So you are about to experience your first winter or you already are in the thick of it. How do you keep it together as temperatures drop and wind gales blast?
Surviving your first winter is usually quite a dramatic and memorable experience. If you’ve grown up in a country where winters aren’t a thing it truly is an adventure orienting yourself to life in chilly conditions. Contrary to what you may think, the UK is relatively cool compared to other European countries – basically, it could be worse. Temperatures in Scandinavian countries such as Norway and Iceland really do plummet way below zero degrees. In the UK , particularly England, sub-zero days are few while sub-zero nights are more common but then you’re likely in bed then, plus it rarely ever gets to sub-zero double digits. This is an encouraging start to the tips to follow, hopefully.
The right attire during the winter months is an essential. If you are a new immigrant, I suspect you already have at least one jacket which took you through autumn. Most likely the jacket was too warm for autumn but as your skin isn’t yet used to the cold, autumn must have felt as cold as Antarctica.
In England, it rains – a lot. The combination of cold, rain and wind really demands that you be methodical about how you dress. You will find yourself giving more thought to what you wear and pack before you step out the door than you likely did back home , in terms of ensuring you survive and don’t die of frostbite. To recap, you need a good warm jacket (preferably with a hood), not much more will be said about that as this is an impractical guide afterwards. What needs to be said though is that you need more than a warm jacket.
You need a scarf; of the right length. I find scarves that are too long more of an unwieldy burden than they are worth. Also, personally, when a scarf is too bulky and begins to feel like a blanket, one begins to slide into the territory of discomfort in my opinion. For one, temperatures fluctuate as you change locations during the day. For instance, you step out from the cold into the underground station in London where it is likely warmer if it is an indoor station. You are now saddled with having to lug what is essentially a blanket around because it has become too warm for you to leave it wound around your neck. A smaller scarf will easily fit into your bag and still keep you warm when it is around your neck. That is a perfect scarf in my opinion.
Next, you need gloves. My biggest wardrobe regrets in the winter often involve gloves. Either one of the pair gets lost (or both) or I forget to bring them along with me or I buy a pair that is not warm enough. Cold hands are terribly inconvenient and painful as once your fingers get numb, your hands become useless. Even trying to find your bus pass becomes a task as your fingers just won’t work leading to bus drivers becoming utterly irritated by your ineptitude. In short, get a warm pair of gloves and keep them safe.
Things begin to get really complex when it comes to hats. Wearing a hat really makes a difference in maintaining warmth but I personally feel one can do without it except you are bald, have really short hair or have not very voluminous hair which means the cold can access your scalp easier. I have puffy Afro hair which means I often do not find a hat big enough to squeeze my head and hair into and if I do, it ruins my hair style for the day. Voluminous Afro hair also serves as a hat itself, keeping me warm as even I hardly ever see my own scalp thus the cold has little chance of getting to it. Assess your hair condition (volume) and if it’s not suitable to provide cold protection, get a hat.
Earmuffs are another possibility. Again, I think England is hardly ever cold enough to warrant one. As you may be noticing, I do have a relatively good tolerance for cold. I have seen people wear everything I have mentioned so far all in one go. I would burn up in the cold if I ever did that. Additionally, a good, snug hat that you can pull over your ears could negate the need for earmuffs (which really become an extra winter burden to drag around and fiddle with).
Snow! If you’re lucky, you’ll get some snow. This is really something if you’ve never experienced snow before. It all begins to feel less like luck and more like a curse though when the snow begins to melt. When snow is fresh and settles, however, it’s truly beautiful. I’ll never forget my first snowy experience; my nose was squashed against the window of my room as I watched the snow flakes tumble to the ground. Once the snow had stopped, I layered up and ran outside to make a snow angel. It was epic!
Walking in snow when it’s fresh is manageable and beautiful. Once the snow begins to melt and sheaths of ice begin to appear on the tarmac, you need to be very very careful when you walk and drive as you could easily slide into oblivion. Good, waterproof shoes with a firm grip are essential for snowy days, get one! Another thing, you know those metal slabs often covering a hole in the pavement? They are extra dangerous when it’s cold and icy as they become mini-ice rinks. Avoid walking over them at all costs. Avoid walking over anything shiny when it’s cold.
After all has been said and done, if the worst happens and you do fall, which has happened to me at least once, hopefully it’s not a dangerous fall and you are able to get up and move on. Don’t worry too much about it, falling in icy conditions is nothing to be embarrassed about. Reduce your likelihood of falling with good shoes and calculated.
As the days become shorter and the nights longer it can be very tempting to lock yourself indoors where it’s warm. I would advice to try get out as much as you can. Make friends, build or become part of a community, go to a Christmas market or a museum, go to a bon fire night. As they say, there is no bad weather, just bad clothing. So long as you dress appropriately at all times and keep warm drinks close, you can enjoy life outside in the winter.
africanwildflower 