MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
I write this in an effort to continue to “Document the Days.”
Our leisurely stroll in the Spanish Winter Wonderland quickly turned to an avalanche of snow falling on the entire country of Spain.
When the snow began to steadily fall on Thursday afternoon, January 7, 2021, all our Spanish friends and neighbors told us that they had not seen snow since 2009—11 years.
It was hard for us to believe, moving to Spain from snowy Pennsylvania. Snow was a normal part of life!
In any case, on Thursday and Friday, we were happy to walk through the white sparkling powder, build snowmen, and sled down the big snow-covered walking path adjacent to our house.
The snow fell much of Thursday and all day Friday.
We soon received texts canceling soccer practices on Friday and soccer games on Saturday. An email from our boys’ school warned that 19 American teachers were traveling back to Spain from the U.S. There was concern that they could get stranded due to weather conditions.
“They must be exaggerating and paranoid,” my husband and I said to each other. “I guess the country becomes paralyzed with a dusting of snow.”
Paralyzed
It reminded of us of our days living in southern France. In our seven years there, we only saw snow fall twice. Both times, the glittery white flakes barely covered the ground and quickly melted within a few hours. However, schools were cancelled, and everyone stayed home from work. There were no street plows or salt trucks, and no one knew how to drive in it.
Paralyzed.
That’s what we were expecting when we heard the weather forecasts for Spain over the next few days . . . a light dusting of snow.
By Friday, there was already enough accumulation to make small snowmen, have snowball fights, and sled.
A Morning Shock!
On Saturday morning, however, we woke up shocked.
When we opened the front door, we couldn’t believe our eyes.
It felt like the entire house was buried under the white powder. We couldn’t see the stairs, and the snow was deep . . . I mean deep . . . because of the wind drifts. We could barely open the door, and our little white dog wasn’t keen on stepping outside.
Our son’s two 3-foot snowmen in the backyard were nowhere to be found. They were completely buried under a giant white mountain.
“It’s not funny,” Pierre said as he looked out the back window upon waking up that morning. “They’re gone.”
“I’m sorry they’re gone,” I told him. “But, you now have enough snow to make 10 huge snowmen!”
He smiled.
We were stuck inside, and the snow was still falling hard. It was predicted to fall throughout the day until 1 a.m. on Sunday, January 10, 2021.
Not Since 1971
News told us that “Borrasca Filomena” was the biggest snow storm to hit Spain in 50 years, since 1971. Twenty inches (50 cm) fell on Madrid, Spain’s capitol. People were skiing at the Puerto de Sol. It was even reported that a man with 5 dogs and a sled glided past the capitol’s notorious symbol.
In our neighborhood, skis, snowboards, and sleds whizzed at full speed along our walking path that had turned into a snowy ski slope. The entire community gathered together in the streets and on the hills, mesmerized by Spanish history taking place before our very eyes.
Magical and Surreal
It was truly magical, surreal. None of the Spanish people we knew had ever seen snow like this—in their entire lives. It was “strange” and “weird,” they described.
On the slope next to our house, I watched for hours as Pierre sled down the hill with his new Spanish neighborhood friends.
Our son was thrilled to have some new playmates who could speak English. I was thrilled to have kept three plastic sleds from our earlier years in France—one of the many items that my husband wanted to throw in the dumpster.
“Thanks for letting us use your sleds,” one of the neighbor boys said to me.
I smiled. He didn’t know the story behind those sleds.
It was getting dark, almost 7 p.m. on Saturday evening. I had been outside most of the day with Pierre and his friends. Our dog, Bernie, was happy to walk with me and play in the snow. I could barely feel my fingers and toes, so I was about time to go inside.
As I gazed down the hill, I could see the glimmering lights of the city below and the majestic snow-covered mountains in the background. I felt like I should pinch myself. It was magical.
I had sent pictures and texts to my mother to try to explain how I felt. Maybe I should just call her, I thought to myself.
I rang her on Facebook messenger, and she answered.
“Sometimes, I wish that I could freeze time. It’s magical and surreal . . . and beautiful,” I told her through the screen.
Sad Reality
“I just heard that three people died in Spain,” she told me.
There was a sobering reality of this major snow storm that had struck Spain. Upon waking that morning, we had heard the grim news. Thousands had been stranded overnight in their cars on the freeway. Many were still trapped in the cold. Others had to sleep overnight in malls and the airport. Others were washed away in torrents of water or buried under snow. Others died of cold—without a home, on the streets.
Sobering.
Airports were closed, and schools were closed until Wednesday, January 13, 2021.
We had nowhere to go, and we couldn’t go somewhere if we wanted to. We were buried under the snow.
With no snow plows and no salt trucks, the country was paralyzed.
Paralyzed.
Today, Sunday, January 10, 2021, we woke up to snowboarders racing down the hill. I took videos and pictures of them from my dining room window. It felt like we lived in a ski resort, right on the slope.
The snow had begun to melt in the Spanish sunshine. Men were in the streets clearing the sidewalks in front of their homes and digging their cars out from the depths of white powder.
‘The Country Wasn’t Ready.‘
A small yellow and green tractor drove by, pulling a back plow at its tail. It left a small trail of black cement in the middle of the snow-covered roads. That would be as good as it would get.
Temperatures of -11 and -13 Celsius are expected during the next few days. That is why schools are closed.
“The country wasn’t ready for this,” my neighbor told me today. “We don’t have snow plows and salt trucks. This only happens once every half century. It’s not worth the investment.”
I smiled at him. In his hand, he held a small garden shovel. He had been trying to shovel snow from around his car for the past two hours.
“We have a big shovel, if you need one,” I told him.
Spain—paralyzed once again. This time, not from COVID-19, but from a natural snow storm.
“We are now forced into a natural lockdown for a few days,” my husband said.
‘Just Enjoy It!’
“Just enjoy it. Forget about the rest. Forget about work and other responsibilities,” our neighbor told us. “Look at the kids playing and sledding. Just enjoy it.”
So, that’s what we’re doing . . . just enjoying it.
Last night, we built a fire and ate one of our favorite French winter meals—La Raclette and La Galette des Rois. There’s no better way to warm the body after a long day out in the snow and cold.
I sent pictures to my family back in the US.
“What’s a Raclette and a Galette des Rois?” one of my family members asked me.
The answer to that question will have to wait for another day. I’m too busy just “enjoying it.”
—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
MY GIFT TO YOU—GET YOUR FREE EBOOK—“THE 5-DAY JOURNEY TO CULTURAL AWARENESS”!
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
What’s the weather like in your part of the world? Have you experienced any “strange” or “weird” thermal conditions lately?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures!” Write about them in the comment box below.
