One winter when I was in college there was an extremely nasty blizzard and they canceled finals. My anthropology teacher had vacation plans and called everyone in my class to see if we would still come in to take our final. I agreed since I lived on campus and was only a few blocks away from the building. I put on my scarf, hat, gloves, thick winter jacket, and some extra socks since the snow was at least two feet high. A couple of friends came with me because they were worried about me walking by myself in white-out conditions. I made it there, took the test, and walked home. No problem, just another walk to class in the snow, another winter.
The first winter I spent in California, I saw people wearing sweaters and jackets and thought they were crazy. It was so beautiful out and I was still wearing short-sleeved shirts, why were they so cold. This is my forth winter in California and I have totally lost that thick skin I developed living through freezing winters in Illinois. I walked to work this morning wearing a tank top, a long-sleeved shirt, and a jacket. Once I got there I talked with a coworker about how cold it was outside. It was sixty-five degrees! It is ridiculous to even think about, cold at sixty-five degrees! Rommel even makes fun of me when I put extra blankets on the bed because the temperature is supposed to drop below sixty.
The important question is if I can get that thick skin back. I eventually want to move back, but will I be able to make it through the winter?
