Being from India and having almost always lived in the warm regions of the country I had never truly experienced a winter until I came to college last year.

Being in the south, I presumed that the cold would not be as bad and extreme as most of the places.

When winter came to Raleigh last year, all my presumptions were proved right and I thought the weather would remain the same and that from September to December the temperature would drop but it would be pleasant with occasional winds and rain for a day or two.

But this year winter came too soon and hit me too hard!

As the semester progressed I expected the temperature drop to be gradual and like last fall (At the same time I was also prepared for it to be too cold once I returned after winter break).

But what happened was too drastic for the Indian me and was too sudden for me to cope with.

As the summer progressed and got intense everyone I knew (who was a local or had lived here for too long) told me that an intense summer meant an intense winter and that we all need to be prepared.

I paid no attention to these warnings and considered myself an expert on Raleigh weather and thought "Jyoti you were here last year it's not bad you are going to be fine" if only I had listened to the people who knew.

It was warm and sunny and nice till the end of September and suddenly over one weekend it changed and that's when I realized I knew nothing!

It started with rain.

The heavy torrential rain that kept growing and while I was glad that it would bring the temperature down a little but was not expecting it to go from hot sunny days to damp, cold, gloomy days to biting cold winter days.

While I was prepared for the weather to be cold henceforth, the rain and the wind was not expected and made me just want to climb into bed the minute I was free and stay under a pile of my blankets.

The cold became so intense that it taught me that I am no expert on weather and climate and that when in Raleigh, never trust the weather and that I should just be prepared with a warm rain jacket at all times.