Being a Florida native, there’s a very rare chance you will actually deal with the concept of snow. We’ve got hail, which is close, but not nearly the same thing. Here’s my experience with snow thus far, and how I’ve managed to adjust.
The first thing I had to adjust to really was how cold it was. It’s very dry out here in Arizona, so combined with the cold, it’s very biting and bitter. The cold is almost a part of you. It does not stick outside like how it’ll stick in the air with the water and humidity of Florida. I’ve invested in so many winter clothes and items that I wouldn’t have even looked twice at in Florida weather. One item is a very long, black trench coat. It gives my Cruella vibes with the fur that runs along the top of it around my neck. It’s very cozy and form-fitting, so it keeps me nice and warm. Another thing I invested in was hiking boots. Not only because it’s a mountainous area, but also to tread any snow that does fall. Any time it snows, I throw those on and make my way around the area.
One thing that’s really come in handy is hand warmers. If I leave out any open skin while it’s freezing, it honestly does go completely numb. There have been times when I cannot move my hand because of how cold it was. Putting the hand warmers in some gloves kept the blood flowing and gave me much more mobility. I could’ve used toe warmers too, but usually fuzzy socks and decent shoes will keep your feet warm in the cold weather.
Some other thing just for my room that I got was a humidifier. Now that sounds strange, but it’s so dry that everything dries up in my nose. I keep the air nice and moist for my roommate too and it keeps us healthy. A small heater also helps!
I don’t have a vehicle, so walking around everywhere makes it easy to warm up. Although, if it’s extra windy, I’ve had to learn the art of layering with some shirts, sweaters, flannels, and even big sweatshirts.
The facility itself also has to salt the roads to allow the cars to drive through which is something I wasn’t used to either with the Sunshine State’s warm weather. With this new season of life, I’ve seen how this helps clear the roads and even melt the ice. There are too many delivery trucks that come through daily that the roads really have to be cleared.
As it snows more, I’m sure to experience more ways to stay warm and how to best navigate it. However, I’m excited about snow’s fun parts like snowball fights, making snowmen, and snow angels.