I am not a cold-weather kind of girl. I am not one of those people who believes you can always put more clothes on when it’s cold, but there’s only so much you can’t take off when it’s hot. I would far prefer to be in Texas in August (and I’ve spent many summers there, so I know exactly what that means) than in Alaska in January. Sometimes, there are not enough clothes. And certain parts will always be cold. I would rather be hot.
So the fact that I’m moving to Finland, the northern half of which sits inside the Arctic Circle, is not something I ever anticipated. Even after living in Colorado, I really have no expectations about the weather in Finland.
Everyone thinks it’s so cold in Colorado, but it’s really not – at least, not in Denver. It can be cold, don’t get me wrong – but so can Dallas and Charlotte and even Miami. The wonderful thing about Denver is, it’s cold, it snows, and then it’s sunny and in the 50’s again. Snow piled up six feet in the parking lot, but you’re walking into the grocery store in short sleeves.
Finland is another story. It stays cold. And dark. For months at a time. At least, that’s what it looks like – ask me again next Spring, when I know for sure. Where we’ll be moving, on the West Coast of Finland, the average high/low in January is 27/18(F). So yes, it’s cold, although not as cold as I expected. I keep saying, “It’s not like it’s freezing,” but, of course, it is. But I expected it to be around 0, and it’s not. Heck, one day a couple of weeks ago, it was actually colder in Charlotte than it was in Helsinki – so, yeah, not as bad as you would think (although the high tomorrow in Pori is 11F).
However, we are well aware that we need winter weather gear. I very specifically asked my family for some warm accessories for Christmas – scarves, sweaters, etc. I also expected to get some stuff from others…but I didn’t realize there would be so much.
I got long john’s, and scarves, and gloves, and fingerless mittens, and a down comforter. Hubster got a bunch of stuff, too. I joked that I wanted to put on everything we got and take a picture of us.
Long underwear, leg warmers, gloves, fingerless mittens, a couple of scarves, a couple of big sweaters, and some Strike a Fire Anywhere
Everyone else is more freaked out over the cold than I am. Which is odd, considering my aforementioned (I love that word) aversion to the cold. My friend geauxgirl realizes she’s probably going overboard. “But I’m just freaking out that you’re gonna be cold.”
We probably will be. But that’s part of the adventure!
