I had always said that I prefer Winter rather than Summer hands down. It has always felt great to curl up on the sofa with a hot mug and a great book, to be able to just snuggle further into the cocoon of warmth and listen to the rain fall gently against the window.

But that all changed when I went to China for Winter. I actually experienced what a REAL Winter is supposed to feel like, with ice and snow and below zero temperatures. I experienced my fingers and toes freeze to numbness for the first time, my cheeks and ears burn from the slightest movement, the constant thought of “I hope my contacts don’t freeze on my eye”, and I even had the cautious steps of someone who had slipped on ice-coated foot paths one too many times.

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