Last week I returned from a trip across the country to attend a funeral.
For a few days my cousin invited me to stay in his house with his small family.
This was the first time I had seen the northwest, and it was as beautiful as I had always imagined. The mountain ranges are downright sublime when you’re looking down from above in a plane. As you drive down the highway in the afternoon, you can see the tips cutting into the skyline from a distance. I fell in love with the scenery and geography almost immediately. My mind started playing around with the idea of moving there in the future if I could find a job all the way out there. The funeral was upsetting, but at the very least I got to see family I hadn’t talked to in decades. Despite seeing loved ones again, I wasn’t particularly comfortable in my cousin’s house. I was beyond grateful for him having me as his guest, but I was puzzled that he chooses to live in a house without a central air conditioner. He doesn’t have any form of air conditioning for that matter, no window units, portables, or ductless mini splits. There are fans in every room, but that’s the extent of his indoor air control. Thankfully I visited him in early autumn as the weather was just starting to cool down a tiny bit. Still, it was an eye opening experience learning that many still choose to live without air conditioners. It’s not like my cousin and his family or poor either, both he and his wife are doctors at a large state hospital.