Growing up in Colombia, South America we always dreamt of snow. In fact, we used to dress leafless trees for Christmas, with cotton, simulating snow. In Colombia, snow is foreign to the people that live in the cities and many have never seen it fall. To see snow, you have to go to the top of the tallest mountains. The weather is always the same depending on the altitude of the city in which you live. The fact is that people somewhat have a desire of experiencing the four seasons of the year.

My family and I also lived in Waterloo, Iowa for 10 years and could see the dread of winter on the faces of people, especially those who grew up there. Winter is long and the warm months are short. You need to love the cold and snow to live up there.

We’ve been living in Tyler, Texas on and off for the past 20 years and something that I appreciate about the weather here in Tyler is to be able to enjoy and experience all the seasons that are somewhat balanced. It does not matter what time of the year it is, you can still go outside and work or enjoy walking or playing, and at the same time enjoy the changes of the seasons that nature has to offer. Something that we enjoy is seeing the green everywhere, combined with the beautiful colors of the flowers in the spring.

Tyler also has the multicolor change of the leaves of the trees in autumn. When our friends from New Mexico come to visit, they are always impressed by the beauty of the colors.

Like every place, it has its pros and cons. The summers in Tyler and east Texas could be a little harsh. Heat and humidity can make someone that is coming from a dryer place, run away. Nevertheless, it is a matter of time before someone can adapt to the humidity. I don’t know how people survived the heat before air conditioning was invented because summer, especially in the months of July and August, is unbearable. Apart from those two months, I think the weather of the rest of the year is amazing. I must say that this year, winter has been colder than normal but the good news is that it has been short lived.

Something that always makes my wife nervous is the tornados. She is originally from New Mexico and tornados are seldom ever seen in that part of the country. We have never experienced one, even though they were common in Iowa and frequently experienced here in Texas. They have come close to us and we have had to go to storm shelters on many occasions. In all of the years we have been in and out of Texas, we have not experienced anything like one and hope we never will.

In general, Tyler and east Texas have very nice, balanced weather that encourages and invites people to stay. It is combined with the friendly faces of its people which we have happily experienced for many years already.

by Pablo Cerquera