Hot weather and mosquitoes

Working at the office with a fan in the background

I can't believe I'm even saying this, but I’m really getting tired of being so hot every day. I know, I wanted to get away from the winter to a warmer climate and I got what I wished for. I just had no idea it would be so humid, all day and all night.

The weather forecast for Phnom Penh constantly says that the temperature is around 33°C with a heat index of 39°C due to the high humidity. The temperature drops only slightly at night, to about 24°C. And this is supposed to be the coolest time of the year around here.

While I was traveling alone it was easier to avoid the worst of the heat because I could take a siesta during the hottest part of the day, or I would take cover in a shaded area or duck into an air-conditioned mall. I also splurged on an air-conditioned hotel room every once in a while.

Now that I’m working in Phnom Penh, I don’t really have much choice. I’m at work all day for a non-governmental organization which can’t afford air-conditioning. There are two fans in the office where I work but I still sweat all day, even when I’m sitting still.

The guesthouse where most of us volunteers are staying is just as bad, that's where I sweat all night. I knew in advance not to expect too much but I did travel for a month before coming here so I do have a baseline expectation from a guesthouse in these regions. There should be mosquito nets on the windows so that we could open the windows and let some fresh air in during the night. But the guesthouse doesn’t have them. We have to make a choice between risking malaria and dengue fever by opening the windows and letting the mosquitoes in or keeping the windows closed and suffering in the stuffy rooms.

It’s ironic that I work in an organization which – among other activities – teaches children from rural areas about the risk factors for malaria and dengue fever, while at the same time we have mosquitoes freely buzzing around us at the office. Go figure.

While I may be getting tired of the heat, on the other hand I’m also starting to stoically bear it. Running isn’t such a burden anymore. I’m sweating all the time anyway, so when I run, I just sweat a little more.