It’s always a bit of a reality check when I come back to the States.
And this time, it will be a lasting one so, I’m just trying to get used to it.
I’ve worked abroad in developing countries for a couple of decades. I’d come back a few times a year for visits and I was always struck first by the air conditioning. Where I live and work, there really isn’t residential HVAC. There are some places, like government building, that have commercial HVAC but those are even a rarity. So as soon as I come off the plane, I’m always sort of ready to be cold. And it never disappoints as I’m trying to find a sweater because the HVAC cooling is so strong in the airport. It doesn’t get much better from there. But this time when I took that first big hit of air conditioning, I knew that this wouldn’t be something that was temporary. After all this time living overseas, I’m now being moved to an office in the States and have purchased my first house. That house of course comes with residential HVAC. I live in a region that is known for the high heat and humidity during the summer. It’s not as hot as where I once lived so I wasn’t all that concerned with having a heat pump in order to maximize my air conditioning comfort. But I also realize that even after a couple of decades without residential HVAC, I will probably be very thankful to have it once I become more acclimated to the local climate.