It's in My Bones

I can feel it. Whenever I leave my house, it is there. Whenever I stray too far from the comforts of my desk and bed, it is there. It’s a sinking cold that seems to just crawl into the deepest warmth you have. Chengdu is nestled in mountains, and though I may have mentioned it before, one of the things it is known for is its lack of sunlight. Chengdu tends to have overcast skies throughout winter, as is the city that gets the least amount of sunlight per year. Its not that the sun is not there, but it is obstructed by the giant diffuser in the form of overcast skies. To give you an idea of how little direct light makes it to the surface here: I’ve come to notice that my students consider it sunny if they cast any type of shadow.

Being from Los Angeles, at first it was a little depressing. For the most part, though, I’ve learned to deal with it. The only thing that I have trouble getting past, though, is the lack of warmth that comes from the sun. Like I previously stated, its USUALLY not cold enough for me to feel like I’m going to freeze to death in an instance, but its more of a slow cold. It’s the type of cold that sneaks up on you, and the next thing you know, you are getting sleepy and tired as your system shuts down into a sleep you will never awaken from. Okay, so I’m being melodramatic, but it really is a cold that you don’t exactly notice at first.

Most of the time, when I go somewhere that I consider cold, I walk around for a bit, and not too much later, I’m used to the temperature difference. Here, it is the opposite: I walk outside and think to myself ‘Oh, its not too cold today. I can go out without the heavy jacket!’ But as I walk around, it slowly sinks into me. I don’t notice it for a while, usually, but then, I suddenly will realize how cold I feel. And by then, its not the kind of cold that throwing on an extra layer can get rid of. No, its the cold that can only be taken away by sitting in front of a heater for a nice long while, or taking a long hot shower, or even just curling up under some blankets and watching T.V. for a bit.

Anyway, keep that in mind when traveling to China in the winter. Oh, and here is some advice that applies to both Photoshop and cold: Layers are your best friends.

Disclaimer: No layers were involved in the making of this image.