Snow, British and German style
It's snowing.
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, exciting about that sentence. Rewind a few months, say middle December, and that sentence would be have been written like this:
It's SNOWING!!!!
Such was many a Facebook status at that time, mine included, I must admit. And who can blame us? The first snow of the season has something a little magical about it, especially coming so close to Christmas and all that implies.
And then life got in the way, as it always does. Planes cancelled for days on end, 15 hours or longer to get back home (do NOT get me started!), people afraid to go out on the roads.
In the UK, that is. Of course, here in Munich, it was business as usual. It was just a bit more-white. Everything still worked - the S-Bahn, the buses, classes at work (to many a disappointment).
But it worked. And the reason for it? They knew it was coming, just as it comes every year. You can't say when, but it'll come. The people of Munich know this, and in true Scout style, are prepared. Snow tyres, leaving more time for travelling, lots of grit, they know what to do. But in the UK? Nah. We act as if this cold stuff hasn't fallen from the sky before. We shut the schools, airports, everything. People didn't leave their houses for days.
And do you know what? Part of me misses that. Snow used to be the only reason we could use to get a day off school. I remember listing intently to the radio to hear the list, and switching between local stations in order to get the most up to date one. It was also the only day when I wanted to go to my brother's school, because it began with A and mine began with W. Part of me is still that kid, part of me wakes up to snow and thinks 'come on, do we have go in today?'. It's a mentality the Germans don't get - of course you go into school, why not? Things work. You have no excuse.
And that, to me, is a real shame...
There is nothing, and I mean nothing, exciting about that sentence. Rewind a few months, say middle December, and that sentence would be have been written like this:
It's SNOWING!!!!
Such was many a Facebook status at that time, mine included, I must admit. And who can blame us? The first snow of the season has something a little magical about it, especially coming so close to Christmas and all that implies.
And then life got in the way, as it always does. Planes cancelled for days on end, 15 hours or longer to get back home (do NOT get me started!), people afraid to go out on the roads.
In the UK, that is. Of course, here in Munich, it was business as usual. It was just a bit more-white. Everything still worked - the S-Bahn, the buses, classes at work (to many a disappointment).
But it worked. And the reason for it? They knew it was coming, just as it comes every year. You can't say when, but it'll come. The people of Munich know this, and in true Scout style, are prepared. Snow tyres, leaving more time for travelling, lots of grit, they know what to do. But in the UK? Nah. We act as if this cold stuff hasn't fallen from the sky before. We shut the schools, airports, everything. People didn't leave their houses for days.
And do you know what? Part of me misses that. Snow used to be the only reason we could use to get a day off school. I remember listing intently to the radio to hear the list, and switching between local stations in order to get the most up to date one. It was also the only day when I wanted to go to my brother's school, because it began with A and mine began with W. Part of me is still that kid, part of me wakes up to snow and thinks 'come on, do we have go in today?'. It's a mentality the Germans don't get - of course you go into school, why not? Things work. You have no excuse.
And that, to me, is a real shame...
Labels: snow
posted by Timemistressabroad @ 10:36 AM
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