Too hot to handle

These past couple weeks were the toughest and it had nothing to do with the workload. It was a challenge I was unprepared for - coping with the heat in France.

I've gone through heatwaves before but always had air-conditioning or some other form of ventilation (paper fans don't count!). This wasn't the case on campus. We were over 50 students trapped in the sizzling classroom of Bat'Zet (short for Bâtiment des études, the Grande Ecole building). Since I didn't have a fan to bring to class, I had to be a bit creative.

During my three-hour Business Economics class, I kept myself somewhat cool clutching a cold, unopened can of Coke. When it became warm after forty minutes I tossed it out, stormed out of the classroom, and got another drink off the vending machine. In the end I went through four cans and must have looked ridiculous during my group presentation, as I talked about World Trade issues while holding a soft drink against my neck.

The situation at Expansiel, the MBA residence, wasn't much better. Although I lied on my bed for seven to eight hours each night, I don't think I got more than three hours of continuous sleep. I was sweating so much that even my sweat was sweating. But that was partly my fault as my windows shut were kept shut. It was between sleeping in a muggy room or fighting off flies all night.

Since I couldn't continue sleeping in these conditions, one of my classmates drove me to Velizy 2, a suburban mall near HEC, and I bought one of the few remaining fans at Darty. With my luck that same evening the weather went back to normal.