HOW HOT IS TOO HOT?

By: Kathy Mueller
Information & Community Outreach Delegate
Banda Aceh, Indonesia

I have achieved somewhat of a milestone here in Indonesia. One month into my nine month mission, and I can now sleep, without the air conditioning on.

It’s very tropical and humid here in Banda Aceh. We’re just steps away from the equator. That means it’s hot. And therein lays the struggle.

Usually, it’s a battle between men and women to find a comfortable temperature. Men are always complaining the room is too hot. Women complain it’s too cold.

So, what happens when three women share an office, two of whom are Indonesian, the third, me, Canadian?

Tias and Farrah are used to this climate. They come to work dressed in sweaters, jackets and socks. I, on the other hand, am used to the Canadian climate, which as anyone living there knows, changes periodically. And I can’t say I’ve ever heard it referred to as being tropical.

So, I come to work every day as covered as I have to be in a Muslim country. And it turns out, all three of us are quickly wearing a path to the thermostat. We try to be as environmentally conscious as possible, but we also want to be comfortable. So, I’ll go and adjust the thermostat slightly. But a few hours later, when it’s again stifling in the office, I return to the thermostat, only to find someone else has also adjusted it. Once again I drop the temperature a degree or two, turn around and find my staff have now duct taped sheets of paper to the ceiling vents, blocking most of the cool air from even entering the room. (Red Green would be proud of the duct tape use).

So, I compensate, by moving the floor fan closer to my desk, and when the a/c dies with the main generator, about once a day, on goes the fan.

All of this is done in good humour of course. We laugh about it a lot. I’m not sure how we’re going to resolve it though. Maybe give it a few more months and I’ll be as acclimatized as they are. Then, won’t going back to Canada be a treat?