Seasons

Seasons in Poland have always been quite monotoned: In the summer it was warm, but never hot. Fall was practically nonexistant (It would last about a week. Suddenly all the leaves would be gone from the tree, no one had any idea where they went, and the weather began to bite). Winter rolled around which was always dark and cold. But oddly there was not that much snowfall despite what the name Poland would lead you to believe. Oh, sure, we got snow, but often times it would melt as it hit the ground, resulting in a very, very wet, muddy winter. Then spring came about a 100 years later, and it too would last for about a week. Suddenly it was warmer again, and there was a reason to live.

But even in summer there was rain. In fact I think I went two years straight without seeing a full week of sunshine. And I think I didn't have a white Christmas for four of the six Christmases I spent there. And even then the snow had become mud by midmorning.

But in America, wow, they really mix it up. Summer is hot and sweltering. In Autumn the leaves fall off trees and actually stay on the ground rather than fading from existance the moment they fall from the tree. Winter is cold, and very, very white. And spring is full of tulips and dandelions and rain. American seasons are exactly the way the pictures on calenders describe them to be! Each season has its own unique identity! Its rather amazing.

And throughout the year the days and night stay relatively in proportion. In Poland during winter the sun rose at 9am and set at 3pm. For six months out of the year the sun became a stranger because I was always stuck in school when it was up. Walking to and from school in the dark got very tiresome.

Whereas summer the sun rose at 5am and set at 9pm. I liked that pattern. If I couldn't remember what season it was because the weather of one barely differentiated from the next I could always count the hours of sun light to tell me what time of year it was ^_^