too darn hot

It’s so hot here in the afternoon that no one moves if they don’t have to. (No one except us crazy expats, who feel like there’s just so much work to be done and we’re only here for a short time and all of my activities are behind schedule there’s so much to plan so I’d better rush work quick there’s so much to do!) After lunch I walked back to the office and saw maybe five people—max, in total. (In the morning and evening, there are many many people in the street. This time of day, everyone is hiding out indoors or in the river or whatever less-hot place they can find.) And they were all in the shade, lying on mats on the ground, limbs sprawled, like corpses awaiting the homicide team’s chalk. When I first arrived, I was startled, I thought to myself, “omigod, everyone is just lying around, they’re not doing anything!” Now I realize that this is all anyone can do in the mid-afternoon. It’s just too darn hot to move, to work, to think. I wonder if there’s any evidence demonstrating that the brain functions less effectively at high ambient temperatures?