Indeed, summer is so here. Average temperature is hovering in the mid-40 Celsius at 11 in the morning. Humidity is so high, one would sweat profusely just standing on a corner for a taxi or bus. Going home, it’s not unusual to see road billboards reading 44 Celsius and it’s 11pm!
But there’s more to it than meets the eye for Filipinos living in the UAE, having accustomed themselves to the desert’s hair blower weather during these months and adopted means to make things a little comfortable, at least.
Here then are the daily grinds of summer that Pinoys in the UAE associate with. In fact, they bring these stories home and share them with their kith and kin like grandma would with her grandchildren:“‘lam nyo ba, nung panahon ng Hapon?!?.’”
As they say, “Hindi ka taga-UAE ‘pag di mo alam ‘to.”
Hoy! Timba ko yan!! Yes, shower is hot…sometimes, so hot you’d come out of the bathroom with a slight perspiration – especially if you bathe around midday. To address this, Pinoys living in the flats or shared accommodations have devised a way to still enjoy bathing: they stock up on water overnight in containers and refill them when they’re done with their ablution.
But there’s a downside: stories abound about toilets becoming hotspots because some occupants have the audacity to use someone else’s stored shower water; worse, the nerve to leave the container empty or with soapsuds.
Higher water and electricity bills. It’s common talk that utility bills shoot up in the summer mainly due to air conditioners working doubly hard to keep the cool inside. To this end, some Pinoys would opt to move to another shared accommodation, preferably a new one because old buildings are known to have leaking utility installations contributing to the astronomical bills. Others adjust their budgets, usually deducting only from their food and recreation appropriation as remittance levels should not be touched.
Car lift. Summer is usually when even the shortest walk to the metro or bus station could cause profuse perspiration, leaving one drained even before work could start. And so Pinoys take the car lift to make it more convenient for them.
Job hunting woes.
One highlight of summer is Ramadan – a month of prayers and good deeds that comes with reduced working hours in respect for those who are on fast.
Pinoys who had to go through this period looking for a job and eventually got one would usually look back at these days with tears of joy; after all they made it against all odds: papers took longer to process because offices close early, company decision makers were usually on annual leave and yes, that walk under the sun in an uncompromising fiery breeze.
Bed bug season. Bed bugs have been known to like warm living conditions. Studies have shown that summer produces the perfect environment for bed bugs to develop fast. Pinoys get ready with their packaging tapes during these months. Guess why. They use the sticky side to catch the bed bug from the walls or beds careful not to squash it lest the eggs get strewn all over and an infestation results.
Ninja moves. The summer sun’s scorching heat can be painful to the skin and thus it is common to see most people walking in the streets with heads, faces and arms wrapped in shawls and wearing really dark shades to protect the eyes from the brightness.
Stay home na lang. As it is hot outside, most Pinoys prefer to stay home or indoors during summer, especially on weekends when there’s no work. They’d stock up on groceries when Thursday comes, prepare food and keep it at arm’s reach for siestas while gaming or skyping with loved ones back home.
Ubong summer.
You walk the parking lot or the metro to the office under sweltering weather and enter a centrally air-conditioned building, your sweat dries up in a jiffy and what do you get? Textbook combination for respiratory issues that could worsen into embarrassing coughs when left unattended. Pinoys resort to fresh oranges and the usual medications.
