If you’re coming from a tropical country, that is, 30 degrees and above weather all year round, moving to a country during the winter season can be considerably tougher than those coming from perhaps, Greece or China.
1.1 Wearing the Right Clothes
I highly recommend the Japanese brand, Uniqlo. They offer a line of thermal wear which they name ‘HEATTECH’, offering three types for different ranges of cold weather: HEATTECH (‘everyday wear in winter’), HEATTECH Extra Warm (‘ideal for colder days’) and HEATTECH Ultra Warm (‘ideal for extreme cold’). They offer anything from innerwear to t-shirts, tops, leggings, tights to trousers and socks. I personally own 4 items from their HEATTECH line and they are absolutely essential in keeping me warm.
For more varied clothes and outerwear, Primark is everybody’s favourite to go to. In the physical store down in Colchester Town, you can find incredibly affordable prices for anything: coats, jeans, trousers, tops etc. The cheapest coat starts from £15 and the most expensive is at £40.
There’s nothing like filling your belly with hot soupy food or drink to warm yourself up on a cold day.
On campus, the SU store sells famous Korean instant noodles: Shin Ramyun. It’s meant to be soupy, hot and spicy and will definitely warm you up from the inside. Here’s a helpful YouTube video on how to cook them the correct way.
Having curry is also a good way to warm up. The Canteen on campus sells curry on certain days so be sure to pop by to check out the menu every day. The nearby Tesco also sells readymade Tikka Masala, and you can either get it on its own or with Pilau Rice.
Check out Tesco Recipes here for more on soup recipes.
The Lakeside Theatre Café also offers delicious hot chocolate with either whipped cream or marshmallows (or just do both). It’s my personal regular Tuesday drink since I have a lecture nearby at Ivor Crewe.
1.3 Portable Heated Items
You can get hot water bottles and hand warmers at Boots, or Primark even, in Colchester Town. Tip: stuff the hand warmers in the pockets of your coats.