a friend of mine told me it was in the 40s in chicago. that’s funny, because it’s actually in the 40s in delhi. but let me explain the difference. chicago has just emerged from 6 months of arctic tundra, which only slowly and sloppily agrees to leave, and not without kicking and screaming. in fact, it will fight to the bitter end, i’m sure of it. at least through may and maybe just maybe the first of june. pleasant days slip in, they come and go, but the stability of having warm days everyday without thinking about it when you’re getting dressed in the morning doesn’t come until well into the summer. so while for some in chicago the 40s is an opportunity to shed layers and bust out the flip-flops, for most its a depressing reminder that winter is over but not gone and intends to hang on for dear life.

in delhi, we reached the 40-degree mark last week for the first time this year. we’d been hovering in the upper 30s for a while. when we crawled up to 42 last tuesday, the power started to roll off across the city. five days in a row with scheduled power outages at least 2-3 hours a day. the sure tell sign that summer is on the way and that i’m not living in the poshest of delhi neighborhoods. the sun is burning down on my top floor studio. my newly constructed plaster walls are cracking all over as they begin to experience their first indian scorching. the cold water out of every tap is just shy of hot and my freshly washed clothes dry in 5 minutes out on the terrace. everything is slowing down. energy is zapped. the slightest movement requires twice as much exertion. and we’ve only just reached the low 40s. while miserable for some, this is nothing compared to the 48 degree days that lie ahead.

same numbers. completely different meanings. of course, the difference can easily be explained by the difference between fahrenheit and celsius. but that’s more than i can bear to think about in this heat. 

Today’s Highs: Delhi 41C, 105F
                       Chicago 46F, 8C