大雪天

It finally stopped snowing! Thank goodness - because much like NC, Hangzhou does not seem to know how to deal with snow. However, while the snow was still nice and fresh, I dragged Rachel outside with me so we could partake in some typical snow activities. Like I said in my last post, I'm not the biggest fan of cold/snow, but I don't get snow very often, so I feel bad when I don't take advantage of it. So, Rachel and I stayed outside for about 20 minutes, which was just enough time to make a (little) snowman, throw some snowballs and take some pictures. And then, we ran back inside to defrost.

And here are some of those pictures we took:

Attempting to enjoy myself...

But mostly, I was just cold...

However, we couldn't go inside until we made a snowman!

Even if he is a dinky little guy
with money for eyes...

And now I proudly introduce you to:
Sparkles McNubs Jr.

Our family portrait
(And yes, if you were wondering,
I happen to be Sparkles McNubs Sr.
Don't ask.)

I would say our 20-minutes of snow day was perfect... any longer would have been plain miserable. And, if you were wondering, we did not destroy Sparkles McNubs Jr. immediately after his birth. However, I would be surprised if he's made it 'til today; if he wasn't kicked, then he has surely (and sadly) melted away...

But if the snow is melting, then at least it's warming up a little! Woo!

You may be wondering why I seem to hate the cold so much. First of all, I'd like to clarify that, in general, "cold" is not so bad. Cold in Hangzhou, however, is terrible. This is for a few reasons:

(1) I have to walk to get anywhere in this city. At home when it's cold, you only have to brave that cold for the two minutes it takes to get to your car and the two minutes it takes to walk from your car to whatever heated place you're going - not so bad. But here, if I want to go anywhere that's not my apartment, I have to walk for at least 10 minutes, usually more. This is not pleasant when it's gross and cold outside.

(2) The heating in my apartment is practically good-for-nothing. Here in HZ, we don't have central heating. This means that my heating/air-conditioning unit sits up near the ceiling of my room... and, since heat rises, most of that heat just stays up high around the ceiling. This leaves the rest of my room slightly warmer than outside, but not nice and toasty like I'd want it to be.

(3) The heating everywhere else is non-existent. Most notably, at school. According to Chinese government, Hangzhou is located far enough south that it doesn't need central heating... anywhere. So, while some restaurants and stores are lucky enough to have room heaters or heating units, most places don't, turning those places into human-sized refrigerators. Need I say more?

So, if you're reading this blog from America (or anywhere else with consistent heating), please take a moment to appreciate the comfortably warm house/office/restaurant you're currently sitting in. Because not everybody's got it... including me.

Be grateful you don't have to dress like this
to stay warm in your house! 

In other news, I finished all of my grading today! Whoop whoop! Now I just have to head to Xiasha campus one more time to turn in all of my paperwork and get my last paycheck of the semester. It's a good feelin' to be done, y'all. And now, Rachel and I are going to continue watching "The Secret Garden" while trying to stay warm.

ZaiJian!