Winter Has Arrived

I just got back from my December leave and I seem to have forgotten what winter was like in this part of the world. We had a brief cold snap while I was home in Colorado where the temperatures got below zero fahrenheit, and was snowbound in a blizzard in Lincoln, Nebraska for a couple of days, but when I stepped on the plane in Denver it was a balmy mid 40's. When I stepped off the plane in Nizhnekamsk we were at -31 Celsius which calculates out to minus 24 degrees fahrenheit. Its so cold every ounce of moisture is sucked out of the air and becomes ice fog, which is then deposited on every tree and available surface as a nice sugary frost coating. The ride from the airport wasn't all that pleasant either, since the van that was sent to pick us up had a 2-inch hole in the windshield and looked like it had been in a mortar attack. The springs and shocks were so frozen the driver had to hold his speed at around 30 miles per hour in fear he would break a spring or we would receive liver damage. By the time we got to our apartments our feet were all numb.

The temperature in the apartment probably hovers around 55. Cold concrete floors with a thin cover of linoleum except for the few places I have area rugs. My feet didn't thaw out for two days, after I went to the store and bought an electric heater and found enough blankets for my bed. We cannot turn up the heat in the apartments. That's controlled by the municipality, where the hot water is obtained from the local heating plant (see my earlier blog as to how this works). Anyway, Fluor has written a letter to the authorities pleading with them to please turn up the heat.

By the weekend it has warmed up to perhaps -10. This seems actually pleasant. The frosty coating starts to fall off the trees and power lines like fluffs of cotton. Actually very beautiful to watch. I will try to get to the (outdoor) market this weekend to pick up some more thick wool socks and some glove liners.

Footnote: I spent two winters in Alaska where I enjoyed minus 35 and also 4 winters in Kazakhstan where wind chills reached minus 80. But in those places at least I had a warm apartment.

Second footnote: Somehow, I see a slight change in the spirits of the Russian people. They smile more, actually make some eye contact when walking past, provide a cheerful greeting if they know you. I think they actually LOVE this weather.