Solstice

One of the strangest parts of living in the Southern Hemisphere as a native Northern Hemisphere-liver, is that when most of our friends and family are entering the full swing of summer, we are entering the full swing of winter.  I still call June through August summer (verão) and receive strange looks from the locals.

Speaking of locals, one of the most interesting things happened last week.  On two separate occasions, people told me that winter was starting the end of the week.  I kind of laughed to myself since I have never experienced a winter that started on queue in my whole life.  The first day of winter only marked the shortest day of the year and not the true start of winter.  How silly did I feel when the winter solstice came around and winter did arrive?  In one day, the temperature dropped 25 degrees and it was cloudy and drizzly.  Up until that day, we had had rainy days and cool weather but nothing as cold or as winter-like as after winter “started”.  It was sunny today but still cold.  Winter has arrived!