# An Egyptian immigrant to Canada tells of her first encounter with snow
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 30, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015 "2023-01-30T03:31:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/1 "2023-01-30T03:31:26Z")
Just a nice story I thought I would share:
> **[‘A real-life snow globe’](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/adv/article-a-real-life-snow-globe/?utm_source=dfp&utm_medium=CPC_display&utm_campaign=firstwinters_reboot&utm_content=snowglobe)**
>
> One family’s first night in the snowy streets of Toronto
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### Author:  [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/2 "2023-01-30T03:48:41Z")
Thank you - just lovely.
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### Author:  [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/3 "2023-01-30T15:32:05Z")
I love her observation about not being able to make snowballs from dry snow-
“this was like sand, but cold. Sand was something I was used to”.
I’ve lived in deep snow country, and I’ve lived in the desert–but it never occurred to me that there is a similarity between snow and sand.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/4 "2023-01-30T15:47:11Z")
A college friend who hailed from Hawaii was very excited experiencing his first snowfall in the wilds of Iowa, dancing outdoors and catching flakes.
It was understandable, but we still thought he was nuts.
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### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/5 "2023-01-30T16:00:57Z")
My ex SIL moved to Utah with her daughter a couple years ago. She was 68 years old. A few months later she posted pictures of seeing snow fall for the first time. She was born and lived in the Los Angeles area till the she moved and had never seen snow fall before. A few months ago she said she is tired of the snow and cold and is thinking about moving back to LA.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/6 "2023-01-30T16:04:09Z")
Last winter we brought a stray pup home with us from St Martin. He’d never experienced snow, or temperatures below 72 degrees. He freaked out over 15 degree temperatures, needing a coat to go out to pee and shivering nonstop. Then snow! He was even more freaked out.
This winter he loves snow and doesn’t want his coat. He romps in the snow, chases our other two dogs, begs to go back out after we bring everyone in.
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### Author:  [@Yosh99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yosh99)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/7 "2023-01-30T16:16:51Z")
Several years ago, coworker moved to Minnesota from South America and had never experienced a cold winter. He was telling me that he felt prepared after investing in winter tires, down coats, shovels, etc, but that he had one big fear. “What’s that?”, I asked. “Flash freeze. I’m worried about my kids flash freezing while waiting for the school bus.”
Apparently others in his department had told him that without protection it’s possible to suddenly freeze solid on very cold windy mornings and he believed them.
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/8 "2023-01-30T16:20:57Z")
We got a puppy in mid-2021. The first time he saw snow, it was great. He was absolutely enthralled. When he got outside to experience it first hand, well, “frolicking” is the best word to describe what he was doing. Still frolics in the snow to this day.
Here’s his first time seeing snow on the ground. He kept turning around to us, eyes were huge, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
[ ](https://i.postimg.cc/mZ9tTFHv/IMG-20220106-105540443-HDR-1.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/9 "2023-01-30T16:42:39Z")
Describes her first experience w/ snow in 09. I wonder if she finds it as magical today, when she has to wake up in the dark, clear the car off, hope it starts… 😉
Here in Chicago I feel VASTLY different abut the first snow in November, and a snow in late Feb- March.
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### Author:  [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/10 "2023-01-30T17:37:35Z")
I’m a Florida native, and have reluctantly returned. But for 4 years I lived in Colorado.
I loved snow! I miss snow! It’s so beautiful. I especially love the perfect loaves of snow that would be top of my car after an evenings snowfall.
And driving, at night, in a snowstorm? That’s some alien world shit. Utterly terrifying. It reminded me of going through hyperspace.
It was freakin’ awesome!
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/11 "2023-01-30T19:40:33Z")
Snow is wonderful…so long as it stays in the mountains and northern states where it belongs. Ice belongs in my drink, not on my driveway. 7 years in Alaska gave me a strong loathing for winter and most everything associated with it.
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### Author:  [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/12 "2023-01-30T23:00:12Z")
Thanks for sharing that lovely story, @Northern_Piper .
I was working a temp job for the SuperBowl one year here in MSP and had a boss from L.A. who had never experienced snow. She stayed up taking pictures and calling her SoCal friends and family to tell them about this amazing experience of snow. I really enjoyed her stories the next morning. However, she had a very tough time working through the day after being up all night.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/13 "2023-01-30T23:38:00Z")
> [@chappachula](#):
>
> I’ve lived in deep snow country, and I’ve lived in the desert–but it never occurred to me that there is a similarity between snow and sand.
I live on a beach on the great lakes where we deal with drifting sand and drifting snow. And sometimes the sand drifts atop the snow, and vice versa.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/14 "2023-02-01T01:48:54Z")
> [@racer72](#):
>
> She was 68 years old. A few months later she posted pictures of seeing snow fall for the first time. She was born and lived in the Los Angeles area till the she moved and had never seen snow fall before.
It snowed in Los Angeles in 1988.
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### Author:  [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2023, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/15 "2023-02-01T02:08:03Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> It snowed in Los Angeles in 1988.
Which part? Palmdale? It’s not unusual there. I’ve never seen snow fall in SoCal in my lifetime. We’d get very small hail occasionally. Once in high school, it hailed, and all us kids ran outside to experience it. Reminded me of that Ray Bradbury story.
I did see an old photo of snowfall in 1921 on La Brea Blvd by Charlie Chaplin’s old studios (now, Jim Henson Productions). It was cool to see.
On edit: I googled, and “snow in Los Angeles in 1988” only brought up mention of snow on the Grapevine and in the Santa Susana Pass. Snows at elevation, even relatively low ones, are not unusual, but not like “real” snow at sea level.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2023, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/16 "2023-02-01T04:09:42Z")
> [@carrps](#):
>
> Which part? Palmdale? It’s not unusual there. I’ve never seen snow fall in SoCal in my lifetime.
I lived in the San Fernando Valley and it snowed there.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2023, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/17 "2023-02-01T04:17:32Z")
> [@Moriarty](#):
>
> And driving, at night, in a snowstorm? That’s some alien world shit. Utterly terrifying. It reminded me of going through hyperspace.
[ ](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d5/ac/4f/d5ac4f21b89ca4f1b13fa9876ff41d8e.jpg)
> [@carrps](#):
>
> Which part? Palmdale? It’s not unusual there.
I went to high school in Lancaster. Had a good snowfall in '79, I think. I liked snow in the desert.
Up here in almost-Canada, snow is a PITA. (We got a little snow today, BTW.)
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### Author:  [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2023, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/18 "2023-02-01T04:27:04Z")
Driving at night in a snowstorm is unworldly.
I get colleagues from the equator visiting. I take ‘em snow tubing nearby just for a freakin’ amazing experience. 🤣
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2023, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/19 "2023-02-01T05:36:00Z")
I didn’t see snow until age 17, when I went to college in Virginia. Great stuff.
But quite disappointing to see how quickly it became dirty and slushy the next day.
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### Author:  [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-egyptian-immigrant-to-canada-tells-of-her-first-encounter-with-snow/979015/20 "2023-02-01T17:32:51Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#):
>
> It snowed in Los Angeles in 1988.
She lived most of her life in the Chino area, she said it never snowed there.
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