Well, it’s Monday morning here in the Philippines. I hope that everybody had a good weekend. I know that I did! On Saturday morning, I had some work to do, and after I got up, I took my laptop into the office, hooked it to all of my desktop peripherals and sat down to work. It was still morning, so it was cool in my office, at least I felt cool. I put the ceiling fan on, but left the air conditioner off. I rarely feel the need for air conditioning in the morning, at least until mid-morning when it starts to heat up outside. I generally leave the windows in my office open overnight, and by morning it is quite cool in there.
As I sat there, getting ready to do some work that I was behind on, I was thinking. Life has sure become different from how it was when I lived in the States. I noticed a lot of different things on Saturday morning as I pondered the thought.
Firstly, sitting there in my office with the windows open, I couldn’t help but hear all the work being done next door. The house next door was recently sold, and is being converted to a school, a Montessori Pre-school. There are plenty of workmen modifying the house, the yard and just about everything there. It’s rather loud. People hammering, cutting, radio going, general sounds of a construction area. Yet, I was sitting there at my desk with the windows open, all of these sounds hitting me, and I was still concentrating on my work. Oh my, how different this was from living in the States. Houses there are further apart, and not as noisy as you would expect a house in the Philippines to be. Here, noise is a constant. Somehow, I have adjusted to it. It can still be irritating, but not like it was to me before. If it was too irritating, I could have closed the windows, maybe put on some soft music, and probably muted out the sounds from next door almost entirely. Yet, I didn’t do that. I just enjoyed the clean, fresh air blowing in the windows, and ignored the construction noise.
After a while, I decided to make a cup of coffee. I have a pot to boil water in my office, and a selection of coffee beans that I can use to make coffee. Another thing that I have near to my coffee making area is a thermometer on the wall of my office. I glanced at it, and it was 84F degrees in my office. That’s about 29C. I felt it was a bit chilly. Not cold, but certainly not warm either. The breeze blowing through the windows, combined with the air movement caused by the ceiling fan made me feel quite comfortable. If the breeze picked up a bit, I could feel a bit of a chill on my skin. After glancing at the thermometer, I realized that if it was 80+ degrees in my house when I was in the States, I’d be sweating. I would be very uncomfortable. Yet, here I was comfortable, slightly chilled in fact. What a change! I wonder how I’d feel if I lived in the States again, especially during winter.
As a few hours passed, and I had pretty much completed my work in my office, my mind continued to wander, thinking of changes that I’ve experienced in my life. A thought came to me about my work life in the States. On the last job that I held before coming to the Philippines, I worked 12 hour shifts. It was a job where I had to be on pretty constant alert, always pay attention to what was going on. Now, I work if I want to. And, to even call what I do “work” is a bit of a misnomer. I mean, generally work is that I write a few articles for my websites. I have a cup of coffee or a glass of juice. If I get the desire to surf to a few websites to see what is going on, that’s part of my work. It is certainly a lot more relaxed and a lot less stressful than what I came from. No doubt there. What a nice change in my life.
Later in the day, Feyma and I were watching a movie on our TV set in the bedroom. I turned on the air conditioning. After about 5 minutes, I felt too cold, so I turned it off. Ah, it made me think more about the thoughts I had in the morning regarding temperature adjustment. One thing I hear from a lot of foreigners who come to visit Davao is that they feel they could never adjust to the weather here. Believe me, you do adjust, though. I know that I use the air conditioning a lot less now than I used to.
You know, life is good. Changes keep things interesting. Living in the Philippines, even after 9 years, there is something new almost every day for me to discover and learn more about. I’m happy with where my life is now. How about you?
Hi Bob – Life is wonderful, considering the alternative! I hear you on adjusting to the weather. I'm still cold whenever and almost where ever I am in the States. I'm really looking forward to that weather back home; and the noise; and the aromas; and the sights; and the foods; and the (fill-in the blank). Three more months, as it's presently planned, and change will come for me! 😉
It is so nice to be able to tune out the unwanted noses.enjoy the day and not worry about things that bother most people ..Sounds of the construction and other noises gone . a nice breeze blowing makes a easy day for all ..That's what I am looking for when I move there next month. the laid back easy lifestyle 🙂 ….Phil n Jess
Hi Bob. It changes us all in the end! I,m less materialistic here than I was before, maybe it,s true that the heart doesn,t want what the eye cannot see. I don,t own an aircon, wouldn,t have believed that could be possible 4 years ago.I acclimatised better than I thought I would. The only noise that really bugs me is the barking dogs, but waking up to roosters crowing brings a smile to my face for some reason. I eat fruits that were unpalatable to me before and way less dairy products, so now I don,t suffer from acid reflux and i do just feel lighter somehow, I never thought I would lose weight but I,ve gone down 4 notches on my belt because I now eat less meats and dairy, although I still consider beer a food. Not to mention the philosophical changes that have happened. All in all they are positive changes I think. Nice one.
C'mon guys, you're making me envious! What a life Manong Bob.
BTW, do you know that there is a new Phil. citizenship law? Apparently you have to show you've eaten Durian before PI govt. will give you citizenship. And the new requirements for Permanent Residency is you have to show you've eaten bagoong or guinamos. 🙂
Hi Bob,
Its good to sit back and reflect on your life,something i do regularly.
Yes, i am happy in my life, but will be happier i'm sure when i am permanently there.Like many people, i have a timescale to work to and cannot just drop things and relocate,as much as we would like to.Working towards that goal is inspirational though.
However i have a long holiday there in a few weeks time to console me.
Yes its a common thought by many people who holiday in hot climates to say they could not live there "its to hot" but we adjust after time.I remember many years ago when based in Singapore,it was stifling as its very humid and generally hotter than PI.After a couple of months it did not bother me,although nights could be a little uncomfortable as AC was rare in those days.
regards Chas.
Hi Paul – Yes, life if great, especially when you consider the alternative! 😉 Well, sometimes the "aromas" here are not so good, but I've even adjusted to that somewhat! Three months? Are you sure that you can make it that long?
Hi Phil – The breeze blowing is the really nice thing, it makes everything else tolerable when you have a cool breeze blowing and keeping you comfortable!
Hi Daryl – Doesn't it feel good to have to tighten that belt an extra notch? I know that it does for me. I agree with you, all of the changes that we experience here are good positive changes for us. I know they are for me.
Hi Christine – Well, I'm happy that I already have permanent residence, because I don't like to eat guinamos or bagoong! I love Durian, so citizenship should be a breeze! 😉
Hi chasdv – When we sleep, we put the AC on, but use it's auto-off timer. Usually, we set it to run for 2 hours and then turn itself off, and it's still cool in the morning. If I forget to set the timer at bedtime, I wake up in the middle of the night because it is too cold for me to sleep!
See you in a few weeks?
Morning Bob,
I find anything over mid 20's inside to be getting too warm to concentrate fully – unless there is good air movement. A fan can probably raise the tolerance level by up to 5 degrees. I'm surprised I didn't put on weight when I was there. I ate well and drank many many litres of Red Horse and that cheap whiskey!
No. The "ball & chain," however, . . . 😆
Hi AussieLee – Yeah, for now you need the cooler temps… but that's what adjustment is all about. Once you're here for a year, or even 6 months your body will start adjusting, and before you know it that indoor temp of 20 will become 26 or 27. 😆 Good morning, Lee!
Hi Paul – 😉
Chas, we're in the same boat. I'm happy here in Oz too. But I'd be happier in PI. I'd be quite happy to spend half the year in PI and half
the year in Oz. I've got 7 weeks left, and I'll be in PI.
Bob:
How long do you think it took you to acclimate?
I've noted on my past visits that after 2 weeks there, USA-temperature air conditioning is uncomfortably cool upon my return… and after 3 weeks there, the heat & humidity doesn't bother me nearly as much as it did when I first got there.
But I find myself a lot less productive at any kind of physical labor in hot environments; I get exhausted more quickly and have to take much more frequent breaks.
Is this true for you, and if it was when you first got there, is it still true for you?
Hi Christine,
I am sure you are looking forward to your trip as much as i am.
I spent some time in OZ many years ago,Sydney,Melbourne and Perth.
regards Chas.
Hi Matt – I would say that after a few months of living here I started to acclimatize. I could tolerate the heat better, and was more comfortable. What I've noticed, though, is that after 9 years of living here, recently (maybe a year ago) I have gone through a second round of acclimatization. I am much more tolerant of the weather now. Instead of just "not being uncomfortable" I am quite comfortable now with no aircon. That might also be because I lost a significant amount of weight last year, and being smaller might have made me more able to tolerate the temperature. I'm not sure on that.
Hello Bob,
Yes life is very wonderful. But to be honest, No I am not real happy with the way things are for me right now. To put it mildly I am real concerned about the direction the U.S. is headed in and I think you know what I'm talking about. I am doing good with my situation and I have to remind myself sometimes how good I really have it, but there are a lot of people here that are really struggling.
But anyway I really enjoyed your last paragraph because you have a good attitude,(very important) and I am glad that you like living there. I really enjoy encouraging articles about living in the Philippines.
Thanks Again,
Dale
Bob: Sorry about dropping the chat… Lost my Internet connection (Something funny going on with it here). Anyway, take care.
Hi Bob!
When I was visiting there staying in The East Asia Royale there was construction each morning. Seemed like it was in the next room it lasted all day and then quit when it was time for supper I guess. First week we laughed at it as it was our wake-up call. Turned out to be a place next to the hotel. Didn't matter because really we thought GenSan would be much louder than it actually was. Here in Texas its 82 degrees and I've turned off and on the air 3 times today.Also, in this town the cars pass all day long it starts up early like clockwork too and ends around the same time each afternoon. The time of year that we visited the Philippines it was perfect weather no complaints at all. Only it did rain that day our plane was scheduled to leave and they canceled the flight out. Again who cared? Not us gave us a little more vacation time. 🙂
Hi Dale – I think that being totally happy with where life is, well, it's not the right way to go. Even if we are happy, like I am, we should always strive for more, not be too comfortable, if you know what I mean. yeah, I do like to keep a good attitude as much as possible. it makes me feel better, and also those around me are happier then too.
Hi John – No problem. I figured you stepped away from the computer for breakfast or something! 😉
Hi Shirley – You've got the Philippine attitude already! Plane cancelled – no problem an extra day of vacation! 🙂
Kamusta ka Bob,
Bob that is so great that you deal with the surroundings. But I bet you find that it is not as stressful there, and your work and family life are not stressful..these "annoyances" that may have bothered you in the USA, are just not worth getting your blood pressure up, and just take it in stride now. If so, that is great that you can do that.
As far as the temperature goes, I am hoping that my living in South Florida has already acclimated me to the warm weather there in the Philippines. I do like it to be cool when I am sleeping, but other than that, being in the sun, and also working in the sun, doesn't bother me too much.
I look forward to this life, and when that time comes I believe I will have not too many problems…and like chasdv said, I too have a work goal to obtain..though a short one, but just can't drop everything and just move there, although, a lot of my plans are in the works now, especially with being able to afford to live there…which brings a smile to my face each day. 🙂
Salamat kaayo,
Danny 🙂
Hi Danny – The truth is that until you can make some adjustments and learn how to accept things the way there are, life for an expat is very stressful here. I know it sounds strange, but it's true. Not understanding how the culture works is stressful. Having no understanding of the language is stressful too. But, as a person works on these things and learns how to handle and accept them, stress subsides, and life becomes more enjoyable. The only problem is, most foreigners who come here don't understand that there are challenges, and then when they are faced with such challenges, they don't deal with them well. Just come prepared for the worst, and then you will be pleasantly surprised that it is better than expected!
I'm only kidding Manong Bob. BTW, 9 years in PI and you don't like guinamos? You know, you can only be classed a true blue Pinoy if you like guinamos. 🙂
Salamat Bob,
I already have that mindset!! 🙂
Hi Shirley,
I live here in Texas also and can't believe that you had to turn your AC on and off all day. With this tropical kind of weather that we've had all day really felt good to me. I just opened the windows and let the wind pass through all day. Kind of reminded me of Hawaii with the cool 80 degree breeze all day.
I have not yet made it to the Phil. but my dream is to first visit and hopefully live there if it's like everybody says it is. I wonder if it gets as hot there as it does here in July?
I live near Granbury, do you know where that is? Anyway I had to say something when you said that you were in Texas. Maybe we will get all that rain they are forecasting in the next few days.
Take care and enjoy this nice weather while we've got it!
Dale
Hi Christine – To be honest, I've never tasted guinamos. Sometimes, though, a wise man let's his eyes decide if a taste is the right way to go or now! 😉
Hi Danny – Yeah, I agree that your mindset is already pretty good. However, even so, you will go through adjustments and have surprises. Mark my words! 😉
It is so funny to me that you mentioned the 80 degrees in your home. We finally got a warm spell here in the midwest over the weekend and it got up to 82 degrees inside my house at it's highest. I decided I was going to live like most Filipinos and not turn the air on. Opened some windows, threw some shorts on, and turned on the fan. I sweated at first but am feeling much better now and not sweating at all. Figure I will do that a bit more this year, buy a rooster, have little kids yell outside my window, and play motorcycle sounds and horns honking to feel like I am in the Phils. 🙂
You make me jealous talking about all this but it just makes my desire even stronger to get over there also. Thanks for that!
Hey LJ – That's the man! You are practicing for your move to the Philippines! Not only are you getting ready, you are bringing a bit of the Philippines to the USA! Put a few roosters in the yard, play loud music…. you'll be a Filipino in no time!
BTW, sorry to disappoint you, but I just turned on the Aircon! 😉
Hi Bob – it's good to know that I'll eventually adapt to those things, because the noise and the heat are two things that are like a slap in the face whenever I first get there.
On the flip side, it didn't take Rechie nearly as long to acclimate to our weather as I had imagined. She doesn't like it, but she handles it better than me for the most part know.
Hi Randy – Indeed, these are things you will adjust to. The weather more than the noise. With the weather, you don't have to decide to adjust – your body just does it. With the noise, though, you have to finally make a decision that you can't change it so you better accept it and adjust. Once you come to the decision, you can adjust. As long as you fight it, it will keep bugging you. When I first came here, I had no idea about needing to adjust to so many things, and my mind was closed. It's not a good attitude to have when moving to a foreign country. 😉
HI Bob, 84 Deg in your office and not putting the A/C on I would say that is quite an adjustment. We have begun an unseasonable 90 Deg F. weekend here in New York and when the inside of my house got to 78 Deg on went the A/C to " keep the cool " .
When I visited Mindanao obviously I noticed the heat and humidity and easily worked up a sweat although I was having such a great time visiting, it did not seem a hinderance. We do have similar weather here at certain times of the year but of course not year round.
I just died a little inside hearing you turned the air con on. 🙂
Hi LJ – Ha ha… well, in the article, I did say that I use the aircon, but not until it starts heating up outside! 😉
Hi Bob NY – Yeah, I was surprised when I noticed the thermometer on the wall reading 84F, and I was feeling a bit chilly! A decade ago, I would have been sweating! 😆
Hi Chas, I'm in Brisbane, but I hope to move to Cairns at the end of next year. Cairns is in the tropics, much like PI. I've paid for my tickets today, so it's confirmed. Sadly, I won't have coffee with Manong Bob this time around because we only have 14 days there.
Sunod tuig na lang Manong Bob 🙂
Pag-amping diha because you can't die without having coffee with me first 🙂
Manong Bob, I had lunch with friends today and I met a newly arrived Filipina from Cagayan De Oro. She said there's lots of Kano in CDO now too. Any idea re- expats population in PI?
Last year, I saw a lot in Cebu too, even in isolated Bogo.
Sus, Maria, Joseph! Jealous ko, kay magbisita ka sa Bogo ug tanaw si Rusty. Sus! Walay kape para sa imo!
Hi Christine – Yep, there are lots of expats in the Philippines these days! I can't go to the mall without seeing at least a half dozen expats. I don't know how many foreigners are here, but I understand that there are more than 100,000 Americans living in the Philippines now.
Hi Bob- on Saturday 25th April, was ANZAC day here in australia, the day we remember our war heroes, those who died and those who are still alive.
It is a public holiday, and the day starts with dawn services at about 4:45 am. You know the wreath laying, speeches a bugler, quite solem.
Later in the morning, the soldiers, representatives of fallen heroes, support people etc march in the streets with the public showing there support, flag waving cheering clapping etc.
After the official stuff everyone relaxes with friends and family, most Aussies doing the Aussie backyard barbeque.
On saturday I hosted a group of about a dozen friends and colleagues in my backyard, it was a magniicent day, blue sky, about 30c the spread was fantastic ( my wife is Philippino after all) and my barbeque skills are not too shabby. Many of my guests were people who had immigrated to Australia from, Japan, Scotland, England, New Zealand, even Denmark, and after of a few hours of good food, plenty of drinking, good company we all decided that yes ;
LIFE IS PRETTY DAMN GOOD!
ps Bob sounds to me you are getting more contented all the time.
Yeah I recall sweating like a pig for the first 6 months or so. But after a while I adjusted our air con at night to 28 degrees and it was comfortable lol. Anything over 25 degrees is called heating back in OZ.
The early mornings in the Pines are very beautiful and cool. A good time to do any physical work, forget the afternoon jobs, too hot.
The barking dogs, screeching pigs, roosters, the wall lizards,the hundreds of kids running around screaming, horns blaring, the karaoke and loud music around 6am used to be a huge pain in the rear. Now, most of these sounds no longer register on the irritation scale. Then again I built our bedroom from double hollow block and double glazed windows, it made the adjustment easier.
Only the mozzies still drive me nuts, we live on the beach with stacks of stagnant water around us, having a bath in mozzie repellent helps.
One other thing, forget about the old country, life here is really nothing like it was.
Hi Anthony – It sounds like everybody had a wonderful time! I never heard of ANZAC Day before. At first, "ANZUS" came to my mind, but I quickly realized that was different. Well, it sounds like what we call "Veteran's Day" which is about a month from now in the States. And, I fully agree with the resolution that all of you guys came up with: Life is pretty damn good! I'll raise my coffee mug to that! 😆
Hi Boss – To be honest, about the only time I ever see a mosquito is inside my car in the morning! I don't know why they like my car, but they seem to hang out in there! 😆
Yeah, I love the early mornings. Peace and quiet. Cool weather. Nice time to go for a walk or take care of any kind of physical work that you need to do! Nice time to reflect too!
Oh there's even the regular bombings we have here in Iligan City. My wife wants to stay home all the time out of fear but you even get used to the threats and the occasional explosion. The trick is, if there is an absence of muslims in the city, get your white backside out of the place.
When our bridge in Iligan was partly blown up we felt the vibration of the blast even though we are about 15 minutes drive from the bridge. When my wife woke up to the blast, she said " what was dat "!! I replied just another bomb, go to sleep babe……adjusted to life here, I think I have.
Hi Bob,
Heat is not really an issue to me. In South Australia in summer the temperature can go as high as 40C plus. Last year we had 15 consecutive days over 38C which is 100F. When there is a weather change the temperature can fall from 40C+ to low 20s in a couple of hours. In winter we are down around 8-12C.
What I find hard to cope with in the RP and other tropical climes is the humidity. Our heat is very dry with humidity down as low as 15 -20%. The last time I was in Iloilo in June the humidity was so oppressive I said to my wife now I know what hell must feel like.
My daughter has moved to Darwin in northern Australia which is tropical and she has adapted really well so I guess you are right – we have the ability to adapt quite quickly. At the same time she says they call the wet season the suicide season where quite a few people "go tropo" and commit suicide.
Do you have a suicide season there or is the weather quite consistent?
Yeah, simbako lang, malaa…May you live a long fruitful life Manong Bob (I think you are already, he,he 🙂 ).
"I'm Jealous" is manga-bubho ko. Di pa ko ka-siguro kung mag-kita mi ni Rusty. We'll see…
Sori kaayo Manong Bob, time is really short. 🙁
Hi Boss – I'm confused… I thought you live in Surigao?
Hi Michael – In Davao the weather is consistent year round for the most part. Up north it is more split into a wet season and a drier season. I'm not familiar with this "go tropo" thing…. people actually kill themselves due to the weather?
Christine – Sige na… Joke lang.
I've got about one third the time "in country" as Bob, but I'll certainly second the comment on the stress. When you first come to the Philippines to live it is _far_ from unstressful. Even later, it is not nearly as idyllic as some seem to think.
Things don't work at _all_ the way you expect them to work … and even when you think you have learned how they work, you find out the rules were changed and nobody clued you in 😉
Do not get me wrong, I like it here, and I would rate my life as fairly low-stress, but that is primarily my doing. I avoid a lot of confrontational things, and I consciously 'decide not to care' about a lot of other things. When I break my own rules, I find it very, very stressful indeed … as in I can really blow my stack, and then suffer for hours that sick feeling you get when the adrenaline leaves and you find yourself realizing what an ass you made of yourself.
I would say from a stress, or at least a self-control standpoint, I find it takes much more work to live here in the Philippines than in the US. There's many reasons to come here and many reasons to enjoy living here, but low-stress? I'm not so sure.
Hi Dave – Making an ass of yourself? Been there, done that. Not only did I get the T-Shirt… I now own the franchise for making the t-shirts. 😆
It is true that until you can decide to not let things bother you, you will live a life of stress here. I can't tell you how many foreigners have told me that they read me write things like this and just laughed it off, thinking "that will never happen to me…". Then when they came here to live, they found themselves doing the exact things that I described, and later feeling bad for it. It will happen to nearly every one of us. It just depends on how you choose to deal with it, and whether you are able to go past it.
There was an ANZUS alliance Manong Bob, but NZ Prime Minister David Lange ended it in 1985 because he did not approve of Nukes.
Hi Christine – Yeah, I knew there was ANZUS, but I never knew that it ceased to exist. Doesn't surprise me, though.
Nice artcle Bob! Wala akong masabe…
Wow Roy! I left YOU speechless? That's unusual! 😉
Bob that 's the best information you can give someone –Be prepared for the WORST and everything will be easier. That is so true….
Hi Bob! It is really unusual leaving me speechless! At first, I made clumsy attempts in behaving like an English teacher by saying "Beautifully written! Clear thesis! (" I noticed a lot of different things on Saturday morning as I pondered the thought.") "Well developed ideas!" as you enumerated the many changes you've made. But I kept erasing my comments so I just left it w/ "nice article Bob." & article missed an "i".
I also love the way you ended it. That stumped me. It does question you how well do you live your life. That is a question we do not ask ourselves everyday, especially on an early monday morning.
Hey LJ don't forget to turn on the karaoke up loud too at 1 am ..sounds so good 🙂 hee hee hee ..Phil n Jess
Hi Phil – It seems like kind of a negative outlook for me to say that… but it is for good in the end. 🙂
Hi Roy – Honestly, I feel humbled by your lack of comment, and then by your explanation of the lack of comment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Hi Bob,
The never satisfactorily-answered question of "What's the meaning of Life"?….
A little off-topic:
Alan Paul of the Wall Street Journal wrote over the weekend his difficulty of adjusting to life in the U.S. after a few years in China.
Got me thinking, I wish American Lola can write something about her experience….
Please.
Hi Dr. Long – I sometimes wonder if I could adjust back to living in the States again. I doubt that I would ever try to do so, but I think it would be challenging if I did.
Hi Bob, your life is my dream! As you know I was in the Philippines last year for 6 months, and after about 2 months of adjusting to the way of life I incredibly enjoyed my life there as opposed to back here in California. I will be returning to the Philppines on July 1st of this year to retire. I am so excited, so excited Bob. There is nothing like focusing on what is important in life, like creating memories with friends, creating memories with your family, helping other families who are less fortunate then maybe ourselves, that is so much better then a 12 hour grind out work. Although the heat(humidity) is rough for me and the mosquitos tend to love me as much as the filipinas do, hehe, it is much less then what I have to put up with in the US. Take care Bob
Hi michael – You'll adjust to the weather, I have no doubt about it! Mosquitoes? I keep hearing people say that, but they have never been a problem for me.
Hi Bob,
Yes there is a statistical spike in suicides in tropical Australia during the wet season. Apparently studies have shown it causes increased levels of depression which results in an increase in suicides. One of my daughter's friends did it last year – a young very successful guy with a lot of friends and no apparent problems bought a new car and a week later gassed himself in it in the garage.
Maybe its partly explained by a transient population in a lot of the tropical parts of Australia with no family network of support and a lot of drinking. For example around Darwin in the Northern Territory which is a huge area some people measure the distance between towns in terms of the number of cans of beer you will drink on the way – like its a "twelve can trip" or whatever.
I forgot to mention your description of your morning and day there made me feel mighty envious Bob. If I could dodge the humidity somehow or I knew for sure I would adapt to it fairly quickly I could be tempted to move given the way things are going here!
Hi Michael, pardon my ignorance but I have a question about humidity. I came from the Phil so when I moved here in Chicago, I experienced extreme hot weather here, the likes of w/c I don't think I have experienced in the Phil. My question is what's your layman's distinction of humid to hot weather.
I love the rainy season. Time to read, snuggle in bed or just eat comfort food. It's interesting that in other parts of the world, they commit suicide during those season.
Hi Roy,
Humid weather is when there is a high proportion of water vapour in the air. In winter here when it rains there is a lot of water around but because the temperature is low not much of it evaporates so the moisture content of the air is not high. In tropical areas when it rains a lot it is also quite hot so the water evaporates and moisture content of the air is high.
In our summer it is very hot but there is very little rain – everything is very dry so there is little moisture in the air.
Newcomers to a tropical wet season climate from a temperate climate like i am used to often find it very hard to adjust to the humidity and the relentless day in day out humidity seems to make their depression spike.
Hope that makes sense 😆
Thanks Michael! That helps!
Dale..you are right and I do know where you are..I guess it was between the cool outside and the heat inside that day. I was doing garden work etc. The windows of this old house are painted shut..But not for long! I live near in a little town called Van. Hope you get to visit the Philippines don't listen to the naysayers in the USA listen to Bob and the people who actually live their lives there.
ANZAC- Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The tradition of this day dates back to the first landing of Aussie and Kiwi troops at Gallipoli, trying to recapture Constantinople fom the Otterman empire during WW1. Many people regard this as Australias coming of age in the world theatre , and it now encompasses rememberance for all Aus/ NZ soldirs/ serviemen and woman, who have served their country. The people who keep us free.
Hi Michael – Where I used to live in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, during the rainy times of year there were statistics showing a lot more depression. I don't know how much of that lead to suicide, though.
Hi Anthony – Thanks for additional info!
Hi Bob,
That sounds right. Studies have shown that natural light stimulates a part of the brain that makes us feel bright and happier. In prolonged gloomy miserable winter weather when light levels are low the brain lacks the stimulus from the bright light and stops sending out as much of the good chemicals that keep us happy. I expect that there would be a corresponding increase in suicides.
Shirley,
Yeah I know where Van is,in Van Zandt Co. You know I don't even say anything to anyone around here anymore about my dream of the Philippines, because you are right about the nasayers.
Just wanted to say thank you for the response and encouragement.
Dale