Winters were kind of warm here when we left for the much-awaited Christmas break and then winters swooped in on us with a vengeance, freezing away the last traces of holiday gaiety. Seeing my schedule for the term, I don’t know what to dread more, the workload or the cold. Coming from a glorious 29 degrees with a short beach trip thrown in for good measure, I got in to London to an awfully gloomy, dreary morning, a Monday morning at that. Nothing could plummet my mood more rapidly and not even the glorious sight of snow-covered houses on the tube ride back helped me feel better.

Well the next time it snowed, I was in better spirits having settled in and started with school and routine. For someone who just cannot function without some sort of routine in her life, it was a welcome relief to be back to books (I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a nerd). Yesterday was a super snowy day with snowflakes falling since morning. I spent all morning wasting my time doodling away and trying hard to lift myself up. My Facebook page that has been inundated with news/status updates related to the flood situation in Jakarta for the past few days was quickly replaced by virtual squeals and excitement at the snow and the peripherals attached with it.

Just when I was ready to die of boredom, a friend stepped in like a saviour suggesting that we go out and have some fun in the snow. The three of us stepped out to some terribly windy weather. I do remember some snowflakes entering my eyes and chilling my contact lenses. We decided to cut across to Tower Bridge, which is my eternally favourite spot. It was an absolutely delightful experience sloshing our way through the snow. I will admit it, I became an absolute narcissist, posing and preening all along the way with my very kind and obliging friends who were good enough to indulge me. I’ve never seen too much snow in my life and to see it falling in front of me was an ideal photo opportunity as is everything I see in London.

At Tower Bridge we met up with another friend and went further ahead in another direction which I don’t remember. We encountered plenty of ready-made snowmen on the way and we took so many pictures that I am sure I almost blocked my memory card. While we did not really make our own snowman seeing that there were so many of them at every step, we did create snow angels. I had never heard of a snow angel till yesterday. So apparently, you lie in the snow and move your arms and legs wildly in a semi-circular motion. It is essential that you put your head on the snow otherwise your snow angel will be headless. Two of my friends were very enthusiastic about demonstrating the process and although I was tempted to try it, the cold prevented me from succumbing to the madness.

We ended the wonderful day with hot chocolate and marshmallows, which was another first for me. Marshmallows dipped in hot chocolate are my new favourite for the remainder of this season. As my friend very wisely commented after seeing the change in my behaviour, the snow has this amazing ability to bring out the child in us and give it the freedom to run free. Everyone – go out and let yourselves go, fling those gloves away, let your fingers go cold while you throw snowballs at one another. Enjoy the weather and the exhilaration that comes with it.