Aira Condizionata

Compared to last week, which was unseasonably cool and rainy, this weather feels like a hot August day back in Philadelphia. Tuesday was by far the worst. We had a long walk to a few churches yesterday, and by the end of our trek my shirt was soaked and sweat was dripping down my face and back. I was craving a nice long shower to cool me down, but sadly we had more class in the afternoon. Our classroom is right next to some very busy streets, so in order to hear everyone we have to close the windows. It obviously gets even hotter and more uncomfortable. I am scared to see what this classroom will be like by the end of the summer.

While walking home, I walked by Gi-Ma and for the first time I noticed that all the doors were closed at this hour. Curious about this, I walked up to the door and noticed in small red and white print on the glass doors, "Aira Condizionata." Ah, air condition; something that is even better than the cold showers at our apartment. Our showers often feel more like sleet attacking your back than something soothing, so I decided to go in for a minute and cool down. This was around 5 PM, and this was the highest volume of people that I have ever seen in Gi-Ma. To go along with this, for the first time almost everyone was willing to pay a little extra to sit down at the tables while enjoying the artificial coolness. Businessmen in suits were eating paninis and drinking water while fanning themselves. Little kids were running around being little kids. Some couples were sitting at a table just conversing about their respective days over a cafe latte. Everyone was just trying to forget the excessive heat from earlier and relax in a nice, cool place. This was the first truly hot day of the summer, so I am sure that the Romans even need some time to adjust to the intense warmth.