In honor of the first official day of winter on the 21st, here’s another story from Changing Every Day. When you finish reading, take the quiz to test your understanding!:
My First Winter in New York
Diem Duong
I’m from Vietnam. In my country, there are two seasons. One is the dry season, and it lasts from October to April. The other is the wet season, and it lasts from May to September. Throughout the year, the weather is warm.
I had seen snow on TV and in movies but I had never seen snow in person until I moved to New York in 2013. I still remember that I enjoyed the first time I saw it snowing. The snow was soft, wet, and cold.
One night, there was a snowstorm. As a souvenir of my first winter since moving to New York, my husband and I went to the park that’s next to my house to take photos with a snowman who was standing in the snow. When we went back to our house, my face was glowing and cold.
After the snowstorm finished, the streets were always dirty and difficult to walk or drive in. I walked slowly and carefully when it snowed because the streets were smooth and slippery.
Before I immigrated, my friends talked a lot about winter in the U.S. They told me that it was terrible, and that I would fly away because I am so skinny. I was afraid of winter.
Now, I’m not afraid of it because I experienced it in New York City. I now know how to walk in the snow.
To read more stories from Changing Every Day, click here.
