hottest summer

People are saying it's the hottest summer for Korea in 10 years. I just looked at the highs and lows, and it's as hot as in Austin, but there is a big difference here. First, I think it's a little more humid. Second, air conditioning has a different meaning here. There is no such thing as central air. Some apartments do have air conditioning, but if they do, it's a wall unit or perhaps a standing room unit. My apartment (thank You, Lord) has an air conditioner. I used to just turn it on to get cool, then I would open the windows to get the air flow going in the evening. Now, i just come home, turn it on full blast, and then turn it down when all my sweat dries and I am cool. At school, we have air conditioning units that are shared between rooms using a sort of vent system. That means the first room gets cool and the second room gets sorta cool. When you go out in the hall, though, it's like stepping into your car that's had the windows closed on a hot summer day.

Monday was the last day of summer. In Korea, you're supposed to eat watermelon and/or chicken (especially the traditional chicken and ginseng soup) on the first, middle, and last days of summer. I haven't obeyed that on any of the three days. Maybe that's why I sweat so much. There have been a few breaths of fresh air, though - on vacation, we got away from the city and it was so nice and cool at night. On the mountain on Saturday, it was nice and cool, too. I can't wait until fall!