The Night of the Storm

My first storm in Rhode Island was quite impressive. I felt surprised. lt was my first storm and I didn't know what to expect. I felt doubt but with expectation. I thought of the possibilities, but without experience of my own. I was scared, surprised, doubtful, anticipating with imagination, and maybe anxiety. Then, like so many people before it all happened, I went to the supermarket to buy groceries and provisions. My husband had to travel the next day after the storm, so I also needed to buy all the necessities for the weekend because I can’t get around easily when he’s away. When he travels, my best friends are Uber, the bus and the train. But with a storm coming everything gets really complicated.

When I got to the supermarket there was only a little bit of everything left. Fortunately, my nutrition is based on eating fresh foods that I cook for myself so a positive factor was that fresh foods and perishables, such as vegetables, were affordable, because basically nobody would buy for a few days ahead when they spoil quickly. But it was also a factor playing against me because, I thought, if this were a real emergency and the electricity went out or anything else happened, my food would spoil fast and I wouldn’t be able to cook. That sounds like it would be less than intelligent to be fit jajajaja!

But that's ok. To continue my story, After going to the market, we made hot chocolate during the storm and watched a marathon of series and films. When I saw the snow start falling, I said in my mind, it is impossible that this snow will get to the level they’re predicting. It was very fluffy, beautiful and with flakes so small I didn't believe they would add up to so many feet. that i didn't believe it. But after i listened to the wind blowing it really scared me more. From the window of my apartment I could see everything being covered. At night the wind was stronger and everything was in darkness. It was certainly a little terrifying.

Soon the snow came halfway up my window. I live on the first floor, so I thought: Woow! This is a really big snow storm! I worried for the homeless and people who don’t have cars, because the last storm was smaller and people needed more time to clean the sidewalks in front of their houses to be able to walk on the sidewalk. It is really dangerous to get around without a car, even in an emergency. For those who have the privilege of owning a car or getting around by Uber, this is not a big problem. Also, Uber can't get to you. But there are other people who need to walk until the buses or trains can move. That changes the situation because walking halfway in the street with black ice only causes more accidents no one would be responsible for.

Finally, we went to sleep after a couple of TV shows and woke up the next morning.". Omg! Our door wouldn’t open. The snow came up a little bit more than halfway up the door. Open a little bit and record all. It was amazing.

My father-in-law came to help clean the door and my husband cleaned the rest and helped us a little.

I recognize that although it was a little complex to clear the snow and I could see in the news the mayor of Providence and governor of Rhode Island had a strategy for clearing the snow as soon as possible. But when they announced an emergency alert, I really got scared. I imagined an emergency alert in Latin America, maybe because all the emergency alerts that I have seen in Mexico were natural disasters of a big scale. I think I felt calmer in the blizzard, but also that people left everything in the hands of the government and activated less community help. Because I saw people worried about going back to work and in Mexico the people would have and organized immediately. Maybe comfort makes us less empathetic.

Also there’s a funny part; more people took advantage of making activities with snow: snowmen, warriors of snow and sliding or skiing.

The truth is the weather helped a lot because the days after were sunny and that helped the snow melt more quickly. And obviously, the comprehensive effort of the city workers to clean frequently used routes also helped.

Overall, I loved the arrival of snowfall with winter in New England. It is a privilege to live in a place where you really see each season of the year.

When I was a young girl and I called my dad who lives in Ohio, and he told me it was snowing, I was very excited. I dreamed of a day I could experience it. Also, near my home in the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl, there is snow and I can visit, but really it's not comparable. I never planned to live in a place where the snowfall is a consideration when it’s time to buy clothes, a car and choose a house. But I actually like that it’s part of my life. For soon, and give us sunny days and good winds.

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Angie Nuñez - Mexico