The Seasons

A Photograph I took when a tree was completely leaf-less

"This life is like a cycle of seasons. When leaves start to fall, a tree will lose all its leaves and has to face the cold of winter. However, the tree will not give up and will grow its leaves and bloom its flowers. Sometimes, we may face obstacles in this life, but do not give up because a success is awaiting us when we are not giving up."

The most apparent difference between Indonesia and the United States is the season. While Indonesia only has two season, the United States has four seasons: Fall, Winter Spring, and Summer. Seasons are actually divisions of the year, usually marked with the change in weather. Summer comes usually on June, Winter starts on December, Spring starts on March, and Fall starts on September. As I came to the United States on August 2012, I have experienced all the seasons. Although at first I thought that Lubbock, Texas may not have all the weather like any other cities, In fact Lubbock is the best place to experience all the seasons and weather (including both the good and the bad weather). 

Summer 2012

I and Timmy when first came to the University.
We were standing next to the University's logo

Summer usually very hot and dry. Because the earth is little bit tilted from its rotational axis, the norther hemisphere will face the sun more often during summer. When I first came to Lubbock, almost every land was dry and hot. It was not surprising because it was exactly the same as what I thought before I went to the U.S. A few days after my arrival in Lubbock,  I was fasting (It was the last day of Ramadhan) and I wanted to buy sweet drinks for Buka Puasa (break fasting at the time after sunset).

I opened a map and tried to find a store. However, the only store that came into my eyes is Wallmart which is a few miles away from my dormitory. Unlike in Indonesia where there are a lot of small stores in the residential area, Lubbock only has several huge convenient stores in the city. As I just arrived and I did not know anybody here, I decided to walk that far. Indeed, it was killing me. 
Anyway, summer is not always bad and hot. This time is a perfect time to have vacation and explore the world. Many people usually plan a vacation to beaches, botanical gardens, or may be swimming pools. People who live in northern part of the U.S. most probably really enjoy summer because it brings warmth and sunlight after a long time of cold temperature. 

Fall 2012

The fallen leaves at the beginning of the fall season

Seasons in the United States are a big deal because they name the academic semester after the name of the seasons. For example, my first semester at Tech is called Fall semester 2012  because I started the semester on the late August. As its name, this season is marked by the fall of leaves. It was not my first time to see leaf-less trees (mostly because the tree almost died), but to see leaf-less trees in the U.S. during Fall season was something else. Although not all trees will fall their leaves (such as pine trees and evergreen), most of the trees are leaf-less during fall season. For me, fall is something impressive because it was my first few months in the United States. I learned a lot of things during that time. I learned how to deal with new place, new friends, new condition of being so far with family and friends in Indonesia, and new way of thinking. Those all new things overwhelmed me with excitement as well as bad feelings. I started to feel that I missed my home so much. 

Winter 
In many regions, winter is always associated with snow and low temperature. I live in Lubbock, Texas. I did not believe that there would be snow in Texas. But I was wrong.  During winter, Lubbock was not always covered with snow, but there were days when the snow was falling quite a lot. The snow was falling and accumulating quite thick during the Christmas day. I was so excited. I went out to take some pictures and try to build a snowman. Although at the end I could not make any proper snowman, it was amazing to have my first snow. Another snowy day was on February 26, 2013. There was a blizzard where the wind blew so fast and the snow was falling. Because of the snow was so thick, the classes were canceled. It was not a good idea to be outside for a long time, but it was nice to have a snowman and snow balls with friends for a little while. 

Snow day during Christmas// I did not create the snowman // Well, snow is not that soft for a bed

 Spring 2013

After months of cold weather, the spring finally came. The trees started to grow their leaves,  and tulips were blooming. My first semester here was amazing, I got a good grade, so many good experiences, new friends, and new scene to see. I hope this season will end up as beautiful as any other seasons. 

A Callery Pearl. At the beginning of Spring season, the tree was filled with flower.
After some days, each flower will turn into leaves. 

During the winter, tulips would hide under the ground. At the early spring, they will appear and bloom.

In addition, Lubbock also has various 'other weather' which are horrible (or I can say challenging). For example, on April 9th, 2013 there was a small dust storm. However, the next morning was snowy (about 28 F) and then sunny during the day (about 55 F). Lubbock is known as windy city and has extreme weather (extreme in here means the weather change so rapidly and unpredictable). However, as I have said earlier, Lubbock is the best place to experience in different kinds of seasons and weather. 

Lubbock in different weather: Warm, dust storm, dust storm, blizzard (windy and snowy), heavy rain,
what happened after the heavy rain

Hope you enjoy it!