I am awake, under what must be a weighted blanket, sweating my soul away on a humid Parisian night. I finally decide to open the window but the bugs are easier to catch than the breeze. Why can’t there be air conditioning in Paris? Why can’t I sleep in hot weather? And why, if they do not have air conditioning, did my homestay give me the thickest comforter I have ever used? To be frank, at the moment I was frustrated! The phrase “l’enfer, c’est l’autre” is classic Jean-Paul Sartre, the French Existentialist. I think he must have written this on one of the hottest nights in Paris because not only was I hot, I was in a terrible mood! Now, I am feeling much better about the lack of air conditioning, but that might also be due to the weather cooling off in Paris.
Air conditioning, at this moment, is a part of the cultural onion of Paris! Where does this first layer start? Well, it begins with the cafes! Everybody is sitting outside, even though it is super hot out! This is of course due to the lack of air conditioning inside! Why be crammed in a hot room when one can be outside? This carries through all Parisian life! Being outside in the summer is just the thing to do. Picnics or reading in the park are the true Parisian experience. And that’s the cultural norm! If we peel back the layers, we can understand, lots of that comes from the lack of air conditioning! This continues to remind me that though an experience is different, it is not worse! Frankly, I would gladly give up the air conditioning to know that all my meetings and hangouts would be outside! However, I write that on a cool Parisian night!