100 degrees
Yesterday one of my flatmates asked about an expression she'd heard on TV. "What does it mean when people say, 'It was so hot it must have been 100 degrees.'" I explained to her the Fahrenheit verses celcius methods of measuring temperature. She understood. Then I got out my phone and did a quick conversion. 100 degrees Fahrenheit equals 37.7777 degrees Celcius. Now my friend was confused, "By why do they say that 100 degrees is so hot? This is normal."
We are in the hot season in Cambodia. These are the days when everyone wears hats and long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves from the sun. Living and working requires patience, endurance and a good deoderant.
When I think of 100 degrees I think of:
1. Some Cambodian people admitting to it being hot. I overheard a young drama-queen at the market exclaim, "I'm so hot I'm almost burning!" This was an unusual outburst in a culture that usually puts up with discomforts without a word of complaint.
2. Sleep that is stolen. I usually sleep on a mat on the floor in the hot season because it is cooler than sleeping on a mattress on the bed. Even so, there are many nights when I don't get to sleep until it is almost time to wake up again.
3. Showers. Lots of showers. Two, three or four per day is not uncommon.
4. Power cuts. I find myself making two lists of "things to do" for the work day, having enough items that don't require electricity on the list.
5. Air-con. Anywhere that has air-conditioning feels like heaven. Suddenly browsing the three shelves of the local Caltex on Wednesday night seems like a fabulous recreational activity.
6. Colds. It is strange but true. In March and April I just kept getting sick with colds in the swealtering heat!
7. Mangoes. Gotta have something positive in here. The hot season means plenty of mangoes in Phnom Penh.
8. Ice. A small bag of ice can be bought for 5 cents. My local vendor knows me well.
9. Washing. Clothes dry in under 60 minutes.
10. 100 degrees really isn't normal and it won't last forever. We'll be down to the cool 30s with high humidity soon!
We are in the hot season in Cambodia. These are the days when everyone wears hats and long-sleeved shirts to protect themselves from the sun. Living and working requires patience, endurance and a good deoderant.
When I think of 100 degrees I think of:
1. Some Cambodian people admitting to it being hot. I overheard a young drama-queen at the market exclaim, "I'm so hot I'm almost burning!" This was an unusual outburst in a culture that usually puts up with discomforts without a word of complaint.
2. Sleep that is stolen. I usually sleep on a mat on the floor in the hot season because it is cooler than sleeping on a mattress on the bed. Even so, there are many nights when I don't get to sleep until it is almost time to wake up again.
3. Showers. Lots of showers. Two, three or four per day is not uncommon.
4. Power cuts. I find myself making two lists of "things to do" for the work day, having enough items that don't require electricity on the list.
5. Air-con. Anywhere that has air-conditioning feels like heaven. Suddenly browsing the three shelves of the local Caltex on Wednesday night seems like a fabulous recreational activity.
6. Colds. It is strange but true. In March and April I just kept getting sick with colds in the swealtering heat!
7. Mangoes. Gotta have something positive in here. The hot season means plenty of mangoes in Phnom Penh.
8. Ice. A small bag of ice can be bought for 5 cents. My local vendor knows me well.
9. Washing. Clothes dry in under 60 minutes.
10. 100 degrees really isn't normal and it won't last forever. We'll be down to the cool 30s with high humidity soon!
posted by pip @ 3:00 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home