While snowfall in the winter is a common occurrence for many, for new immigrant families, the first snowfall can be a completely new and sometimes challenging experience.
Heavy snow overnight brought between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow across the UK, with hundreds of schools closed across England and Wales.
Significant disruption to transport and power supplies is expected, with plenty of road closures also in place.
Eva Sham, 36, a mother of two, moved to Sheffield with her family at the beginning of this year. As a newcomer, this is the first snow they experienced in their life.
She said: “This is the first time we experienced snow, as we previously lived in Hong Kong, where the winter temperature would only drop to around 8 degrees celsius at its coldest.”
Eva’s children, Jessie and Jimmy, aged 8 and 6 respectively, have been attending a primary school in Sheffield since February.
Due to the heavy snow yesterday, Eva had to pick up her children immediately after receiving a call from school.
She said: “I freaked myself out when the school asked parents to pick up their children around 10am due to heavy snow, as I had sent my children to school at 8:30 in the morning.”
On the way home, Jessie and Jimmy were excited to play with snow, having never seen it before.
Eva said: “When I was shovelling snow, I found playing with snow is fun, although it causes chaos to us. I really enjoyed having fun with my kids, like building snowmen and sledding in the park.
“This is a brand new experience for us, and I was in a state of panic when I knew the heavy snowfall expected in the coming days. I had no idea how to prepare for it, but thankfully, kind members of my community group reminded us.”, she added.
Norman Ng, 36, Eva’s husband who is working in Leeds, finding it challenging to travel to work under poor weather conditions.
He said: “I anticipate that the road conditions will be poor, making it difficult for me to drive to the office. Public transportation may also be suspended, so I have decided to work from home instead.”
From navigating the icy roads to adjusting to colder temperatures, the family face a unique set of obstacles as they learn to adapt to their new environment.
Eva said: “It is no doubt that snowfall is a daunting experience to us, we can face the future with more confidence and preparedness. We believed it formed stronger bonds and created lasting memories in our life.”