The Shared Experience of Snow

Snow and I go way back.

Today’s first snowfall of the year marks the 23rd year since my first snowfall back in 1991.

This picture was taken shortly after arriving in Canada.

Like so many other Canadians, I was born in a different country, with very different weather patterns. My family came from lands that were climatically blessed, but sadly, suffered many socio-economic and political problems that prevented us from thriving. As such, we took an opportunity to migrate to Canada, where we vested our hopes, and our potential as members of a new community.

Our first winter in Canada was an experience that really cemented our realization that we were in a whole new world. The Canadian winter was an experience that in it’s own way, helped us feel integrated. It was, in our minds, our first true Canadian experience. We knew that by surviving it, we would be unofficially initiated. On some level, the winter froze the lake of difference between us and other seasoned Canadians, and let us skate across it. I guess that’s a corny way of saying that it created a relatable experience we could share with other Canadians, which in turn, helped us feel more “Canadian”.

This was not necessarily our first encounter with snow, but it's the earliest documentation of it. — This was not necessarily our first encounter with snow, but it’s the earliest documentation of it.

That first winter, my brothers and I played in the snow, as if we would never see it again. The cold was not an impediment and neither was our socio-economic status. Playing with other children in the snow was again another universal experience that transcended all sorts of invisible barriers.

This little anecdote is an important piece of my family’s newcomer narrative. It is probably the story that many generations after us will add to, and possibly alter.

Many more newcomer narratives bear resemblance to my family’s, and many are different. There really is no true universal experience, or straightforward path, however, the legendary Canadian winter is one experience that I believe most newcomer families anticipate with both joy and a little bit of fear.

This is my Sister-in-Law, M.H., shortly after moving to Canada, also one of the earliest documentations of her first experience with snow.

Even though I dread the cold and all the work that comes with winter readiness, a small part of me remembers the beautiful moments I’ve had in the snow, and I wish I could re-experience the snow for the first time, with that same sense of wonder and awe.