Nothing Burns Like the Cold

by Pooi Yarn Toh (Malaysia)

I didn't expect to find China

Nothing burns like the cold. When I first saw this quote, I was intrigued by its paradoxical nature. I spent more than 30 years of my life in a tropical country. On a rainy night, the temperature may dip to 25 degrees, but most of the time, it hovers around 33 degrees and more. I knew what heat felt like. I have been scalded by hot water, burned by the fumes of fire and felt the stinging sun rays on my body. Some days the sun rays were a gentle warmth on my face. Most days they seared my skin, almost like how you could hear the sizzling and crackling of fats against a pan of hot oil. The sun rays were so intense that you could feel it burning through your epidermis and finally penetrating your bones. That’s what burn feels like. The strange second when you felt nothing then the shocking stab followed by a throbbing pain that seemed to last forever. As I was flying through the skies, I was dreaming of the new destination I would soon arrive in. The last thing I would expect to find is the true realisation of a quote I had once stumbled upon. Nothing burns like the cold. As soon as I stepped out of the plane and onto the steps that will lead us to the airport tarmac, I understood exactly what the quote meant. I felt the strange second of nothing. Then the shocking stab of cold hit me and I felt the burn through my skin and into my bones. I have never imagined cold to feel like this. Now I understood what -27 degrees felt like. I knew then that my feelings were echoed by the rest of the passengers on the plane, especially those who originated from a place like mine. We hurried down the steps and raced towards the warmth of the bus below the steps. In that short distance, my jeans were soaked and my teeth rattled. I was shivering so hard that I felt as if all my organs will pop out. As the door of the bus drew to a close, life returned to the people on-board. I think we were all burned so shockingly by the cold that no one spoke at first. As we moved towards the comfort of the airport building, everyone started laughing and sharing what we felt about the first taste of being here. Welcome to Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province in China. Also, home to the world’s biggest ice festival. When I started this one-week adventure, I wanted to see the wonders of an ice city, to experience a beautiful white winter and to escape from the realities of the world. Not only I did all of those, I also learned to embrace the burn. There was a kind of addiction to the cold. I struggled through it at first; it was excruciating being outdoors or standing still for even half an hour. We were packed with layers; thick long johns, followed by wooly sweaters, then zipped up to the neck with down jackets. We also pulled windstoppers over our faces and kept our heads warm with wooly hats or beanies and tucked the jacket hoodie over them. For extra measure, we wrapped colourful thick scarves around our neck. We all felt like Michelin Tyre Man and Woman. As the days passed, the burn gradually turned to a cold sensation. My body compromised with the cold as my eyes took in the white landscape that was such a contrast to the colours I was accustomed to. I was amazed at how beautiful and mysterious one colour can be. Did I also mention how addicting the cold can be? Few years have passed and I have long returned to my hot and humid country. Harbin felt like a faraway dream now but I could still almost feel the cold I had felt when I reminisce about the past. So, it is true. Nothing burns like the cold and it burns so deep that even if you want to forget, you could not. It has become a part of you.