Winter Wonderland

People in Hong Kong have been complaining about the cold all winter. That makes sense since it is usually hot and humid in Hong Kong. This winter seemed colder than the last, but it still stayed around 15 Celsius. That is pretty cold for Hong Kong, where it usually hovers around 32C most of the year, but nothing compared to winters back home.

Minneapolis is usually below freezing from November to March. December to February regularly dip below 10F. That's -12C. It never gets anywhere close to that in Hong Kong. In fact, the lowest I have ever seen Hong Kong would be a typical October back home, around 45F/7C.

This year has been special for the United States. It has been a colder than average winter, but what everyone is talking about is the wind chill. A lot of arctic air has been coming down and freezing people's butts off. I find that funny because we get that every year in Minnesota. Cold air from the arctic hits Alberta and cuts through Minnesota before it warms up and makes its way across the eastern United States. Only this year, it is hitting most of the Midwest and East coast.

By 0F, Alberta clippers knock it down to -15F. That is unnaturally cold for places like New York, but typical winter in Minnesota. People see the -45F in Minnesota with the wind chill and get alarmed, but we are used to it. It does not stay that cold all winter. That's only for a few days. We also build our houses for the cold and have plenty of warm clothes. Cold is only cold when you are not prepared.

If it ever got to -45F in Hong Kong, there would be a state of emergency. A lot of people would die because no one here is prepared for that kind of cold. Hong Kong houses are built for the heat. Winter clothes here are mostly pretty weak, and the boots are a joke. I have never seen a true parka here. People buy big coats that they think look warm but would not help you at all in a blizzard. It makes no difference because it never gets that cold in Hong Kong.

Hongkongers always ask me how I can go outdoors in winter without a coat. The answer is simple. I don't think it's very cold. That does not make me stronger than they are. I'm simply used to much colder weather. I'm still getting used to Hong Kong summers. While everyone else is wearing sweaters at night, I'm boiling in a t-shirt and shorts. It is not even the heat, really. It's the humidity. I have been here three years and I'm still adjusting to the humidity.