Reflections on Winter

One of the most common associations with Russia is “winter”: cold, ferocious, and everlasting. Many are not aware that Russia, like many places on the planet, also enjoys all four seasons of the year. Some places indeed are only allowed a short spring and summer before the snows fall, but that is by no means the rule for the whole country. Summers in St. Petersburg for example are wonderful, light-filled periods full of romance and adventure. In Tyva, locals seek entertainment and recreation in the wilds of nature, forsaking the urban jungle. It irritates me a bit when I’m asked only about how cold it gets in Russia as the focus on the winter betrays the beauty of the rest of the seasons. Yet as I write about my perturbedness, I cannot focus on the summer quite yet. Outside the window of the café where I currently sit, winter hangs over the city of St. Petersburg. Smoke rises from chimneys and hangs in the air, frozen by the cold. The sun shines as if it is five o’clock in the evening when it is in fact only two in the afternoon. People bundle themselves in large coats with real or fake fur and rush to and fro, aiming to stay outside only as long as necessary. This is however the first day of winter that I have experienced in St. Petersburg since arriving on the 27^th of December. Due to the changing climate of our planet, winter arrived late here, bringing with it cold temperatures and snow.

I arrived on a temperate, rainy day more akin to the weather of April than to that of December. It felt as if I had stepped off the plane into a tropical zone as I had just left -30 degree temperatures in Tyva. While feeling sad about the lack of snow for New Year's, I must confess that it was a welcome relief to walk around without gloves and to be able to see, as a scarf was not covering most of my face. While winter here involves many discomforts (clothing being on the top of my list as there is no way to undress quickly when you are wearing three to five layers...), there is a certain exhilaration I get from experiencing winter in the Russian Federation. Northern countries and territories make winter "more real" than in other parts of the globe where winter occurs. Here especially, the feeling of cold wind on the skin, white snow crunching under your feet, and the sight of frozen rivers and lakes both chills and invigorates. Inhabitants of the Russian Federation know and understand winter better than other places I have been. When it's cold, proper clothing is required and expected. Yet cold temperatures do not keep the locals inside, cowering under blankets. On the contrary, they run off to enjoy traditional winter activities like skiing and sledding, walking outside, going to New Year's and Christmas markets and other festivals. Blanket cowering is allowed though and also enjoyed by a majority of the population.

Grey, black, white...

Another sign of winter in these parts is the increased amount of darkness. The days grow shorter in many areas of the globe around winter, but in northern countries, the change is felt more strongly. In St. Petersburg for example, the sun will rise only after eleven o'clock in the morning and set already by five o'clock in the evening. Waking up early is especially difficult under these conditions. Kyzyl, being a smaller city with fewer street lamps is especially dark in the winter time. When I return home from class at six-thirty in the evening, the sun has already set, adding even more so to the day's weariness. I trudge home not necessarily through the snow, but most assuredly through the cold. I rush inside of my apartment building and run up the stars in an effort to get heat through my body. My apartment greets me with warmth and light. Then the effort commences of changing into lighter clothing. On a teaching day, I could be wearing two or three layers on my legs, two pairs of socks with boots, three or four layers on my upper body with a coat, a hat, scarf, and gloves. My boots are warm, but heavy. I know that awaiting me tomorrow is all of this over again and it will repeat until spring arrives. In spite of this, I cannot help but feel the authenticity of the winter. This is not a place where it snows one day and in a week the snow disappears. The cold temperatures are not a "cold front" either but the time of year. It also allows for a greater appreciation for the warmer months. Summer here seems so much brighter and exciting than in other places because of the winter. When five or more layers are required for three or more months, then warm weather is something to rejoice in and not take for granted. The brightness of the surroundings is something that is sorely missed in the darker months. And thus I shall part with an interesting bit of trivia about Siberia.

Back in January of 2012, I travelled across Siberia on the Trans-Siberian railroad, making stops along the way to see the cities of the eastern side of the country. During my travels I noticed that some buildings and houses were painted in bright colors such as blue and pink. I asked one of my hosts why this was so and they explained that it was due to the nature of the winters in the region. First off, the days are shorter, but even when it is "daytime", the sky may still be a sad gray. Secondly, the snow stays around for months at a time. Thus, the only colors one could see during the winter are variations of black, gray, and white. To help prevent color blindness or at least to provide people, especially children, with some sense of life during these months, they paint buildings with bright colors. I find this fact interesting but never really understood how necessary it is until this year in Kyzyl.

On my way to and from the university is an apartment building that is painted pink. In the fall I found it to be a bit outrageous, but now I no longer laugh. Everyday my eyes feast upon the brightness of that building's color, enjoying if only for a few moments that which is lacking in the environment around us.