Freezing in France

Its COLD in France. I wake up every day and my nose is cold and red like that reindeer. My hands are chapped. I need to wear a sweatshirt to bed. I shiver. I complain.

I don't understand because I am Canadian and went to school in Ottawa where it is negative 40 celcius and it appears that I can't handle a mere 3 degrees.

I think it is because Canada, being the New World, has a valuable luxury I like to call "Heating". With this "Heating" Canadians are able to withstand extreme Winter temperatures with minimal discomfort. On the contrary, France, as it is still a developing country, has not fully grasped the concept of "Heating" and thus the French must endure the cold. They seem to have developed a superhuman resistance to the cold as they do not wear parkas, mittens, touques,thick construction worker socks, or have fluffy duvet covers. Rather they prance around in pea coats and silk scarves and heat their homes by resorting to the ancient "fire". Literally. Every French home I have been in so far has a fire place, that uses LOGS and FIRE. I have yet to spot electrical heating.

Thus, though Canada maybe be 30 degrees colder (literally), we also have efficient heating systems that have surpassed the outdated "fireplace" method of heating the home. So while it maybe be 3 degrees inside here, it FEELS like -3, all the time.

Everyone likes to make fun of the Canadian that can't withstand French cold, but my roomates grandmother told me she had met a Canadian who was also freezing in France because the cold here is 'wet cold' while the cold in Canada is "dry cold".