The Humidity Factor

We’re still in the middle of sweating season now. Hong Kong’s summers seem to be getting longer and its winters shorter. As a cold-weather lover, I am deeply resentful of this trend. Now it seems as if it’s at least six months of sweat and humidity.

As a child, I lived in Florida which has similar weather to Hong Kong. But of course I didn't even think about the weather, so all of my memories of that place revolve around catching wildlife (aka lizards and toads) and playing kick-the-can with neighbor kids.

But then we moved to Colorado. My hands cracked and bled in the dry, brittle air. My mother would rub my hands all over with Vaseline and wrap them up, mummy-like, before sending me to bed. It wasn’t too long before I adjusted to and even grew to love the dryness. Sure, I shocked myself a lot when turning on lights or touching car door handles, but I never had to worry about mold or mildew. “Cockroach” was barely in my vocabulary (although scorpion was…).

Hong Kong...is different. 80% humidity is normal. 100% is possible. While Colorado summers can reach higher temperatures than Hong Kong, the dryness really helps. I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know what sweat was before I moved out of the Centennial state (What is this water collecting on my upper lip? Your back can sweat???). Besides that, the oven-like Colorado days turn into blissfully cool evenings.

Hong Kong weather is an equal-opportunity oppressor: you can sweat just as much at night time as in the day. When I first moved here I wondered why everyone was wearing such baggy shirts. When I went shopping I tried to find the more fitted shirts that I was used to. But when summer struck, I realized that baggy shirts are a matter of survival. They allow for more ventilation and don’t stick to your back. Now most of my shirts are more flowy and loose.

In general, I hate humidity. While I have gotten used to it after five years in Arkansas and five years in Hong Kong, I will never say that I like it. Who likes mold? Who likes cockroaches? Who likes frizzy hair? Who likes sweat? I didn’t know things (or people…) could get so smelly before I moved to the humidity.

That said, there are advantages to humidity. I am sure living in a sauna is great for the skin. I should tell my boss to use that when she’s trying to recruit people to come teach in Hong Kong. You may hate your life, but at least your skin will look awesome!

Another thing is that you iron so much less! In Colorado, if your clothes came out of the dryer wrinkled, they stayed that way until you took an iron to them. Have you ever heard of the shower trick where you hang your clothes in the shower so that the moisture "pulls" the wrinkles out of your clothes? Well Hong Kong is kind of like that. Just put on your shirt and walk outside. Before long the most serious wrinkles are gone.

Another positive is.....ok, I've got nothing else. If any of you have any other positives, please chime in.

These days, my most common small-talk topics is humidity.

“Oh…” I’ll groan. “It’s so humid. Whyyyyyyyy?"

This is a surprisingly popular way to start a conversation, especially if we are standing outside with rivulets of sweat coursing down our faces. Misery loves company, and there's nothing that can break the ice like a little sweat. There! I guess I found my third positive after all.