Humidity

I was born and raised in a city situated 1,500 meters above sea level. In a year, the temperature rarely goes beyond 26°C even during the hottest months in the Philippines. The humidity is high, especially in the rainy season, but the worst feeling I got from high humidity during continuous days of rain was a feeling of dampness.

In my hometown I never felt the heaviness and great discomfort that I feel from the humidity of summer in Japan. When I was young, my family would go to the nearest beach an hour away. It was warm there but being in the cool water made it much better.

The first time I went to my university in Los Baños, Laguna, I was with my dad and I noticed that the back of his shirt was completely wet. I was so surprised and I said, “Dad! Why is your shirt so wet?!”

He laughed at me and said, “It’s sweat.”

I couldn’t believe that he could sweat so much even when we didn’t walk for a very long time. In the next four years, I experienced the heat and humidity of Los Baños for around 8 months a year. Although I got used to the weather there I still don’t like hot and humid weather, but since summer here is hot and humid, しょうがない.