I Really Miss the Spring

It's raining and it's cold, and though it's true that this kind of weather could absolutely be representative of a typical spring day in Massachusetts, I still miss the spring. Or maybe it's the idea of it. But definitely, there's a clear distinction in the weather patterns in April than in February and March. On the other hand, with only minor changes, every day here in Ecuador is pretty much the same.

Sometimes it rains a bit more than the day before, but otherwise you go through the four seasons in one day, and May can become November in a matter of minutes. This makes it hard to get by without constantly having a sort of cold, and you are invariably always inappropriately dressed. On the hottest days I'd like to be wearing shorts, but I know that by the time I get the shorts on it will be cold again.

As much as the winter in New England sucks, it really does help you to appreciate the change in the seasons. One of the best times of year, in my opinion, is the first weekend or two of good weather in the spring. It's not incredibly hot yet, but the change is so dramatic that 65-70 degrees feels like a heat wave. Everyone is outside running, playing sports, or having barbecues. And it's not just the activity. People are actually nicer. Days when windows are rolled down and music is played loudly. The winter in New England is harsh and brutal, and as a result the people sort of curl away like that too. But once the weather is better, they open up again.

But there's nothing like that here. Every day the sun rises and sets around the same time, save for a few minutes of difference. The weather is predictable in its unpredictability. We're supposedly in the dry season, but there have been thunderstorms and consistent rainfall, inconsistently of course. It makes it hard to live, and furthermore, it just makes it hard to get into a groove. As someone from Boston, a large portion of my life revolves around the weather. Hell, I've probably written over 10 blogs about the weather alone since being here. There's a certain way to act and feel based on the season you're in, and my body is all out of whack without a clear season.

Back home, I would love watching the leaves slowly budding on the trees, the brown twigs and branches turning into thick green vegetation. Every day the weather would be a bit warmer, save of course for the occasional freak snow storm in April or the March-like conditions in June. But that's to be expected. And I'm missing that all now that I'm here, just south of the equator. It was nice to miss out on a miserable winter, but as a result I'm also missing out on the turnaround. Without the bitter there's no sweet.

I also have to accept that I'll be missing out on half of the summer as I'm used to it. Shorts and t-shirts won't be in the cards for me until August. My birthday, in July, will for the first time be celebrated with pants and a jacket. A typical day here.