A few weeks ago, while locked up in my house watching my first snowstorm through the window, I started recalling the times before my arrival in Montreal. I remember picturing the winter as this frozen dystopia. People who returned from their perilous voyages came back with cautionary tales about temperatures and experiences that I could simply not begin to imagine. How could anyone possibly survive such a climate? At the same time, something about it all sounded so fascinating that a part of me wished to experience it someday. Well, now I’m here and so is the winter, and everything seems to be just fine.
If, like me, this is your first winter in Montreal, you probably know what I’m about to describe. If it’s not, chances are that anyone who wasn’t born in Canada but moved to a Canadian city for a period of time experienced this before their first December came along. The seasons in this city are undeniably the real deal. This is why when someone arrives here for the first time (especially if you come from a city where seasons are basically non-existent), the locals will actively try to prepare you for the inevitable. What is even more intriguing is the sheer degree of conflicting opinions I have heard since coming to Montreal last year. From the: “Oh, it’s the absolute worst,” to, “Meh… it’s not too bad.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it” / “I was born here and have suffered EVERY winter.”
“It’s actually quite beautiful…” / “Grey and cold and sad and horrible”
“The most important item you need to have is a good [insert winter accessory here].” And, we also have the: “Just wear some sneakers and layers and you will be fine.”
“The worst month is definitely… (on this point in particular I’ve heard opinions ranging around every month from December to April).”
“Winters aren’t even that cold anymore.”
After months and months of hearing repetitions, variations, and contradictions on the same topic, I had no idea what to expect. But winter has arrived at last and, although I have yet to experience the complete season (in fact, it seems never ending), some of the most intense moments (a.k.a. biggest snowstorm in decades) have helped me get clarity on a few key points. The reality is that, as with most things, winter is very subjective. And, as it turns out, all the versions I heard during the preceding months are true all at the same time.
Apparently—as I’ve been told— this is a very pretty winter, since there have been a higher proportion of sunny and snowy days versus the grey and cold ones. So far, I have even been able to enjoy it—the cold wind hitting my face for the first time in the morning reminds me that I am alive; the feeling of the snow under my feet, the softest crunch; the puffy birds grouping up in some leaf-less bush, chirping in cold. Looking back, I now realize that some of the many opinions I received also helped me appreciate the beauty of it all. In them, I found that there are teachings beyond the seasons that can be drawn from the experience. Here are some of them:
- For there to be warmth, there needs to be cold. These contrasts in life force you to live in the present and be thankful for what comes with it.
- Winter teaches you the value of both loneliness and companionship. It can get so lonely and cold sometimes, that one must learn to bear with their own presence, but it is also an opportunity to share more intimate moments with your loved ones— cooking cozy meals for each other, having movie nights, being forced to go out at night. Even though you might end up being comfortable on your own, you also learn to value the warmth that company brings.
- Just keep moving, even when the weather outside doesn’t inspire you to do so. Find the motivation in sunbathing on clear days or just getting your blood pumping by taking a walk through your neighborhood.
- When something starts getting worse, there must be something else that’s getting better. For example, as days start getting colder, they will also last longer and will become sunnier soon enough.
- Finally, the resilience it takes to get through. Especially for a first-timer, winter makes you feel so small, so powerless. It will get hard, lonely, cold and dark, and there truly is nothing you can do about it but to resist and wait for the warmer days to arrive.
I know this all sounds very cheesy, but personally, trying to romanticize this season is what has helped me through so far. More than a time to curl up and wait for it to be over, I’ve decided to take it as an opportunity: to learn from myself and from all that is outside of my control. This way, I promise you it is possible to endure even the coldest days, when your face hurts from the wind hitting and you can’t even see the sun. In the end, there is no way to prepare for what you will experience during the winter, since apparently there are as many versions as there are people experiencing it. But coming from the very personal viewpoint of my experience so far, all that is left to do is to live it through, try to find even the littlest things that you enjoy (because surely there must be something) and stick to looking for them every day. One thing is for sure, there’s still a long way ahead and there’s no way around but through.
