Sweating like a pig

This common saying has very little to do with pigs sweating. Pigs cool off by wallowing in the mud. This expression actually applies to the smelting process, the cooling of pig iron. But we like to say it anyway, because it makes us feel good, like wallowing in the mud.

Back to the point. It's hotter than HE double-hockey sticks over here, and I'm sweating like a pig! Don't believe me, huh? Over 40 C which is 104 F + almost every day I've been in Vietnam. It's hot in the morning, noon, and night. Two showers a day are a must, and that's just to knock off the sweat. Being hot is one thing, but being hot all day long is entirely another. What's not fair is how little Vietnamese people sweat; meanwhile I'm drenched. Drinking more water produces even more sweat, but the consequences of dehydration are far more severe. Maybe I'm out of shape or maybe I'm just a wimp, but AC never felt so good.

Air conditioning is the problem. Americans use it all of the time, whereas Vietnamese use it sparingly. Imagine how much energy the US could save if we employed a similar tactic. We are spoiled and I'm part of the problem. For example, last night I stayed in a nice hotel in Hanoi. Breakfast was served on the 10th floor overlooking the skyline. I was excited until I sat down and noticed that the sliding glass doors were wide open. So, here I was sweating like a pig at 6:30 am while eating my breakfast. Meanwhile, the staff seemed perfectly content.

The temperature broke today and I went outside, but it started raining. Instead of wallowing in the mud, I chose to come back inside where I could catch up on my blog in air conditioned comfort.