Would You Like To Live In Hollywood ?

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I remember reading a post by  a woman from the Philippines written at the end of November. She describes a family day out to a sandbar with a picnic, snorkeling trips and lounging around sunbathing. I asked her if that was a topical text hoping that she'd say 'no' but that it was a memory of the past season. But no such luck. She replied that she was writing "from one of the top tropical islands of the Philippines called Cebu. Except for the occasional worst typhoon in the world, we have sunshine all year round." Can you imagine?! With 'you' I mean members living in Europe and on the North American Continent. I've learnt the expression 'jelly to the max'. Yes, that's what I feel, at least at the moment. November and December in Germany are mostly nasty months. The sky is grey, it rains a lot, it's cold. The streets are slippery because of the many fallen leaves. Who wouldn't prefer sunshine, blue sky and blue water? But forever and ever (except for the occasional typhoon)? Isn't it fascinating how accustomed most people are to the climate in the part of the world where they grew up even if it isn't always pleasant? That they don't think of moving all the time? When the weather in the part of Germany where I live is especially unpleasant, I have to think of the young German woman I met on a train many years ago. It was a cold and grey day in February. Rain was slashing at the window of the compartment. Although we were sitting inside, the mood wasn't too bright. Yet, this woman was sitting there beaming happily. We got into talking and I learnt from her that she was living in Hollywood and that the permanent good weather there got on her nerves. "Sunshine every day - good God! Give me a break." Once a year she comes to Germany to visit family and friends. She has decided to do that in February when she could experience weather she didn't get in her new home. All passengers in the compartment were surprised and couldn't believe what they heard. When I said that many Germans emigrated to live in warmer climates, she said, "You can go back for me. You can also have my husband." Ah, well, that was a different topic I didn't want to explore. The husband was a German she had got to know in the USA. He didn't share her nostalgia for Schmuddelwetter ('u' pronounced like 'oo' in 'look'). There's no good translation in English. 'nasty' and 'dirty' don't convey the same feeling. Don't you just hear your shoes making a noise when pulling your feet out of sludge and slobber? These words are nice, too, but not precise if I've checked correctly. I think 'mud' is the appropriate term here. Whatever. Do you feel conditioned by the climate you've grown up in or could you / do you live in a completely different one?