It’s getting HOT HOT HOT

Many of the Clinton School students are spending their summers in climates that could melt your face off. Seriously! Where I come from we wear cardigans in the summer. Did I mention I’m from Texas? Yes, you’ll never find a cooler place in the US than visiting any home, office, or business in Austin, Texas. Especially in an unnamed university that resides in the center of the city (ahem Longhorns). It’s ridiculously cold enough inside those classrooms to house a penguin.

Though this is the fourth summer I’ve spent without air conditioning each time it’s like I’ve never done it before. You’d think experiencing heat waves in Italy, Manhattan, and Panama would mentally and physically prepare me for St. Lucia – but no. I must have used Will Smith’s crazy MIB flashy pen to wipe my memory clean . . . . (I hate when that happens!)

So listed below are five fail safe tips for making hot weather a little more bearable.


1. Hotels (not just for tourists). When a/c is scarce and all you need is a little blast of cold air -- find the nearest hotel. Feel weird about lurking around a business establishment that you’re not checked in at? No worries! Head straight to the bar/dining room and just say you’re in room 208. Trust me, you won’t regret it. In fact just the other week Sarah and I happened upon an all inclusive couples hotel/retreat here in the Lucia. We met newlyweds and newlyweds to be!


2. Showers. I don’t think I’ve ever been as clean as here in St. Lucia. I take showers A LOT. If the temperature rises then nothing makes me feel better than a quick blast of cold water with no heat. This particularly works well just before bedtime.


3. Sleep it off. Apparently the Italians knew best. When I studied abroad in Italy one summer everything was shut down between 2 and 4, the hottest part of the day. During this time everybody, and I mean every business owner, student, and professional went home and slept off the hottest part of the day. Refreshed they returned to work or school and followed that off by a lovely 3 hour dinner. Bravo bravo!


4. You are what you eat! I recently read that protein, caffeine and alcohol make the body temperature rise, so I hate it for you, but it’s a good idea to stay away from these things. Eating as the locals eat is always a good idea. Fruits like pineapples, watermelon and mangos create a cooling sensation for the body which brings the temperature down. (Unfortunately I don’t think vodka infused watermelon qualifies as a cooling fruit. Heh.)


5. The Golden Screen. When I’m in another country I’ll watch any craptastic film that finds its way to the screen. For real! This is the only explanation for how I saw Wild Hogs (awful), a foreign film with no English subtitles, and most recently Letters to Juliet (who dumps Gael Garcia Bernal?!? Idiot!). Think of it this way the price of admission provides you with about 2 hours of air conditioning and some entertainment on a very large screen. . . kind of like an in-flight film. But hopefully, you’ll be lucky enough to catch a decent flick.


And IF none of that works then pretend you’re at a sleepover and throw your underwear in the freezer. That should do something for ya.

What cools you down?