That Was The First Snowfall At Schaumburg

When I reached the United States land for the very first time in July this year, I always wanted to experience the snow. Unfortunately, I was planned to leave for India in August and it seemed that my wish will be unfulfilled. In Chicago, it usually snows in mid November or early December. To my amazement, I was destined to visit the USA again in October. This time I was planning to stay in Schaumburg, Illinois until mid November only. It was a too close call for me to expect the snow during my this stint. 

The winters in Chicago are extreme and last year the temperatures had dropped tremendously. It is an irony that this place transforms into a beautiful paradise in summers and turns into a cold hell in December-January timeframe. As November began, there was a steep drop in the temperatures. And by this time the weather in Chicago was too much to bear for a person like me who had been accustomed to living in a warm, comfy climate. For the past couple of weeks I was living under a temperature that was good enough to harden water. As a matter of fact, the water in the lake outside my hotel had stopped waving. But it was yet to solidify and it would take lesser than 10 degree Celsius for it to turn into ice completely. I knew this won't be so soon. Every day the weather was different. In fact it was such an amazing thing to experience a bright sunny day in the afternoon when you knew it was completely cloudy and cold in the morning. I had started to believe why Americans are so keen to know about weather forecasts. A bad weather could affect your day and plans for the week. I had too started following the weather predictions very closely and it really made me happy to know that the weekends are clear and sunny. I never longed for a sunny day so much ever while in India. Ironically, my reactions to a bright sunny day in India are just the opposite.

Experiencing the first snowfall in Chicago

Well, I knew that I was returning back to India the next week and a sunny day was no more a matter of my interest here in Chicago. It was my last day in Chicago and I was all set to travel back the following night. I had gone through the weekly predictions and knew that it was just going to be another cold day. While I was engaged into a discussion with my co-workers, something dragged my attention. 

"It is too dusty today", I said.

My co-workers pondered at the statement I just made. They stared at me for a moment as if waiting for an explanation. And soon the moment of silence broke into a laughter as they clarified that it was snow.