A Taigu Winter Wonderland (Pictures)

OR HAVING NOT SEEN IT IN TWO YEARS, SNOW HAS NEVER BEEN MORE FUN...OR HAZARDOUS

I love snow. In DC, every time snow was hinted at in the forecast, school was canceled. In Oberlin, it could snow anytime between November and May. Snow kept things lively. I could always count on finding an igloo on my way to class, or seeing some friends jumping off the Dascomb 2nd floor cafeteria roof onto a big snow heap. Last year in Taigu was just not the same without snow. The world was brown, coal-filled, and lacked all forms except the mildest of flurries. This year, all of the sudden, and without warning, we had a snow storm! A proper snow storm! Within 4 hours we had around 4 inches of snow! Luckily my students had invited me out to lunch. We still went, driving over unplowed roads in a rickety taxi cab. We ate a HUGE meal, complete with bai jiu (Chinese hard liquor...or as I like to call it, Chinese rubbing alcohol). I came home drunk to 4 inches of snow, and immediately decided it was snowman time. I then walked around taking pictures. The next day, some students invited me to their snowball fight, where they preceded to pick me up, drop me in a snow drift, and pile as much snow as possible on top of my uncovered head. Don't worry, I got them back. ;-)

Our campus has turned into a winter wonderland.

Everything looks prettier in the snow.

Even my rat-filled, drafty house.

On the first day of snow, I built this guy. I decorated him with unwanted Chinese candy and compost.

Rain or shine, you can count on the Chinese being out and about.

With umbrella galore.

And even biking around in a blizzard.

I was ecstatic about the snow.

Others were not so happy.

Welcome to the Third World, boys and girls. We apparently have no snow plows at Nong Da, so every last street and sidewalk was hand-shoveled (if it was shoveled). The best part is they don't salt the roads here, so every walk or bike ride outside has neck-breaking possibilities! Fun!

On the second or third day, the ice on the trees did something really cool. Way to stick to yourself, water.

Days later, Taigu is still the slippery, beautiful wonderland the blizzard bestowed upon us. Death by ice slip and all, I would still take snowy Taigu any day.