The changing faces of Sheffield

By Jay Sreekumar

Scene 1 – The day begins with bright sunshine filling our mind with pleasant thoughts and positive vibes.

The sky is clear and so are our minds, fresh from last night’s heavy snowfall. The snowflakes form an icy layer on the roads helping us glide along the slippery surface.It is slowly but surely melting as the sun’s ray's fume with greater intensity.

Scene 2 – The atmosphere is all too gloomy with spells of rain and chilly conditions to deal with. The melting snow suddenly freezes and the sun surrenders like colonists at the hands of conquerors.

Fur coats and winter jackets replace transparent shirts and air-cooled jeans. A passer-by takes a heap of snow and digs his sunglasses into the ground below, much in frustration as the reflection is too bright even with eye protection.

The transition from the first to the second is just a matter of seconds. These scenes go back and forth and play around in circles until you become quite unsure about what you really need - An umbrella, a warmer or a bottle of suntan lotion. Welcome to the United Kingdom!

The attention shifts to the sixth largest university in the UK – based in the south Yorkshire City of Sheffield, England – Sheffield Hallam University.

With thousands of international students, it offers all that is required to make them feel home. However, there is one thing they could do little about – nature’s mysterious weather-drama in this part of the world.

Numerous international students, especially the Asian lot find it a bit difficult to cope with this sudden climate change. For them, this is a new scenario - one that leaves them wondering what is up for grabs at the next moment.

Neither the wintry breeze nor the heavy blizzards give them the kind of assurance they would need to set their mind at rest. Adaptability is craved for and a little immunity is all that sees them through.

Shanath Kumar, a post-graduate student of Pharmacology and Biotechnology at the University, finds it extremely difficult to cope with the weather conditions;

“I come from the southern part of India where people run for cover due to over heating. This is the other extreme and I find it really difficult to adapt,” says Shanath.

Even for people who have been here for ages have struggled coping with the 'wild weather', Dr Seena who is a child psychiatrist with the NHS is one of those. She says the struggle to overcome the unpredictable climate is hard to cope with;

"Being in Sheffield for 12 years, I find it tough even now to adapt to conditions. It just keeps on changing and I fall ill most times, meaning I am unable to go for work when I can't afford to."

This year has been worse. It has been the coldest winter for 12 years with heavy snow jamming the roads and closing the schools, even producing serious health concerns for a lot of individuals.

A few Asian students living in Abbeydale Road developed flu due to the cold weather and couldn't attend the University for more than a week, disrupting their studies.

Sights which were visible in that first week of February would have been the first time some international students may have seen snow, but for many they hope it’s the last.