Feel

After more than a week submerged in Jakarta’s hot smog, I’m actually beginning to feel better about our new climate. Seven years in North Carolina is pretty good preparation for Indonesia’s heat. Some days have been gentler than others. Cloudy days with a morning rain are best – the air quality always seems better after a scrub. I remember sitting on the steps of my old farm shack in Durham, praying for an afternoon thunderstorm. On clear days like today, the sun chafes angrily, and the air is smothered with soot. I endured plenty of days like that back in NC, working on hot top roofs and flirting with heat stroke. The air was cleaner on the farm, of course. Chili paste, which comes with everything here, opens the pores and cools the skin. There I used a little green watering can to douse myself several times a day, much like traditional mandi bathing with a scoop. But here it will always be August, and rain dances will only be answered for half of the year.