Weather

So I think I should tell you about what the weather is like in Kaifeng.

It has started raining, and with the rain brings wet and cold. I found a leak in one of my windows, so now the rain drips through the window onto the windowsill. At least it's not over an electrical socket. All it does is prove that my suspicions that this room was poorly insulated were correct.

Most of the time, Kaifeng is hazy. Not always, but normally it's not so clear and there's fog. If you like seeing the stars, you'll be out of luck most nights. Especially a few weeks ago, when farmers burned their fields. Since cars have picked up in the last three years (more than the older teachers can remember), smog has also increased (and also helps explain why the traffic is so bad).

On other times, it rains. Apparently last year it didn't rain this much, but if you were coming to Kaifeng, it would be safe to bring an umbrella. Or don't, and buy one here. I have a broken umbrella that's still serving me well enough. It rarely storms; if anything, I remember now one night where the wind was strong but there was little storm. Most of the time when it rains, it's a steady fall of rain, probably enough to get you soaked in five minutes if you were walking.

When it rains, you feel colder. You suddenly are wet and cold, and you'll have to wear a few more layers between you and the cold if you can. Otherwise, the cold eats at you. And when you don't have central heating, that's a lot that it eats at you. These past few weeks were a lot of three layers of shirts and two layers of pants, something I rarely do at home! Almost all pajamas were the same- probably because I've realized the blankets provided do not trap heat well. When Mom and Dad sent extra sheets (so I can clean mine, as it takes two days for anything to dry properly), I just piled them on and now have insulation. Yay!

Sunny days do happen, and they're great when they happen. But it's hazy, so you may not see the sun clearly. But when it does, you'll remember how great it is and how it's nice to walk without having your feet in puddles (yes, puddles of many inches), mudpits (yes), and without being so cold. Sunny days are great.

For anyone coming here, my advice would be the same as what I did- wear clothes that you can layer. Because you will be layering.

When I know what winter is like I'll let you know; it's mostly like fall weather in the Midwest right now.