
It’s been very cold since we arrived last Sunday—yes, even for Canada. For the past few days, temperatures have been hovering around -25°C, -40°C with the windchill.
Fucking cold, eh.
If you’ve never experienced this kind of weather, let me explains how it feels. First, you step out. You take a deep breath and think “that’s not so bad.” Then, within sixty seconds, you lose whatever body heat you had stored. Your hands are burning, your joints get stiff, any exposed skin feels painful, your nostrils stick together every breath you take.
It’s unbearable.
I went out wearing a pair of socks, leggings and a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, a sweater, my jacket, a hat, my hood, a scarf covering my face and gloves and I still couldn’t last more than ten minutes in the cold.
There isn’t much to do when it’s that cold. Frankly, you just don’t want to go out. Even driving isn’t fun because you have to warm up the car, roads aren’t great and you freeze to death walking from the parking lot to whatever place you’re going to.
Repairing the damages this kind of weather does to your body is a necessity. My hands are dry and the skin is chapped and cracked. I spend my time putting hand cream and Vaseline at night. I put on moisturizing cream all over my body after my shower, and I switched to a richer face cream. I never go out without my stick of Burt’s Bee lip balm. And that’s the bare minimum. Honestly, I think the Canadian government should give all citizens a “surviving winter” allowance for beauty products.
Fun fact#1: The Rideau Canal is open for skating but I only spotted one brave soul on the ice. No kidding.
Fun fact#2: We are expecting a lot of snow this Sunday.
O Canada. I love you, but warm up. Seriously.

I just got goosebumps just reading about it… cover yourself up! brrrr!
I’m way past the goosebumps stage 😆
Hopefully it won’t last too long!
*Crossing fingers*
Gah – I hate it. Your eyes water and then freeze, the snot in your sinus freezes and gives you a brain freeze. So terrible!! I am not looking forwards to it, but at least it won’t be as bad in Ontario than you!
Yes! And then you have to blow your nose each time you step in and if feels gross!
Whoa !!! I saw the storm warning on the news. Sucks 🙁
Yep 🙁
I can only guess how cold it must be. The lowest temperature I’ve been in is -1 Celsius!
Lucky you… 1C would be spring for me now 😆
J’ai bien fait de partir il y a presque 13 ans! 😀 Bon courage Zhu! 🙂
Merci!
This will make you laugh: when I was still living in Ottawa my hands were so dry during the winter that I used to put globs of Vaseline on my hands before going to bed. Then I would put finger gloves on (being careful to not disturb the Vaseline) and sleep like that. Nothing else worked as well as those gloves did!
OMG, this is exactly what I have been doing for a week! Indeed, my hands feels much better, although my sheets smell of Vaseline 😆
Sorry for being off-topic, but I totally like that picture, it’s cute 🙂 (and I’m not talking about the one with the weather map).
Thank you! I didn’t feel so sexy though 😆
We talk about global warming, yet it is so cold in Norther America at this time. That’s weird.
I’m praying for global warming these days! 😆
Global warming is what you notice when you take into account the temperature everywhere on the planet, and it’s pretty bad.
It was just a bad joke 😉
Welcome to Canada! This depicts the Canadian temperature indeed.
Yep 🙁 This winter is long and cold!
where should I start with Canada.
I have left canada some 12 years ago, and apart from an expired canadian passport have nothing to do with that frozen land. and I am happy with my choice, this winter being a very good reminder.
south is warmer and definitely much better. although I mention that I am canadian when visiting canada on a us passport I get hassled as to where is my canadian passport. Always remind them that I dont need to have a canadian passport to enter, as I am canadian citizen, and since i live in the states and have no whatsoever intention to go to live in the Arctics(rephrase that … Canada) my us passport should be sufficient for the rest of the world.
horrible weather is the least of your problem. care insurance 5 fold of what I pay in a year, terrible sale taxes which bump the prices 3-4 times compared to the states, gasoline prices much more expensive.
Caped earnings in canada due to the fact that that economy cant support big salaries like here in the states where in financial securities salaries over 100K are common.
It kills me the real estate market in toronto where prices for the frozen land have skyrocketed. what kind of people claim property in the arctic , at prices that one can see only in NYC?!
Miss sorry but you are in the wrong place. enjoy the winter (and the hot summer).
thank you for the nice screenshot of the temps in canada. it is making the round of the internet as we actually speak 🙂
So, you are living in the US now? As much as I like this country as a traveler, I wouldn’t see myself living there and becoming American for many reasons. Yes, the weather is… brutal in Canada. But it’s the same in some parts of the US as well, and I don’t mean just Alaska! 😆 Overall, I think I fit the Canadian society better 🙂
Now that is too darn COLD! Gotta love livin’ in California 😉
Great post – just followed you on Twitter so hope to see you there sometime!
Nice to meet you!
trust me, I would about escaping somewhere warmer many times last winter 🙂
Oh my!
I’m shivering in Delhi at 6°C and I’m scared (literally) to even think about a -40°C.
This was last winter, it was unusually cold then, even for Canada. These last few days have been warm actually, same temperature as in Delhi, about 5C during the day as well! I had no idea it could get so cold in India actually. Note that we have great heating systems everywhere, so you will never be cold indoors.
Well in Delhi it can drop down to 1C once or twice during the winter, a couple of years ago it had dipped down to 0C as well; else winters pass by between 8 – 12 C as the minimum of the day; however if you climb up north of India you will find some below 0C places as well (some of these preferred a lot by backpackers)
I had no idea!
I came across your blog recently while searching on how to survive Canadian winters! Its really informative and at the same time a bit scary for a person like me who is from tropical climate zone and soon to be living in Canada!!…I hope to survive Saskatoon winters which I found out are really extreme..anyway I liked your blog! looking forward to many more interesting articles 🙂
Well, the good side is, Canadian winters are unique and fascinating at first because it’s so new! But yes, sometime it’s hard. Welcome to Canada… where are you settling?