Weather Challenges

     I often and people around me complain about the hot sunny weather in tropical Leyte, Philippines, coupled with high humidity, except for the last two weeks where it has been relatively cold and damp due to the intermittent rain. I know that foreigners from countries with winter long for and love this kind of weather. When I was still working with a Norwegian paint company, I found out most of them have no air-conditioning in their houses, and they avoid car air-conditioning, instead they have heaters in their cars. It was a culture shock for me to be heaty inside the car, uncomfortable for me but the Norwegians relish it as an escape from the extreme coldness outside.

     A friend of mine in the US sent me an overnight snowing of his car in St. Louis, Missouri. It was shocking to see the thick snow deposit on his car roof. It simply shows the hard work he needs to do upon waking up to clear the snow debris and be able to use the car. This confirms there is no good thing in everything extreme wherever part of the earth you are.

Snow covered car

     

My Snow Experiemce

     I was lucky to have worked with a Norwegian global paint company, Jotun, 2001-2010. It gave me the opportunity to go to the headquarters in Sandefjord, Norway. In one of the global technical meetings, I experienced snow fall at the venue of our meeting which was in some resort near the mountains.

My first snow experience in my entire life

With the global technical team

With Peter Langeid, chemist from Norway 

     It was on the day before our last day when snow started falling. When I woke up in the morning and I look out through the window, then I saw the white feathery droplets falling down. At first, I didn't know what it was. Only when I talked to my other Asian colleagues, we realized it was snowing. We walked out letting the snow fall on us to get the experience of it.