Winter

written January 17, 2009

It's winter.

That is a reminder for those of you living in California. I know, it's so sad that you are having to deal with bright sunny days and 75 degree weather in the middle of January. Oh, and I heard about those record breaking lows a couple of weeks ago. The 40s?!? No way! And... how long did that last for, again?

I actually received an email from one of my friends who recently vacationed in Canada complaining about how terribly cold the weather was up North... It was at this point that I realized I hadn't discussed "winter in Kazakhstan" with my dear old friend. Here's an overview:
Winter in South Kazakhstan: very cold. Winter in the North-ish of Kazakhstan: freezing cold. Winter in the true North of Kazakhstan: shoot me.

I currently live in what is considered "South Kazakhstan". As it was described on my "Site Information Form", Merke's "climate is mild, warm winters, summers are not hot, springs and falls are long". Sounds ideal, right? Yea, uh... if you're from Siberia! For someone who has lived in California for roughly 22 years, this description could be considered a flat-out lie. I intend to re-write this description for future volunteers. I believe it will look something like this:

Climate is tolerable. A lot of snow can be expected in the winter, a very large and warm winter coat is a MUST as are fur-lined boots (and a single pair of wool socks will still not be sufficient). The sun will shine relatively often (these are very picturesque days), but these days should not be mistaken for "warm" days as your clothes will still literally freeze into the shape of a thin "V" on the clothing line outside, cracking to the touch. Indoor heating is low in quality - either insufficient or overwhelmingly hot, depending on the income of your host family. Running is near impossible and burns your throat as well as your face, find ways to exercise indoors. Practice walking on ice.

*Spring, Summer and Fall descriptions to follow (although I've been told summers are in the 100's and clothing will be literally soaked with sweat).

Here's the positive angle:

Kazakhstan looks a lot prettier when it is covered in a layer of pure white snow. Snow can be fun - snowballs, snowmen, sledding, snow angels (the only of which I have checked off the list thus far is snowballs). Christmas truly can be white (even if no one knows what Christmas is)! It's still a heck of a lot warmer than the rest of Kazakhstan.

After a recent trip to the North-ish of Kazakhstan (Karaganda), here's how I describe the difference between the South and the North-ish (I have yet to experience the "true North"): In the South, you need a scarf, a hat and usually gloves. In the North-ish, that scarf must be thick and wrapped around your face and those gloves must be a heck of a lot warmer and you will still be chilly. It's really the wind that gets you in the North-ish. Imagine, if you will, a biting cold wind that whips around in all directions carrying with it a flurry of snow.

So, for those of you "suffering" through your winters in California, if you haven't pulled out the fur-lined boots or the gloves, scarves and hats, you're not really suffering. Those gloves, scarves and hats are daily necessities in the life of a Kazakhstan PCV during this season and could very surely find much more grateful homes in the true-North of Kazakhstan. The first question my host mom asks me every day when she gets home, literally translates into: "you are not freezing?" This same verb is also used in the following expressions "to be frozen", "to freeze to death", "to perish from the frost", and "to become frozen".

Winter. Something California has not yet experienced.