This is what the cold is like.

You step off the plane. You've been used to temperatures in the mid 20s to early 30s (Celsius) and the cabin of the plane you were just in was really hot. You step off the plane and its maybe -20 degrees. That's a conservative estimate. The wind probably makes it waaaaay less. But let's not worry about this now, because so far all you're doing is walking across from the plane to the terminal.

Your body hasn't really realised it's cold yet, but you feel something strange going on in your nose. That's your snot freezing. Crystallising. Next you exhale and notice that it looks as though you were blowing cigar smoke. You start to realise that it must be really cold. Around you other people are laughing. The cold makes people amused. You smile too.

You get your shit together at the airport and then you step outside. Again, it's okay at first because you're pretty rugged up. But pretty soon you're extremities start to get that tingly, freezy feeling. You wish you had thicker gloves. You wish you had something to cover your face. In a shop window you notice your reflection. Your face is flushed. You look pretty terrible, which is unfortunate because you just got yourself looking the way you like before you came outside. It was the first time in weeks you considered your appearance acceptable. Oh well.

Even though you have a beanie on your head, your ears hurt. You are fairly certain you already have a cold, even though you were perfectly healthy an hour ago. You aren't wearing jeans today, opting instead for thinner, more comfortable pants for the plane ride. You start to regret this decision. It's not that your legs feel cold. Let's face it, when do your legs ever feel cold? But pretty soon they start to ache. Your bones hurt, but you don't understand the sensation.

After a train ride, you have to walk a few blocks to the hostel. For some reason, the cold is making you grin like an idiot. In the train station, there's a black guy walking towards the next train. He whoops suddenly, rubbing his hands together in the cold. You smile again. As you walk up the ramp to the exit, another black guy is coming in the other direction and he isn't wearing any gloves. "Oooooohh! Woooooo! Daaaaaaaamn!" he is exclaiming loudly. You smile again, and join in.

There's something so fun about the freezing cold.