…wInTeR

Many of my Chinese students kept asking me why is my favorite season winter, where in fact, it’s not experienced in the Philippines. They couldn’t apprehend my thoughts why I do like it ‘coz many of them don’t like it for it’s definitely cold. Not yet satisfied, they asked follow up questions like, “Have you experienced snow before? Have you seen a real snow? And many more.

It is indeed resplendent, I told them. Mountains are capped by snow, the lake’s water is frozen, the trees, flowers and grasses seem dead and everything is white. What a stunning scene!, I added. I only saw all these on movies but lately I personally experienced it, play with it, such a wondrous moment.

Though it’s bloody cold, but it’s my pleasure to first experience it. As long as you completely covered yourself with hat, scarf, tights or thermal wear, around two to three sweaters, a pair of gloves and a coat, you won’t feel such a cold. I could hardly imagine I had such an experience. I thought it’s impossible for me to see a real snow.

Frankly speaking, when I was a kid, I thought snow wasn’t real, that it was just on movies, a mere camera trick, that it’s just a product of imagination. But recently I realized I was wrong. Snow is perfectly real. Sounds funny but true.

A lot of students told me I am a little lucky because the snow here in our place lasted for more than a month this year. They added, it used to last for only two or three days for many years because we are a little south. According to the news, there was a snow storm around China and it happened half a century ago. I just gladly replied, nature wants me to have a superb experience with it. But I was also kinda worried because the prices of basic commodities dramatically grew up due to the difficulty to transport them. Many of the travelers even were stranded at various bus and trains stations because of the said phenomenon.

I myself had a terrible moment during the snow storm. From my place to the capital of the province, it only takes two and a half hours by bus. But that time, it took us almost twelve (12) hours. We left 9:40 am (the first trip because they said, they are still clearing the road from the snow) and we arrived there at 9:30 pm. I was extremely hungry. I had no lunch and dinner, and I took my breakfast at around 6:20 am, hoping to catch the first bus at 6:40. T’was indeed an awful journey ever in my entire life, sitting down for almost 12 hours on the bus. T’was also a peak season for the travelers because the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year at that time was approaching. On the other hand, we were just lucky to arrive there safely which is the most important, no matter what.

But as for me, winter is still the best season. What about you, what is your favorite season? Why?