There is an odd phenomenon that happens here at this time each year. The government controlled heat shuts off on or around March 15th (this year we had it until the 18th). The weeks preceding that, at least in our 12th floor apartment, are quite warm. The kids and I run around in t-shirts without any socks, and we still have to crack windows in order to not sweat. We even resorted to running our AC at night so we could sleep.
After the heat shuts off, it slowly becomes almost as cold inside as it is outside. For us here, that means 30's and 40's at night and up to about 50 or 60 during the day. Then it begins to go the other direction. Today, it is 75 degrees outside, but I am still sitting here with a long sleeved shirt and pants, in a sunny spot of the house (or I'd be wearing more). For the next few weeks, outside will be warmer than inside.
It makes life a little confusing. It's hard to know how to dress. In the beginning, you have to dress for spring inside but bundle up to head out. Now, it's the opposite.
But we can't complain - all this means spring is here!
Since moving back to China last summer, I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I do not garner the attention I once did when I am outside, at least in this part of town. Therefore, it was a strange feeling this morning to have all eyes on me while I ran up to the Summer Palace and back. After awhile I started thinking, "Did I forget to wear something? Is some part of me showing that shouldn't be?"
In a way, yes. It was . . . my arms! That's right, I was wearing a sleeveless shirt. This was cause for staring because it's only May 3rd. It doesn't matter that it was 65 degrees at 6:30 in the morning. It's only May 3rd! It's irrelevant that it's been 85 degrees the last two days. It's only May 3rd! Crazy foreigner looking to die young, that's what they saw.
There's a saying here, "Chun wu qiu dong" which roughly means, "Overheat in the spring and freeze in the fall." I don't think they really abide by the second half of that, but the Chinese are sticklers about the former. They'll wear as much as possible, as late as possible, into the spring. We have a neighbor girl whose mom has hidden her summer clothes from her. On Saturday this poor girl was wearing lined pants, a long sleeved shirt and a sweatshirt. 85 degrees! That seems like child abuse. I kept pumping her full of water so she didn't pass out. I'm sure people are still wearing long underwear and I have yet to see bare arms or legs. Is it any wonder that I looked like an idiot to them?
Of all weather, my least favorite is wind. I feel like you can't really protect yourself from it. It's just annoying. And makes running pretty stinkin' hard.
But what's worse than wind is when it carries to your doorstep a load of sand from the Gobi desert. This morning I awoke to a yellow, and I mean yellow, sky. The cars on the street were visibly covered with a layer of yellow dust, and as cars drove, the dust swirled up like a scene from a western.
This is not an uncommon scene for this time of year. In a way I should be glad - it means spring is on the way. And the upside of wind is that usually it blows out the bad stuff. Just not today.
Ok, I hate to say it. I mean I REALLY hate to say it, but I have to retract my spring declaration. Granted, it has been significantly warmer here, for the most part, than my hometown and for that I am grateful. But it's hard to say spring has arrived when it keeps snowing!
What's up with this? I think 3 out of the first 5 years we lived here, we didn't one flake of snow. The other two years there was probably a combined total of six inches. This is just weird. The kids and I went out to brave the weather for church (mostly because I had something to pass to a friend and didn't want to miss the opportunity) and there was a good inch and a half on the car! Then I saw that my friend wasn't going, so we turned tail and fled back to the warmth of the house.
Sort of. See, the government has been slowly turning off our heat, and I think tomorrow might be the official turn off point. It feels a little like that scene in Star Wars when they are caught in the garbage compactor and the walls are closing in. There they are, helpless to stop it. Changes in weather do not slow the turn off. So while it might be 50 degrees outside, which is nice, it's still 50 degrees inside, which is not. And today it's probably about 35.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not really complaining about it. More baffled really. Although if this is still happening once the heat is completely gone, you might find me complaining.
I used to think that our city didn't really have spring. I mean, it had about a month, between the end of March and the end of April, when the winds picked up and told the pollution to take a hike for a few weeks, and the weather was balmy. Then it hit hot.
But today I realized something huge. Spring isn't shorter here. It just starts earlier. See, for Minnesotans, spring comes mid to late March ("in like a lion, out like a lamb" is what we always said for that month). But I'm staring out at 57 degree weather right now, and it's going to be at least near 50 for the next 10 days. The normal average right now is about 45. When we ran the half marathon in October, it was colder than it is today.
So may I officially declare it spring here? I know you southern born folks are shaking your heads and will continue to wear your long underwear, but I am rejoicing in the fact that we DO have spring! I'm off to enjoy it with a celebratory run. (no, not in shorts and a t-shirt like we ran the 1/2 - too many stares from the locals!).
As we ventured out to Perkin's last night, the first wave of the storm hit. I can't say there were snowflakes - they were more like snow chunks falling. The servers in the restaurant looked stunned that we came, but my sister really wanted to treat us all to dinner, so we did it. By the time we went back out to the car, it was covered with a layer of frozen snow/sleet under a another layer of snow. It kept falling in the night and we now have 3-4 inches on the ground. We're getting a temporary respite, enough to get out and snow blow the drive (ok, enough for my DAD to get out and snow blow the drive, and for the rest of us to watch). We're supposed to get a "wintery mix" all day today. I love that - "wintery mix." Sounds like some kind of coffee blend with vanilla, chocolate, maybe peppermint. But it's actually "freaky, treacherous mix of half frozen precipitation guaranteed to make walking and driving difficult, and coat your car so that it's impenetrable." Then tonight, 3-5 inches, and tomorrow 4-8 more. Funny, it looks so gentle and peaceful outside right now. We're going to go sledding quickly and enjoy it before the craziness.
Contrary to appearances, I have not forgotten how to blog. And it is no reflection on how interesting Minnesota is (or isn't) that I have not posted anything for weeks. Mostly, it's been because I rarely open my computer here. It's very freeing. I might keep it up.
But today I was inspired to type for several reasons. 1) I'm sitting in Dunn Bros with my computer in my lap working on a writing project, so the creative juices are flowing, and 2) I just read the weather report.
I believe I write a disproportionate number of posts about the weather, I guess because I've experienced such extremes in the last few years. We're about to experience another one. From now through the weekend, the precipitation predictions for Minnesota range from 60-100% daily. (We already have at least a foot of snow, with 2-3 feet piled up along the roads). The temperature will fluctuate in the 20's, which means some of that precipitation will come down in the nasty form of freezing rain, freeze on the roads, be covered with snow, and provide a nice treacherous base for all who attempt to drive on it. And many will attempt to drive on it, as they have to travel for Christmas gatherings.
How bad will it be? The front page of the Star Tribune (Minneapolis/St. Paul paper) says, "2 Feet for Christmas? You Better Watch Out." The ensuing article states this storm has, "An uncanny resemblance to the East Coast storm last Saturday" and "this could be the snowiest Christmas for Minnesota in 30 years." Loads of fun for kids, but we're supposed to drive to Minneapolis on Friday morning (an hour and a half away). I wish I could say, "And since we've no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" but that's just not the case. We'll see what happens!
We have lived in Asia for 10 years and 3 months. Up until two weeks ago, here is all the snow we have seen outside of Minnesota:
The Great Snowfall of November 2002 (Ethan trying to enjoy the snow before it gets swept away by ambitious sweepers)
The Great Snowfall of November 2003 (Megan not really enjoying the snow, but smiling briefly for the camera).
I think one other time there was a light dusting. But here we are in the middle of our third snowfall in two weeks. The first time was several inches. The second time was six! This time, it's still too early to say.
Thankfully, co-op is canceled today so we can just enjoy the snow. It's one of those days when I love the part of town we live in because the park across the street is a beautiful winter wonderland, and the courtyard is a giant playground for the kids. There is an army of snowmen out in the courtyard. They've even built up a big enough pile to make a tunnel! This morning they were playing hide and seek by following each others' tracks. Ethan was clever and walked backwards to confuse his friends. They were so busy they didn't come in for lunch until 12:30, and now they're back out again. Let it snow!
This is the picture you get when you tell the kids to say "snow!"
Last year when we arrived in the States on November 24th, from Singapore, it was 45 degrees. And our tropically grown son walked into my parents house, took off his coat, stripped down to his t-shirt, and unzipped the bottom half of his pants so he was in shorts again. We warned him that he would be cold. Eventually he did put pants and a long sleeved shirt on, but later he went out on the back porch with no socks on. I thought, "I guess he won't have any problems adjusting to the weather!"
I think I was wrong.
Yesterday, it was supposed to be 50 degrees. The kids went outside in the morning, and two seconds later Ethan came back inside "freezing!" He went back out 15 minutes later wearing: long underwear, two pairs of pants, two long sleeved shirts, his winter coat, gloves, a neck gaiter, a hat, and his ski goggles. Over the course of the next hour, he progressively came back to strip off bits until he was done to something more reasonable. I don't know what he's going to do today - it's just started snowing.
Answer: add snow pants, go outside, come back in complaining that you need better mittens.
While my native land of Minnesota is coping with record snowfall in October and chilly temps, I have to admit I am enjoying the longer fall we have here. We sit at the same latitude as Columbus, Ohio, and up until today have been hovering in the low 70's/high 60's. That's a bit higher than normal, and supposedly we will be experiencing the 50's for the next week (although a predicted 68 next Friday). Now, I know that sounds pretty warm to people in the frozen tundra of the north, but when I went to put on clothes this morning, I reached for my wool sweater. Why? Because 55 degrees outside mean 55 degrees outside. That's not because we're too cheap to turn on our heat. It's because we don't have any. At least not until the government decides we do.
The Chinese government controls when the heat gets turned on here. Officially I believe it has to be on by November 15th. Sometimes it comes on earlier, depending on your complex (maybe a good reason to pay your management fees). But I like to think that at some point, a government official says, "Wang xian sheng, KAI SHI!" (Mr. Wang, begin!), some crusty old guy shuffles over to a giant switch, and poof! We all have heat. On March 15th, the same ritual happens in reverse. So much power for one little man. (I realize this isn't how it happens, but it amuses me to imagine it as such, so don't spoil it for me).
So until November 15th, or some time around then, we are subject to whatever the weather is outside.
I'm trying to think of what new skills I must have acquired in Singapore which pushed out skills I used to have revolving around cold weather clothing. I'm at a loss to know what those new skills are, but something has caused me to lose my ability to know two particular things:
1. When do you fully make the transition to cold weather clothing in your wardrobe? By this I mean putting away all the summer stuff and pulling out all the winter stuff? How long does this transitional period last?
2. Do I need just one jacket for the fall, or two? This was the question I encountered today while shopping for a coat. I have a winter coat, but I need something until then. I tried on one light weight coat, then found a similar style that had a thin wool/fleece like outside layer instead of cotton. Obviously warmer, right, but necessary? Couldn't I just wear more clothing under the first coat? I can't tell you how plagued I was by this dilemma. The little Minnesotan inside of me was ashamed. How could I forget this kind of information?? In the end, I let my money decide for me - I had to get the awesome shoes of the previous post, so I only wanted to spend enough to buy the lighter weight coat. I figure if I get too cold before I want to pull out my winter coat, I can go back. I also want to take Megan back because she want pink Uggs and a quilted pink vest.
Give me time. I spent the first 26 years of my life in Minnesota. We know how to do cold, and everything leading up to it.
Each morning my kids wake up and ask me, "Is it cold outside mom?" And my response is, "Yes, and it is going to keep getting colder." Then they look at me with this baffled, "What is going ON in this country?!?" expression. Ah, kids, welcome back to a temperate climate.
In all fairness to my upbringing, it's not really cold. The morning temps are in the 50's, daytime highs in the mid to upper 60's. But when the coldest temperature you've experienced at night for the past five years was 70 something, and daytime highs were regularly 85-90, it's cold. This takes some adjustment. It's at least enough to pull out the long sleeves and pants, and for me to rethink the time that I run each day.
In addition to finding our cold weather clothes, I am also rediscovering a desire to make soup instead of salads, to take baths, and to drink tea (and I don't even really like tea). To my husband's great delight, I actually want him to snuggle with me in bed. He doesn't even mind that I'm just using him for warmth. On the downside, we have also rediscovered static cling. This fascinates my kids. It just annoys me. That's right - for five whole years I never saw static cling.
While I was raised in a temperate climate (some might call it tundra), I have to say I enjoy the fact that this spot on the globe is slightly warmer than my hometown in southern Minnesota - no snow flurries in the forecast for awhile. It's a nice way to ease back into temperate.
One of my desires before leaving Singapore is to run in a good rain. This might be hard to accomplish, as there's not much between the "light rain" and the "thunder and lightning" variety. I went out this afternoon when it started to rain, thinking, "This could be it."
It wasn't. It felt refreshing for the first, oh, 4 minutes or so. Then it started to let up instead of get stronger, which left me running in conditions nearing a sauna. When I got home and checked the weather, it was "86 and 74% humidity. Feel like 96."
That's the second time I've made that mistake. One other time I went right after a downpour, thinking, "That should have cooled things off." No. No it didn't.
Hopefully one of these days . . .
Our re-entry into Singapore from the frozen tundra of sub-zero Minnesota was eased by the fact that we came during the best of time year in Singapore: the post-rainy-season-heavy-on-the-tropical-breezes time. I've talked about this before - we leave our windows open all the time, and save loads of money on air con (as long as they do that "actual reading" on the meter).
That time has now ended, and I'm reminded that Singapore is hot. Current conditions indicate it is 91, but "feels like 100" due to 55% humidity. So we're back to AC. The problem is, our maid really got used to us having the windows open. I'm sure that in the 13 years she worked for a Chinese family, she was encouraged to do what most Singaporean families do - leave the windows open all the time regardless of how blazing hot it is. They save a lot of money, those Singaporeans. But we are Minnesotans. We do cold. So when it's 91, we want to nudge it down a bit in here.
So a little battle has ensued. I come into a room, turn on the AC, and close the window. When I leave, I turn it off. When I come back in, I will find that the windows are open again. Now, I recognize that she's just trying to keep it cool in here, but 91 degree breezes just don't feel that good. I haven't said anything because it's just not worth saying, but I think she's a little confused by this change in our house.
Speaking of change, we woke up yesterday to a general haze over Singapore. Ethan said, "Hey mom - look at the moon! It's so red!" What followed was several minutes of our family debating whether it was the moon or the sun. Erik ended the debate by stating that the moon couldn't possibly shine that bright through so much haze. Good point. It then became frightening to realize we'd all been staring at the sun.
This used to happen all the time in China. I'd stare at what I thought was a lightpost, thinking, "Why'd they put a light right there?" only to realize it was the sun. You haven't seen haze til you've seen it in China, but this is surprising for Singapore. It's because of some fires in Indonesia, I believe. I'm kind of thankful for it though, because otherwise it would be even hotter.
Have you done Strengths Finders? It's all the rage right now among leaders. Or maybe it has been for awhile and I'm just getting in on the tail end of it. That's a more likely scenario. But my point is that it's an interesting assessment which tells you your top 5 strengths (out of about 30). Mine are communicator, belief, strategic, focus, and input. I'll let you wonder what those mean if you haven't taken it, because the reason I bring it up is to mention that one of the strengths you can have is adaptability.
I don't think historically I have been a person who possesses a high level of adaptability. I don't know where it falls in the list of strengths for me (other than knowing it's not one of my top five) but I suspect that over recent years it has crept up the scale.
I say this as I do my morning ritual - sitting in the new room at the back of my parent's house from 6-7 a.m., enjoying the silence, my journal, a few books, some prayer time, and the sun slowly lightening the sky behind bare trees in their backyard. It's also a bit chilly.
Well, it should be - it's -2.4 degrees below zero. When we came in November the first week it in the upper 30's. When it hit 20 degrees my impulse was to say, "I'm not going outside again until we go back to Singapore." Of course I realized the futility of this resolution. So I decided to adapt.
I've embraced the fact that I won't ever feel 100% warm here, and that when I go outside it will take longer to get ready. I've learned to turn the heated blanket on my bed to medium before I get ready to sleep, and to turn it off before I fall asleep so I don't wake up in a puddle of sweat. I bought winter running gear, and have braved the colder weather to experience some really fun runs (my cut off is 25 degrees though for outside exercise). Yesterday it was around 15 degrees and I didn't think it was all that bad (although I did choose to go to the gym to exercise!). I've learned to wear more clothing inside, and I've grown accustomed to the fact that most of the time my hands will be cold.
And you know what? I like it. I really like this climate. I love that I have an excuse to wear cozy clothes, to eat soup and drink tea. I love running in 30 degrees weather, seeing the sun reflect off the snow and feeling the cold air energize my body.
Does that mean when I get back to Singapore I'll wilt? Well, maybe temporarily. :) But after awhile I guess I'd just adjust to being back there, enjoying the fact that we can be outside every day, that the world is beautiful and clean all the time. Maybe it's not adaptability I'm developing so much as a positive attitude. Either way, I'm learning to enjoy what I get.
See, that's the key. I don't want to just bear with the circumstances of my life. I want to enjoy them. And I think part of the recipe for success is adaptability - to walk into a new situation and go, "Ok, here's what I've got to work with, let's make it happen." I think I'm getting better at it.
I should be with the amount of variability we have in our lives.
Our kids, on the other hand, specialize in adaptability. Whether it's traveling to new countries or meeting new friends, they don't seem to flinch when presented with change. It's a good quality to possess - I'm glad they're getting it from the beginning.
I thought since it was raining it would be a good time to hit the library and get some new books. Aside from being thwarted by Deepavali (see the post below) we were almost turned back by the intensity of the rain. As we waited in a long line to get into the carpark, the thunder and lightning clapped simultaneously above us over and over. We were in the eye of the storm. I said, "So Ethan, what word would you use for this kind of rain?" He said he didn't think there was one. It was more than buckets. It was like being in a car wash. Even with the wipers on full blast, I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me, and that was when I wasn't moving.
So I'd say it's officially the rainy season here. This comes around in November or so and hangs out til late January. It means we have to get out in the morning for play and exercise because most afternoons are filled with raining, pouring, sprinkling, drizzling, plopping, buckets, sheets, you name it. Hopefully not plooping though.
Some of our good friends just left for Oregon for the month. We were discussing whether or not they would be close to the ocean during that time, when Megan chimed in, "But it doesn't matter if they're near the ocean. They can't swim in it because it's SNOWING there!!" Said with authority. Since we are going back to the States for Christmas, she seems to think that it's now snowing in America.
This followed a conversation from the previous day, when she insisted that, "America is warm, China is cold, and Singapore is hot." This is because in the last 4 years of her life, she has only visited those places when those things are true. So I tried to explain that when we go to America this year it will be colder than she has ever experienced in her memory. And that right now China is hotter than Singapore.
When we get back from Langkawi on Saturday, we're starting a weather comparison chart between the three places, so our kids can see how the weather in other places changes, but the weather here stays the same. Hopefully one of these days it will sink in.
This is yet another post about the weather. I'm sorry if that sounds boring, but read on and you may find yourself pleasantly diverted. Or maybe not. But do you have anything better to read on the internet right now?
When we landed in China about 3 weeks ago, the average temperature was hovering around 70 degrees F. Within a few days it had shot up to over 90. I was surprised that it didn't feel like 90 to me though, I suppose because it lacked an accompanying 90% humidity. But by the weekend, it dropped back down to a damp 60 with clouds and rain. The second week was glorious - 70's and clear skies every day with cool evenings. Our last few days there even dipped into the upper 50's and low 60's.
Why the weather report? Well, to give you a context to understand the tropical wimp family's reaction. I was shocked into remembering what it is like to need every kind of clothing you own within a 2 week time period - tank tops, shorts, sweaters, pants, jackets. My kids were just thoroughly confused. Ethan said to me, "Now, this is the time of year when the weather gets colder right mom?" When I said no he replied, "But then why is it so COLD?" (It was 70 degrees).
By way of experiment, I asked Ethan what his favorite season is. Without hesitation he said, "Winter."
"But you don't know what winter is like?"
"Yes I do."
"So what's your favorite thing to do in winter?"
"Have a snowball fight!" (I think he's done this once or twice in his eight years)
"What about spring?"
"Um . . . plant flowers!" (never done it).
"Summer?"
"Go swimming!"
"And fall?"
"Jump in the leaves!"
"But Ethan, you've never jumped in leaves."
So there you have it. My son describing his experience of something he hasn't experienced for so long he really doesn't remember what it's like. As for me, I am back to what I've grown accustomed to - a place where temperatures vary only about 15 degrees all year. Not sure what I like better.
For the month of February, it seems, it is spring in Singapore. The rainy season is over but the clouds are still covering the sun, and nice breezes come from . . . well, somewhere. It is a time we wish would last forever, when we leave our windows open almost constantly (thereby enjoying lower utility bills) and wonder why anyone wouldn't want to live here, or at least visit.
Then, overnight, it is over. This year it happened last Friday night. We woke up Saturday, shut the windows, and started sweating again. We'll stop sweating maybe next November, when the rainy season hits again. The upside of this time is that the pool becomes much more enjoyable and necessary. The downside is that some mornings the need for air conditioning hits at about 6 a.m. It was good while it lasted!
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