Last week I visited with a group of Americans who were coming to help renovate a building at the Bible college we have in SVG. Sitting over a lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches I knew exactly what they would want to talk about.
How hot it is here!!!
There are a few forms of culture shock in the Caribbean, but you can survive most changes. The two biggest ones are the roads, and the heat! Being closer to the equator here makes it incredibly hot, and we have the same temperature (in the eighties) about year-round,
The heat does create some challenges….
But you can deal with them pretty easily.
- By drinking ridiculous amounts of water
- Wearing a nice wide-brimmed hat
- Taking pain pills (the heat does affect your body by making it sore)
- Taking breaks in the shade
- And listening to your body. If you have no strength or are very sore, then go home and rest
That (along with wearing multiple shirts a day) keeps the heat under control.
The truth is, all the water and breaks in the world cannot keep you from being affected by the heat here. You just have to become accustomed to it.
And the only way to do that…..
is going back out into the heat!!!
The heat does still affect me sometimes. For instance, last Monday was pretty rough physically and I didn’t get much done because it was especially hot. But I went home early, had lunch, took a nap, and went back out that afternoon!
The heat of Saint Vincent is a lot like painful experiences in life such as physical training, hard work, or self-discipline. They are no fun!!! But every time you do it, that experience becomes less and less painful.
So you apply your sunblock…..
put on your hot
and pack your water bottle.
Because each time it gets a little easier.
Johnhwilburn.com 
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