Could I possibly be cold?

I am cold.  I realize how absurd that sounds.  I'm also aware of how much grief I will get from friends and family in the States, especially those in the Midwest, for saying so.  Jeff and I consider ourselves very lucky to have escaped what has turned out to be a horrendous winter.

Being cold is one of the last things I expected here.  When we packed to come to Hong Kong, I checked the weather conditions regularly.  I kept getting the same answer:  High temperatures around 60-70 degrees (fahrenheit), lows in 50s and partly cloudy to sunny.  Sounded like a day in southern California to me.  Hong Kong sits in the northern hemisphere and is considered a humid, subtropical climate.  It's about 1,500 miles north of the equator; by contrast, Minneapolis is more than twice as far north of the equator (over 3,100 miles).  Given the weather reports and the geography, Jeff and I gladly left our jackets, sweaters and gloves at home.  In fact, we were somewhat intimidated by the prospect of the hot summers and typhoon season. In retrospect, we may have packed a little too light.  We have since learned that the coldest temperature ever recorded in Hong Kong is 32 degrees.

During our first couple of weeks here, the weather did not disappoint us.  We had beautiful sunny days, perfect for walking around and exploring the city.  Even the notorious air pollution was not very evident.  But then the clouds rolled in, just as the Chinese New Year weekend wrapped up.  On an elevator one day, I glanced up at the video display, only to see a "Cold Weather Warning," at which I laughed, because it was 55 degrees.  The hearty Minnesotan in me wondered how that could possibly rate a "warning."   Looking around, it appears the local population takes those warnings seriously.  Heavy coats, scarves, down jackets and boots started appearing on the sidewalks.  We attributed the apparel to fashion, rather than function.  But then then one morning we got up and it was so grey and misty, the beautiful view from our apartment was obscured.  In addition, we realized that our building has no heating system.  Fortunately, our building manager loaned us a space heater.  Apparently, the use of space heaters is pretty common.

While it's colder than usual right now, the grey, overcast skies are normal for February.  We have been told to expect it to warm up quickly beginning in April.  Until then, we'll be scouring the post-holiday sales for something warm to wear.