on snow

excerpts from two mails I sent home:
1st December:
It's snowing! it's snowing!!
was in the kitchen making bisi bele bhaat when i looked outside and saw the snow. was out of the door and into the yard in 10 seconds. stood there catching the snow on my face. was then joined by vio and moji and we took snaps.
was in slippers, so now toes are numb. will take hot shower once i send you this mail.
just now turned my head towards the window and can see the snow. big, fluffy flakes hurrying down. Not like raindrops which have a purpose. these flutter around and change direction before finally landing. so happy.

15th Jan:
It snowed again, but differently. this time it was like hail and so, so pretty! It had been raining all day and I had a speech to go to. But it was so cold, and I had been soaked twice already, so was coming up with a hundred different reasons for not going. And then I saw the hail. And I reached out and caught some in my hand, and they did not melt, but stayed there like small basra pearls. So I suddenly had incentive to go for the lecture. Imagine then, an absolutely deserted street, dark skies, and the orange glow of sodium-vapour lamps with three figures walking hurriedly in the silence. Beautiful! And the next day, the sun was out! but the ice had not melted, and the whole world was sparkling.
so happy.