Many Canadians have a love-hate relationship with the winter and snow. I am no exception....

I came to Canada at the end of December in 1975. There was already snow on the ground. Even though I had seen snow in Germany, it was still a novelty. On a snowy day a few days after my arrival, my sister (who had been here in Canada already for a few years) and I went out for a stroll. I could not remember much about that walk, except the bitter cold. We stopped by the McDonald's for coffee, another novelty for me at that time.

The second winter, I went back to school, which was about an hour away from home. Driving in the winter is often treacherous.One day, I got caught in a severe snowstorm on my way home. It was a total whiteout condition, with no visibility. I was driving on the mountain road, and could not see the car in front of me. It was just like driving blindfolded. I was so scared that my knees trembled violently. But I could not stop, or would be hit from behind. After an eternity, I finally got home. Exhausted, I collapsed and sobbed uncontrollably for a long time. It was really a very scary experience.

Shortly after, there was another snowstorm. This time, I thought it would be wise to take the train, which would stop at a small town near home. From there I could take a taxi home. When I got off the train, I found myself in a deserted small train station in the middle of nowhere. The pay phone was knocked off by the storm and did not work. The wind was howling, the snow swirling, me alone there scared to death. I shuddered at the thought of the newspaper headline "woman stranded in train station, frozen to death". I thanked my lucky star that someone finally came and gave me a ride to the town centre, and from there I got a taxi home. When I got home, Chun Kau was busy digging the car out of the 6-feet deep snow.

Couple of years later, we moved to the Province of Manitoba, in Western Canada. We lived in a company town in the country, and I worked part time as a social worker for the regional Children's Aid Society. The job involved a lot of travelling into people's homes in rural area. I could be driving miles and miles in isolated areas. The prairie winter is long and harsh.

Daytime temperature can get as low as -25C; with wind chill it could feel like -40C. In additional to the normal winter gears such as snow shovels, drivers equipped themselves with survival kits in the car - blankets, candles, some high energy snacks, flashlight etc; just in case if the car breaks down, or skids off the road. At that time, there was no cell phone technology. I installed a CB radio in my car for emergency contact. Fortunately, I never had to use it.

To cope with the long winter, we tried out different winter sports. I remembered the day that we bought our skates, went out to the harbour (which was frozen solid), and taught ourselves to skate from a library book. It was quite hilarious as we slid and tumbled over.  I was so proud of myself!  For someone who often had to struggle to get a passing grade in her physical education subject, this was quite an accomplishment. Later, I took skating lessons, learning the jumping and the spinning.

But I had to stop when I found out that I was pregnant. After my daughter was born, I learnt cross-country skiing. On my days off, I would put her with the babysitter for a couple of hours, so that I could go to practise on the slope. Often, I was out there alone by myself, enjoying the fresh air, the blue sky and the total solitude. On the weekend, the three of us would go to the nearby YoYo Hill for an hour of tobogganing, some quality family time. Now we no longer pursue these "strenuous" activities, but we still enjoy our walk in the deep winter snow. As another Canadian winter is fast approaching, I am once again bracing for the curse of winter driving, and at the same time longing for the enjoyment of the peace and tranquility in the winter wonderland.

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