As usual, I wake up at 8am feeling so sleepy that I can barely open my eyes.
I'm still caught up in last night's dreams.
I do the same old routine which I've done a thousand times.
I put on my uniform, knot my tie and open the curtain. I see a blanket of snow!It looks soft and my garden is a giant white marshmallow.
I feel a rush of excitement and adrenaline pumps through me.
This only means one thing: school is closed!I bolt downstairs to tell my homestay parents, but they say I need to check the school website first.
My heart is pounding. I desperately want a day off.
I'm seconds away from finding out! The school website of course works slowly; there is no surprise there.
I fondly look outside and think about the things I can do today that are snow related.
Maybe I could build a snowman? Or throw snowballs? The possibilities are endless!My heart sinks when the school website finally loads. My dreams are instantly shattered and I feel defeated.
I can't believe we have to go to school at 10am.
Now I have to figure out how to get there, because thereare no buses and the ground is icy.
I run through all the methods I can get to school, but the only one that seems sensible in a sea of half-baked ideas, is walking.
As soon as I come out of the door, the cold wind slaps my face. I feel like I'm in Antarctica, minus the wildlife.
At this point I have to stress how slippery the road is. It's as if Dunedin was a giant ice skating rink and I'm not exactly what you would call a gifted skater.
I hold on to fences and tree branches for dear life as I make my way over the frosty surfaces, resenting the fact that I have to walk to school today.
What's worse is the silence.
Maybe the snow has shut the world down or maybe some people are sane enough to stay home instead.
I can't see anybody else walking, just me.
When I was younger, I used to want to visit a ghost town and wander around all by myself. Now I know how stupid that idea was.
I see footprints in the snow. Maybe I'm not alone after all. I see handprints too.
I chuckle to myself at the idea of someone slipping and falling on the ice-bound road.
I reminisce about my old life in China. We have four distinctive seasons, unlike Dunedin.
Dunedin is one of those cities that can't decide on proper weather patterns.
Last time I checked, you needed a hot, blazing sun for summer, and 5cm of snow is just something that is lazy. In China, if it snows, your legs would be covered.
Today is one of those days that ''builds character''.
After an hour walking slower than a stampeding herd of turtles, I finally reach school.
I come five minutes late to class.
Mr Prince reads the notices and his voice booms when he announces Kavanagh finishes at 1pm today.
What? Really? I could dance right there. Hey, I could've done back flips, but I didn't.
Today, I climbed my personal Mt Everest.
• By Iris Sun (year 12, Kavanagh College)
