Air Conditioning and Economic Development. The two would seem to be completely unrelated. However, having lived in an underdeveloped nation void of air conditioning, I have developed a theory: People do not like to work when it is hot. People do not like to anything when it is hot. I do not think it is a coincidence that before the advent of air conditioning, most development took place in the cooler climates (i.e. the industrial revolution took place primarily in Europe and the northern United States). The truth is that when it is hot things pretty much shut down. It is easy to say that one can survive without air conditioning while sitting in one’s air conditioned home. That’s what I thought when I joined Peace Corps. And it is true, I’m used to the heat (in a very relative sense) and while I don’t enjoy it I can deal with it. And I usually deal with it by laying on the tile floor in the living room.

The thing is that there is a huge difference between living in the heat and being productive in the heat. This may sound lazy, but until you’ve lived in a climate that regularly exceeds 100 degrees, you can’t understand just how unproductive it makes you. You can’t get anything done in Cambodia after 10 in the morning. And you really don’t want to do anything. Of all of the obstacles to development I have encountered here, this one surprised me the most. You just don’t think about the real effects of things like heat when you live in a country that has air conditioning. It’s easy to say just tough it out, but it’s easier said than done.

Happy Mother’s day to all you mothers out there (Especially to mine:) Thanks for being awesome. Not a lot going on right now, due to the aforementioned heat. And the King’s Birthday. Tuesday-Saturday there will be no class so we can party in honor of the King. Woot. Some of the staff at one of the NGOs wants me to teach English workshops in the morning next week. This means I won’t be lying on my floor bored. Always a plus. And I just got ten more books. Yay. Between reading, teaching, and sewing (the darn Cambodian zippers...ugh) I should be fairly entertained.

Love and miss all of you! Have a great Mother’s day!