I don’t really understand how it gets so cold here. I had reasonably assumed that since I was going to be south of Mexico, it would pretty much stay at the toasty 80-90 degree Fahrenheit temperature it was up until last week. The plummet into the low 50s happened over literally two days!
Before you Washingtonians start up with your critiques, note that all of us from America’s northern regions are equally bewildered. Two other CTLCers from Jersey and New York joined me and others in a hallway grouching session about the weather after our Chinese classes. Everyone is comparing hastily-acquired jackets and giving tips about places to find space heaters. I never realized how much of a game-changer it is to not have central heating. With a dead laptop and a room at 50 degrees every time I wake up, it feels like I’ve been sent back to the Stone Ages, or at least reliving a power failure while stuck in the snow in Washington.

Did you get a heater? Go get a portable one.
I can commiserate with you about having no heat — my apartment’s radiator was broken during the cold snap last year, and it’s no fun waking up in the morning and seeing your breath. Hope you find a solution soon…