It’s 8:30 am when I finally get out the door and the wind chill hits me in the face…yep, that woke me up. I take four steps on the fresh white powdered ground when I realize I forgot to start my car, great. I turn the key and the engine bitterly starts up. It’s now time to brush off the fresh white snow and scrape off the frost that has crystallized around my windows. As I start to brush and scrape a group of kids walking to school pass by and wave to me good morning which brought a slight smile to my face as I continue to clean off the buried car. I check my watch and realize the time, I am gonna be late!

It 8:40 am by the time I pull out of the driveway, there’s no way I can make it to the first period in five minutes. I drive through the snowed streets absent-mindedly listening to the radio, they’re recounting the scores in last night’s hockey games. The over-excited radio host moves on to the weather forecast for the next week, which consists of enough snow to make me want to book a plane ticket to a tropical destination. It’s 8:46 am by the time I park in the back of the packed student parking lot and make it into the door. O Canada is playing so I stand in the hallway respectfully waiting for it to end and I start to think back on my disastrous, snowy morning and remember that this is what it’s like to be Canadian. Waking up to -25 degree weather, snow-covered cars, and frozen fingers. But even in the cold neighbours still wave good morning with a smile, teachers and friends are still happy to see you and morning show hosts still give you your morning updates with a high level of enthusiasm. Thinking back to all this I remember that despite the cold I would not want to live anywhere else. Canada and the cold are my home.