Thursday, June 25, 2009

Reverse Culture Shock #6

I'm a giant wuss. When I was younger, I took great pride in my ability to weather bad weather. At Syracuse -- one of the coldest places in America -- I rarely wore a winter jacket. I would merely layer up under a fleece and walk to class.

After college I moved to LA where it's, well, a lot warmer than anywhere I had ever lived before. Over the years, whenever I'd visit home, I started to notice that I was colder than I had been in the past. My body was acclimating to warm weather.

After living in Vietnam, I'm downright pathetic. I've been freezing since I came home. Granted the weather has been less than stellar on the east coast but I've been wearing layers nearly every day. Last night I wore a t-shirt, a button down shirt and a hooded sweatshirt (although after walking 15 blocks and 5 avenues I took off the sweatshirt).

Everyone in New York seems to be praying for good weather. Well, I'm praying to the sun god too because I crap-you-not, I'm a week away from pneumonia.

6 comments:

lvu said...

First, I hit your blog thru a friend’s. It is fun reading your entries.

I am currently in New Orleans and every one says that the weather here is too humid. Many are reluctant to visit New Orleans in the summer because of its humidity. But compare to the humidity in Vietnam, it is nothing.

One summer, I was in DC for a few weeks, and I was almost died of dry weather. It was too dry for me that I had to use lotion. At that time, I just expected to come back to New Orleans. And last Feb, when I was in NYC, I even got allergy because of the cold weather. And the dryness there was even more terrible. But I guess, after we have been living in a weather zone for a decent amount of time, we would all be fine.

Benjamin said...

Thanks for the comment and for reading my blog! It is amazing how our bodies become used to certain environments over time. I have been to New Orleans a few times and it is very humid. Are you from the north or south? I find that the south of Vietnam is very humid but Hanoi isn't.

lvu said...

I am from the North- Hai Duong, not too far from Hanoi. I lived 6 years in Hanoi for college and then another 4 years working (3 out of those 4 years, I was back and forth between mountain and Hanoi – where I had a lover, and my home town – where my whole family lived and still lives. I was in Hanoi fulltime the year before I left for America, for school, again. I actually consider Hanoi a second home and miss it a lot). In Vietnam, I like the weather in the South better. Personally, the North is too hot and humid, especially during summer time. But yes, our bodies are amazing. They will get used to any kinds of weather.

Your blog reminds me of a lot of things. I also like to see how foreigners view other cultures. So, thanks.

Anonymous said...

you really prefer southern weather? north vietnam at least gets cold during autumn and fall. hanoi autumn time is the best! south vietnam on the other hand is like one eternal summer.

Anonymous said...

sorry, I meant autumn and winter* of course

and as for ben's post - a lot of vietnamese settle down in CA for the very reason of your entry :)

lvu said...

It might because I just spent short periods of time in the South, one in a while so I liked it. Autumn in Hanoi is beautiful but its summer is terrible and sometimes, I also feel miserable in the winter. Changing of temperature in the same day in the North is just too much.