Adapter

I have an American friend. University educated, from Cincinnati. One December I wrote her an email where I mentioned how hot it was in Australia, being summer in the Southern Hemisphere. This blew her away “so what month is it there? When do you have New Year’s?”. But anyway, it got me thinking about acclimatization, adaptation to the environment.

An Australian will work outside - no shirt, no hat - in 45c (113F) temperatures under a sun that can cause birds to burst into flame mid flight, but at the first drop of rain they run for cover. NOBODY works in the rain. In Vancouver if you don’t work in the rain, then you don’t work -because it rains 8 months of the year. People from Vancouver come here in summer and simply can’t function from the heat. They look at you amazed, forlorn and wilted, mouthing silently “its so hot” over and over. They gulp at glasses of water and stare into the white sky, or down at the floor, defeated. Now and then they look up and say “you’re not hot? Its so hot.”

I did that at first. One day I couldn’t stand it anymore and went and sat in the car with the air conditioner running until the sun went away. At first you pray for the sun to go away; cloudy days are good, rainy is a small miricle. These days, though, I don’t hardly ever feel hot, but I need a sweater if it gets below 22c (72F). I used to walk to school in minus 35c (-31F) weather, now I don’t even own a jacket. I still like rain, but I’m finding I dislike getting wet…

I’m a very good adapter.