Month: September 2018

The Snowpal Club

What else are you gonna do in the middle of a vast, empty place covered in snow, if not a congregation of snowpals?

Once you’re done fighting with snowballs, of course.

Alone or in groups of two, we gather up snow and shape it up into form with colorful accessories, a good portion of which directly acquired from the fruits and vegetable stall on the market.

One, two, three, four, five snowpals come to life, with varying degrees of success. I’m still not very good at it, but the other ones are not that much better… Except for Mom’s. She has knowledge and talent the rest of us cannot fathom.

Portraits in the Snow

That day, we make some of our best memories as a family, the kind that last forever.

We also take some of my favorite pictures.

The Snow Arena

The Spice Market becomes an arena where the seven of us compete. Snow flies from hand to face; to your arm if you’re lucky or skilled enough.

In a minute you can form an alliance with your aunt and watch as she betrays you. Siblings, twins, parent or child doesn’t mean much anymore, no one is safe, no one is to be trusted.

San Myshusnow

It’s a special day today! All stores and shops offer food and drink, for free, for all customers. It’s also the day Mom and Dad decide it’s about time we knew “our roots”.

Really, they mean their roots. With the excuse of free food day, we’re headed on a family trip to San Myshuno’s Spice District, to visit Aunt Miranda and Nolan at their loft.

And when we arrive, we’re greeted with a beautiful surprise. A San Myshuno snow in the Spice District.

Mom looks like a kid who’s just met Father Winter. I know how much she’s missed this place — I don’t think she could be happier. It her first time seeing snow in the Spice Market, too.

I’m happy to see my cousin again, the snowy landscape can wait a bit for my attention. We all spend some time laughing, chatting happily in front of their house — it’s cold but we’re enjoying the surroundings, the atmosphere. It takes some time before we finally admit to ourselves, we don’t even wanna go in.

Snow Selfies

I don’t take selfies often, but when I do, it’s because the landscape is exceptionally beautiful. And there’s a cute snowpal behind me.

Granted I’m not the best at selfies. I have exactly one smile in my repertoire.

Or maybe it’s just that my cheeks are frozen solid by my time in the pool and my dive in the snow. Time to go warm up inside.

Morning Angel

In winter the sun never goes really high up in the sky. It stays there, looming an inch over the horizon, bright but foggy, magical.

No one else is foolish enough to step foot outside by these temperatures, so it feels like I have the whole neighborhood to myself, with those big, silent monuments that are the houses around. Complete silence except for the cracks of the snow, white as far as the eyes can see. I’m all alone!

A truly beautiful day for snow angels, indeed.

A Better Snowpal

Morning has risen, and so have my siblings. While Cyril stays inside all day, wrapped in blankets near the chimney, Cléo ventures outside to admire the snow. And Mom, who apparently never gets tired, joins her to help her build a snowpal.

I’d be lying if I said I’m not sort of annoyed that their snowpal turns out miles better than Dad and mine, or Gram and mine.

In the meantime I’m inside, neither building snowman or, no matter how tempting, throwing marshmallows at my brother. I am scrolling through dozens of emails I missed during my day spent outside yesterday. Work emails. A whole chain, clearly sent to me by mistake, as they are not kind to me, or my personality. It’s the winter break for museum employees, but I can guarantee things are gonna get heated before the break is up.