Five Things I Miss About Winter

Summer is well and truly here in Wuhan. As I shower the stickiness of the day off, I think: what do I miss the most about winter?

1. No bugs. No creepies, no crawlies and no mozzies to bite, in early morning or late at night.

2. No dust. Well, not as much dust as in the summer, when Wuhan becomes a dust bowl and I can’t keep up with that all-pervasive intruder.

3. In keeping with #2: less smog/cleaner air. Winter air, being crisper and less moisture laden tends to not carry dust as well. Counter-intuitively, I breathe better in the winter than in the summer. What about you?

4. Room in my refrigerator. In the winter it is cold enough in my house to leave rice in the rice cooker and butter on the counter, as long as it is covered. Come summer, everything goes in the refrigerator, lest mold should gain a foothold. And, believe me: in Wuhan, mold can take over in a day.

5. Solace. In the winter one can hunker in front of a space heater, put more clothes on, or take a warm shower. One particular luxury is a heated bed. In the summer, no matter how lightly you dress, you are likely still soggy/sticky.

Funny thing about seasons in China: you know they’re there. In the states, I had the benefit of climate control in my house, car and office.

I do have climate control in my apartment but I try not to use it. It costs a lot and doesn’t work that well. In the winter it tends to dry the air, so much so that I end up with painfully dry sinuses and crackling skin. Those are aspects of winter I do not miss.

What don’t you miss about winter? What do you miss?