In the Pursuit of Air Conditioning

I never knew how much I liked air conditioning until it was gone. I lived in Miami for 3+ years and never remember feeling that hot. Probably because I went from my air conditioned home to my air conditioned car to my air conditioned office. The only time I was actually outside was at the beach and then, I was in the water most of the time.

So when I moved to Italy, I was already feeling too hot by June. Last summer I remember saying to my sister-in-law, "Fa caldo" which simply means "it's hot out". To which she replied, "Aspetta agosto..non fa caldo ancora" (Wait for August...it's not hot out yet"). I just remember thinking, "Na, it can't get any hotter than this."

Then came August. The weather was in the 90's everyday and humid. And at night, it didn't cool down that much. We would go to bed and wake up almost every morning drenched in sweat. At one point I begged my husband if we could buy an AC unit for the house but buying an AC in Italy is a harder process than one would think.

First of all, Italians don't really believe in air conditioning. They think that cold air on your body makes you sick. Same goes for fans. I remember in Miami I used to have a ceiling fan in my bedroom and unfortunately I was never able to use it if my now-husband was visiting. He would look at me like I was crazy and say "Il ventilatore da soffito non va bene per te!" (the ceiling fan is no good for you). Something about the cold air on your neck giving you neck pain and of course, making you sick. Even though my husband is only two years older than me, he is very traditional about matters such as this. The is because the dangers of cold air is passed down generation by generation. And this is why it is not easy to change my husband's mind about something which is ingrained in not only his personal belief system but his culture.

Even before AC came along, they felt this way about a window that was open when there was a cold breeze. I learned this fact when I went to the sea recently with Cris' parents where they had been renting an apartment for a month as a vacation for the family. We were staying on a mountain behind the sea and every evening there was a wonderful cool breeze that came through this window in the kitchen. I would always open it wide, happily, letting the cool air in. Mamma G would always say, "Non hai freddo?" (You aren't cold?). And in my head I would think to myself, "Cold? How can I be cold? It's been in the 90's all day, I just walked up a mountain to get back to the house and we are cooking." But in reality, I would smile patiently and say,"No, non ho freddo. Il vento é bello." (No, I am not cold. The wind is wonderful). Mamma G would always look at me horrified...especially as I drank my water from the refrigerator. Yes, that's right, they don't even believe in cold water or ice in your drink...apparently it disrupts digestion. Ah, the pains of digestion. That is a whole other blog entry I will save for another time.

There is not even a reprieve in going for a long drive in the car because of course, we don't have AC in the car either. When we drive somewhere when it's hot, we simply roll the windows down and hope for not much traffic. Because nothing is worse than driving in Milan in the summer with no AC, stuck in traffic. It is like being in a sauna but on the highway as the car literally bakes on the pavement. One time, we decided to drive to the Armani outlet last summer with his mom which is about an hour away. We were stuck in traffic for the first half hour of the drive and I just yelled out, "Andiamo da Armani un altro giorno!" (let's go to Armani another day). For me to want to not to want to go shopping says a lot.

Okay, so I am starting to understand why Italians don't like AC but here's another mystery, what is the problem with screens on the windows? I posted a comment about Italians and AC the other day on Facebook and a friend of mine replied that he didn't know what was worse, dying of the heat or being bitten by mosquitos. How very true! I am not sure why Italians don't like screens...apparently they don't like how they look and screens tend to get dirty so require more cleaning. I have noticed that with some of the newer homes, they have screens that retract into the wall so that when you don't need the screen, you simply retract it and you don't have to look at it. So I guess it is about the looks after all which is funny since Italians hate being bit by mosquitos but I guess that's better than looking at a screen in the window.

But I have not given up on my pursuit of air conditioning. I will continue to beg, badger and insist on buying AC until we have one. In the meantime, I am escaping to Maine for a month where the night air is always cool, the stores are well air-conditioned and there is a screen on every window. God bless America and AC!