrees Celsius outside. Here, the government isn't very good at keeping sidewalks or roadways clean. Perhaps the reasoning is, “What's the point when it's just going to snow again?” So be grateful when you walk on snow-free sidewalks and when you drive on plowed roads.

There are doctors, epidemiologists (hint-hint), teachers, nurses, accountants, and IRS agents. They are all important in society, but the one profession I'm very grateful for is the ice breaker. The men and women who stand there all day with a big stick cracking the ice off the sidewalk. I express my gratitude with no sarcasm whatsoever.

What do I do? I keep going. I complain about it and watch my hands turn different colors, but I keep going and I look for the light at the end of the tunnel. It's just getting over the 0 degree mark that's important. Some days, like today, I can even feel the sun.

There was a possibility for me to escape to a warmer climate for a few days, but for bureaucratic reasons, it didn't work out. The immigration office could learn a thing or two about efficiency from these hard-working ice-breakers. And THAT is the truth.