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.