It's a different cold than I've ever experienced. To anyone that has spent a winter in Minnesota, this would seem like a cake walk. Or so I thought...It never snows and the lowest low is around 30F. A balmy February day back home. But what gets you here in Chile is the lack of central heating. Anywhere. You go inside but the temperature is only a little bit higher indoors. This is not a new sensation for me as I spent a chilly (ha) winter in Northfield and am perfectly fine with perpetual layers, blankets and slippers, but the fact that no where has heat is what concerns me. To combat this and to survive the next few months, a few changes must occur:
1. Fire. Here, I introduce, my new best friend, "la estufa," or wood burning heater, outside my room. I love the smell of it and the glowing coals inside the little wrought-iron window. Hot.
2. Gear. My host mom had me model her favorite jacket for cold weather tonight. It's fifteen years old, leather with wool lining. It's like putting on a weighted blanket. A little big, but it'll do the trick when it gets bad.
3. More gear: purchased a hot water bottle at the mall. From winter at Willow, I learned the importance of Cocooning, or wrapping up in a blanket and not moving. The bottle will only help speed up the process.
4. Maté. Lots of maté.
So while flowers bloom and grass become green again at home, winter sets in down South.It took awhile, but Chile is officially chilly. :)
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