I have never been this cold. Ever.
Back home, in Peru, winter is virtually nonexistent. Sure, I have traveled to places like New York and Europe during the winter, and thought I was freezing. What I’ve learned so far this January: there is no place as cold as West Lafayette. At least to me, a Latina girl used to going to the beach in the middle of winter. I’ve also learned that the winter is beautiful, exciting, and new. I romanticize it and pretend I am in a movie practically every day.
Winter so far is unpredictable, and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I check the Weather app almost as frequently as I do Instagram, and I never know if I am wearing enough layers. But when I walk through paths covered in pearly white snow, I forget about the shivers and the three thermal shirts struggling underneath my coat. I enjoy seeing a misty cloud leaving my mouth whenever I talk, breathing in the cold air. I throw snowballs at my friends and take a picture of every snowman I see.
And when it gets too cold outside, it becomes perfectly cozy inside. I make myself pasta and unwind watching movies. My friends come over and we do homework together, laughing and catching up. The weekend arrives, and we have to leave the house at 10pm, freezing but happy and excited to celebrate life.
The winter can be tough, especially for someone who has never experienced it so intensely before. But it’s beautiful, thrilling and can make every day seem like an adventure. Yes, I’m a summer girl through and through, but I’m enjoying winter as if I were a little kid seeing the snow for the first time. Because, in a way, I am doing just that.