Salt Lake City, Ritesh Das, heavybison

I think i came to this city almost 9 months ago. It's almost a large town really, rather than a city, with several satellite townships bordering it. Surrounded by two different mountain ranges on either side(who's names are too difficult to spell, one was wasatch, i think) and a huge lake on one side, it was a strikingly beautiful view as the flight was landing. Stuff that i had only seen in movies, stupid romantic hindi ones, where the hero and heroine came running towards each other in the middle of a song. It was the first week of July, if i remmember correctly, of the year 2006. The warm summer breeze was a pleasant surprise, as if coaxing me into a welcome first up before someone came and warned me about the harsh winters. We took a bus, a hotel shuttle(Sheraton, i think it was) from the airport and both of us gazed out of the window in awe at this new place as the bus sped by. It looked like a quiet, peaceful hamlet and the first thing that struck us were the streets, wider than any we had ever seen, almost as broad as a smallish river. Habitation was far and few, at least till we reached downtown, where our hotel was located. The room on the 11th floor was wonderfully cozy and the view from the balcony was spectacular. That was the beginning of what would be a long hard year ahead. The summer went by followed by autumn and then winter. By that time, we were comfortably settled in our own apartment. Life was tough, the winter harsh. Many a morning, i stood waiting at the bus stop with the snow lashing all around me, my fingers and face frozen stiff. My jacket, thick as it was felt like paper napkin, the leather gloves, purchased at a discount, woefully insufficient to protect my hands, the wind, tearing through my body as if i had no right to be there. How i ached for my good old hometown, hot and sweaty, warm and precious...