I’ve spent nearly my entire adult life in regions where the lifestyle that we take for granted would be a dream come true.
I spent all that time in those parts of the world to try and help them develop sustainable economies.
But I wasn’t doing it from some skyscraper with zone controlled air conditioning. No, I was in places where even the government buildings didn’t have what we would consider modern commercial HVAC. Most of the time, if there was any cooling, it came from an evaporative cooler. And that might reduce the temperature of the air a bit and provide some cooling comfort. Yet, it did nothing about the humidity like the heat pumps in most places where I now call home, which is Evansville IN. I’m back in the States now and I’m here for good. 30 years is long enough when it comes to that sort of work. While I’m not retiring, I’m going into more of an academic atmosphere to help the next generation do this kind of work. One thing that I’m still getting accustomed to is all this over air conditioning. Sure, it’s hot and humid in Evansville IN where I live now. But it’s nothing compared to other places I’ve lived. And yet, I hear the heat pumps kick on with air conditioning if the temperature gets about 75 degrees. The air conditioning is one of many culture shocks that I’m trying my best to adjust to dealing with. But it sure hasn’t been easy. People who visit me at my Indiana are always asking me for more air conditioning. And we haven’t even gotten to the Summer months yet.