Hot Nights

Last year when I was asked to choose a city to teach in, I thought I had it all figured out. Daegu appeared to be a good fit for me, with its smaller- than - Seoul size, decent nightlife and much to do and see around town. One thing I didn't account for was the sweltering heat that I would be facing come summertime.

Summer swept in during the month of May, with increasing temperatures but still manageable. Since June, the temperatures have only risen steadily. The past three weeks have been an average of 31 degrees. And it gets worse. July will see temperatures around 36-38 degrees Celsius. Oh my. Back home in Canada, we do have some hot and humid days, but when the temperatures reach 30- it's considered a heat wave. Here in Daegu- it's just normal.

Turns out Daegu, South Korea is the hottest city in all of the South Korean peninsula! Daegu is surrounded by many high mountains, and because of this we're settled in a basin. It gets hot and sticky in the summer. Daegu is actually famous for their hot summers. Fabulous.

The rainy season should start soon, and I'm hoping that may bring some slight relief- but I'm not counting on it. The school is equipped with Air Conditioning units in the teachers lounge (and thankfully) in my English Classroom. Here's the thing: They will put the A/C on around mid-day and jack it up to a temperature of 27 degrees. Seriously, what is the point of even turning it on?? I'm happy to report that My classroom is a cool 24 degrees and my students are oh-so-thankful for the relief. Even better- my new apartment came with a A/C unit-- it's been on full blast for a week and I'm loving every second of it.