Bracing Yourself for Cold Weather

Be prepared for the winter season! Below are some of our tips:

1. Dress the part. Make sure you have the necessary ensemble:


Hat/Cap – the more it covers your ears the better
Scarf - long enough to wrap around your neck twice. Check out ways to use your scarf in the following pages.
Winter coat
Thermal Underwear – at least for the legs. The inconvenience of thermal underwear for your top is that it’s difficult to remove.
Sweaters - Buy sweaters that are easy to remove. Sometimes, you can end up in a classroom where the heat is on full-blast and you'll end up sweating heavily under all those layers.
Gloves – preferably lined with cashmere, polartec or thinsulate, will keep your hands warm better
Thick socks
Snow shoes - get the one with spikes if you expect to be walking through ice. Best to ask locals how cold winters can get in your adoptive cities. If you live in cities where the ice melts quickly, regular rubber soled shoes should be fine.


2. Moisturize. Old man winter affects both men and women. Make sure you have a heavy moisturizing lotion in your bathroom. You may also want to carry a small bottle in your knapsack along with some lip balm. For severely dry skin, try using the balm used for mountain climbing. It's available where hiking equipment is sold.

3. Drink lots of water.

4. Buy/ borrow a humidifier. It is a simple machine that converts water to mist to put mist in the air. This keeps the skin from drying and itching as a result of dry air from heaters. (If you can’t afford a humidifier, you can also put a damp towel near the heater.)

5. Even if the temperature is low, walk around, build a snow man, go ice-skating. Exposing yourself to the sunlight keeps one from getting "SAD." Seasonal Affective Disorder is a kind of depression that occurs seasonally usually during the winter months. We’re not kidding. So, go out. Seek counseling if you feel depressed for an unusual period of time.