THE CARROLL NEWS: International students sound off on Northeast Ohio weather

International students sound off on Northeast Ohio weather
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Colin Beisel on 20 February, 2008 04:00:00
 
Dany Gustavo Diaz Mejia - Coming from Honduras where the low is 50 degrees in
the winter, Dany Gustavo Diaz Mejia is not used to the cold temperatures of
Northeast Ohio. In Honduras, the low is typically 70 degrees in spring, fall and
summer. “The cold temperatures have been really difficult to adjust to but
after a couple months of bundling up they have become tolerable,” Diaz
Mejia said. However, there have been a few upsides to the snow. “I like
being able to have snowball fights and wrestle with friends in the snow,”
Diaz Mejia said. The weather in Cleveland has been very interesting, especially
the fall, since I had never seen leaves change color and fall off the trees.
Walking in the snow has also been a completely new experience to me,” he
said.
Miguel Munozibarrola - Miguel Munozibarrola is from Spain where the weather
varies dramatically by the region. In Pamplona, where Munozibarola lives, he
said, “The summers are warm but not very hot. In spring, it rains a lot,
and winters are cold, and we normally get some snow.” Munozibarrola
describes the weather in Northeast Ohio as “extreme.”  He said,
“I’m also not used to so much cold and snow. It also caught my
attention that the weather in this area is pretty random. It can rain, snow and
be sunny in the same day.” Munozibarrola stays warm by wearing layers, but
he said that the most important thing for him is to stay indoors as much as
possible. The worst part about the weather, said Munozibarrola is “the
cold that you feel down to your bones and the wind that makes it worse.”
Paulin Byusa - Paulin Byusa, a native of Rwanda, is used to warm weather and
humid days. The average temperature in Rwanda is close to 76 degrees daily.
However, Byusa said that the temperature can near 100 degrees. While Byusa
thinks Northeast Ohio is beautiful, he sometimes gets frustrated from the lack
of outdoor activity. “I don’t get to enjoy outdoor sports like
soccer any time I feel like doing so,” he said. Byusa also says that the
weather in Northeast Ohio is unpredictable. “You can get lucky one day,
wake up expecting a cold weather, but in fact it’s warm outside. Of
course, it isn’t that nice when it’s the other way around,” he
said. When asked how he copes with the cold, Byusa said, “I cover up
enough in order to stay warm, and I stay indoors most of the time.”