Let's Talk Weather!

As most of you reading this are from Canada (and also other parts of the world) you know the weather of 2012 has been anything but normal. Of course for me to say normal, I should probably first state what normal for me is. Normal for me in Collingwood, ON, is about at least 5-6 ft (2 meters) of snow this time of year, with temperatures ranging from -10 to -25 degrees Celsius. Of course I knew it would be different in Italy. I thought it would be warmer, I hoped, but  didn't bet on there being any snow, and I especially didn't think that we would have earthquakes. No, you did not just read that wrong! 
Now I know earthquakes are not technically weather but since I didn't want to wright a whole other post just about them I thought I would lump them in with this one. Two weeks ago, while I was sitting in my classroom at school on the third floor, I suddenly felt my very first earthquake. It was a very surreal experience for me. I was just sitting in class "listening" to the Prof. when all of a sudden the desks started shaking and the ground started wobbling. A few of the girls jumped out of their seats and started to get under the desks. It lasted only about 40 seconds but after it was over we were all a bit "shook up" and for fear of another quake, our class along with a few others evacuated the school. When we went back inside and I sat at my desk I still felt as though the class was shaking. It was the strangest feeling. 
Two days later after I had finished school for the day and had eaten lunch, I was sitting at my desk, checking out Facebook, when I felt it again, that sensation of the solid ground shifting beneath me. I ran out into the living room where my host brother was shouting "Terremoto!" and our house keeper Angela was asking if everyone was OK. This second one was not as strong as the previous one but it was still pretty intense. I learned from the newspaper the next day that the first earthquake had a magnitude of 4.9 on the Richter scale. 
This week, on February 1st, I received my first snow fall of the season! It was only a couple of cm, 4cm at the most. However it was still snow and it was beautiful. Unfortunately it was not enough for them to cancel school the next day, even though that was what everyone was praying for.  It is so strange for me to think that last year I had two weeks of snow days in December and here nothing.
It also snowed again last night and it was bellissima. I went out for dinner to a pizzeria with my Italian friends and Matt, Sam & Kurt, where we watched a friend of Valentina's band preform. They where actually pretty good and they played some really good classic rock! After we walked in the snow to the centre and it was incredible. It was like magic, the moon shining through the falling snow, like something out of a movie. 
It was also snowing this morning and our courtyard had about 3 cm of snow! It was so strange to talk to my mom about the weather today because they have NO snow and very mild February temperatures for Canada, and I am living in Italy where it is snowing right now! Maybe the world really will end this year. I hope everyone is having a great winter no matter the weather! If there one thing I have learned since being here it is that if you try to enjoy and make the most of everything life hands you, you will be never be disappointed!