Between the attacks on the Capitol, Covid-19 not magically disappearing in the new year, and Madrid seeing its worst snowstorm in over half a century, 2021 has certainly made an entrance. At least the latter is a historical event that I don’t mind being alive for.

Storm Filomena, as she’s called, rolled in on Thursday, January 7th, but the snow didn’t really start coming down heavily until Friday. It snowed for about three days, mixed with heavy rain, which turned everything into ice. On Sunday, there was enough snow on the ground outside my apartment to make a snowman, a giant snowball fight ensued in the center of Gran Via, and people were skiing down the streets. Almost all of the shops were closed, except for one little shoe store near me that was fortunately open, and from which I was able to get a pair of winter boots. It made this New Hampshire girl’s heart happy to see the city’s beauty magnified under a blanket of snow, and to be part of such a historical moment.

But, there’s a less pretty side to all this snow. Authorities knew that a big storm was coming and failed to prepare in any way. And although perhaps the actual figures for how much snow was expected were incorrect, that still doesn’t justify the lack of preparation. Emergency services were at a standstill, people were trapped in their cars for hours and had to be rescued, streets were strewn with tree branches, and of course, the Covid vaccination program was at a standstill. Trash pickup only resumed in my neighborhood this past Thursday; other neighborhoods haven’t been so lucky, with huge amounts of garbage piled outside, and the residents themselves using hammers to break up the ice so that the garbage truck can drive through. Several people have died, and hundreds injured, from falling snow and ice. A few metro stations were opened for the homeless, but those are hardly comfortable and warm places to sleep.

In-person classes have also been suspended, now until Wednesday, the 20th. I never thought I’d get a snow day, much less a snow week, in Spain! The concern for in-person classes resuming isn’t just about the snow though; how are the Covid protocols going to be enforced with how cold it is? Even the president of the high-school principals’ association said “If we don’t end up with Covid, we’ll end up with pneumonia”, if schools are forced to leave windows open for air circulation. Some have even speculated that the government’s inaction was deliberate, in an attempt to create a semi-lockdown, without actually having to issue a lockdown; at this point, I see another lockdown as inevitable, given the staggering number of cases and hospitalizations, but it seems to be the very last thing that the government wants to do, simply because of their economy.

I’ve now been on vacation for almost a month, and I can’t say I’m angry about it–I can’t remember the last time I had this much free time to read. But, work and busy life will resume soon enough, so I’m enjoying the moment of calm as much as possible, as I wait to hear back about my Master’s application.