Cold a Shock to Recent Immigrants

[karrie]

Had Ali Mohammud known he'd be living in a deep freeze during winter, he wouldn't have moved to Edmonton.
"It's very cold and chilly, I just want to go home," said the 23-year-old, who moved to Edmonton from Mogadishu, Somalia, three months ago.
"I wished that I came in the summertime," said the man, who was hanging out yesterday at his uncle's business, the African Safari Restaurant on the corner of 106 Avenue and 105 Street.
Yesterday was particularly miserable for him, with the mercury dipping to -34 C plus a wind chill of -42 C.
"I'm just crying inside," said Mohammud.

Full article...


Please, no one tell this guy he moved here in a warm year. This used to be the temperature when things started warming up for goodness sake!

 

[DurkaDurka]

Some people are just stupid, wouldn't it make sense to research the city/province/country where you plan to move to?

With that said, I would prefer Edmonton's cold to Mogadishu's anarchy any day.

 

[jenn]

lol. too funny considering we have had such a mild winter this year.....

 

[boiler]

But Hey we've got global warming so within about twenty years it will be hot enough, with anarchy to follow.

 

[karrie]

Some people are just stupid, wouldn't it make sense to research the city/province/country where you plan to move to?

With that said, I would prefer Edmonton's cold to Mogadishu's anarchy any day.

How do you fathom what that number means though, when they tell you it gets as low as -50. When you've spent your whole life in Mogadishu, how would you even begin to comprehend -30 with a windchill?

 

[DurkaDurka]

How do you fathom what that number means though, when they tell you it gets as low as -50. When you've spent your whole life in Mogadishu, how would you even begin to comprehend -30 with a windchill?

Karrie, I can fathom how hot +40 is with high humidity, he should be able to figure out that -40= ficking cold.

 

[Lester]

"I'm just crying inside," said Mohammud.
Suck it up like the rest of us.

 

[jenn]

and lets add... when you have never experienced nose hairs freezing it is quite an experience the first time..

 

[Tonington]

How do you fathom what that number means though, when they tell you it gets as low as -50. When you've spent your whole life in Mogadishu, how would you even begin to comprehend -30 with a windchill?

If it's cold enough to freeze water, that should be the first clue. If it's many degrees below that, I'm sure he can extrapolate the difference between day time and night time temperatures in warm Africa to get a sense of the scale we deal with.

But even knowing that, I doubt he could know how bad it is. The hottest I've experienced is 37 C. I can imagine 50 is pretty damn hot, but likely still wouldn't comprehend how bad it really is until my body starts to shut down.

 

[karrie]

When people who've lived here all their lives scurry around, freezing and complaining, I'm definitely not about to tell some immigrant who's never dealt with the cold to suck it up. lol.

This morning my nose hairs were freezing like jenn describes. I had to wait with the kids at the bus stop, then walk to the garage to get extension cords (incase I need to plug my van in later), and by the time I got back in I could barely see because my eyes were so damn cold. That's just nasty! I don't care how often it happens... I'M not prepared for being so cold that my eyeballs freeze, let alone expecting someone from a hot country to be!

 

[Lester]

My Mustache accumulates snot sickles, when i'm outside for any extended periods- My sister and I were talking and it seemed to us thattwenty years ago, all winters were like this one. yes Karrie your right about chastizing recent arrivals-but it's the price we pay for living here - dream of summer- hot days and cool beers. 150 days to go!!!

 

[Nuggler]

Be careful not to let the plane door hit you on the ass on your way home.

 

[Praxius]

My girlfriend just move here to NS a week and a day ago from Australia. They're right in the middle of their summer of course, where the central part of the country can reach surface temps of 70 C. I'm sure we'd complain about their heat as much as they would complain about our cold. I tried to explain how the cold affects you mentally and physically, but I guess it's one of those things you can't really explain and have to experience first.

But for this guy to bitch and moan that he wants to go back home because it's too cold?

Seriously? Where the hell did he think he was moving to?

Russia is worse then us, perhaps he should move there for a year, and then Canada wouldn't seem so bad.

Canada = North

North = Colder Climate

Colder Climate = Frickin Cold as Lickin Ice Snots from a Huski's Snout.

Did he think we wore 3 layers of clothes just for our health?

Oh wait, we do.

 

[Unforgiven]

Put a sweater on and shovel the walk newbie.

 

[Lester]

He needs to go for a polar bear swim to put things in perspective.

 

[Kreskin]

I almost had to put a jacket on yesterday. Actually we got about 5 inches of snow over night.

 

[Kreskin]

When people who've lived here all their lives scurry around, freezing and complaining, I'm definitely not about to tell some immigrant who's never dealt with the cold to suck it up. lol.

This morning my nose hairs were freezing like jenn describes. I had to wait with the kids at the bus stop, then walk to the garage to get extension cords (incase I need to plug my van in later), and by the time I got back in I could barely see because my eyes were so damn cold. That's just nasty! I don't care how often it happens... I'M not prepared for being so cold that my eyeballs freeze, let alone expecting someone from a hot country to be!

That sounds nasty. I can't even imagine that let alone a Somalian.

 

[amagqira]

Jeez guys, lighten up.

Coming from africa myself, it would be so bad if you didn't use terms such as "its nice outside = 0 C" or "its invigorating = -10 C" or "it's a little chilly = -20" or "it is a little cold outside = -30 C". And then launch into the story about the winter of "insert year" when you had 4 weeks of -50 degrees C.

Lets face it, you enjoy tormenting newcomers, especially when they come from a hot climate LOL.

 

[karrie]

lol. Well amagqira, I think that may be part of it.

 

[EastSideScotian]

HA...thats gold...."I wish I came in the summer".....He acts like the summer will never be seen again...he is already in a great Canadian Mindset....Dont worry my Somli friend summmer will come, and then you will be prepared for a huge drop kick in the nuts from winter next year.