How to Survive a Chicago Winter (Lessons Learned from a Californian)
It’s been a little over a year since I moved from California, where I’ve lived my entire life up until now, to the Chicago area. I was pretty apprehensive about the infamous Chicago winters, especially since my mother’s side of the family originally immigrated from Vietnam to Chicago. I’ve probably heard about every complaint about winter struggles from them. The winter last year was on the milder side apparently, but it still would get cold enough that stepping outside would make my face literally hurt.
There were a lot of firsts that made me feel like a true adult, including: shoveling snow, scraping ice off my windshield, and seeing a real-life snowflake up-close. Don’t get me wrong, it can be quite the culture shock for those who move here from warm weather climates. My windshield wiper fluid pipes froze, I discovered that I’m allergic to the cold, and my already dry eyes became even drier. Through all of that though, I started to appreciate being able to experience all four seasons, and the beauty of freshly fallen snow. Here are some tips that I learned the hard way from surviving my first Chicago winter, so you don’t have to.
