Cold Days
For many of you, May is the prototypical spring month, evoking images of beautiful climate, flowers, grass, the return to the outdoors, the renewal of life… and spring cleanings! 
However, in our country, May is the last full month of Fall; its climate is usually fresh or warm, which is understandable when one takes into account that we have summers with highs of 35 C (95F) or higher.
But this May is surprisingly cold. Today, for example, we rose from bed with a chilling 7.3 C (45 F). The southern wind is blowing continously, bringing us air coming all the way from Antarctica and the South Pole. Yet, the day is sunny with a liquid, deep blue sky.
I know some real winters; I spent two of the harshest winters in Grand Rapids, Mich., with snow up to my hips and temperatures of -20 C (-4F). I like these days; but I pray that they could end soon. Why? Because Paraguay is, for most instances, a tropical country; the architecture, the clothing and even the country’s basic infrastructure is not adapted to these temperatures. Climate control here means how fast you can cool a room, and not the other way.
People who suffers the most are the poor. A journalist of our TV has remarked that the cold is «perhaps the worst punishment for a poor person». I agree. Please pray for shelter, warm clothing and mild climate for every Paraguayan and every inhabitant of this land.
P.S.: In an almost unrelated matter, I found this Farenheit-Celsius converter practical and convenient.
