Mystery Solved

I knew much of my steely Alaskan indifference to cold weather wore off after four years in Los Angeles, but these last few weeks my wee Taiwanese students - most of whom have never left the subtropics - had me feeling like a complete foul-weather pansy.

"Teacher, I so hot!" They said frantically fanning their faces.

"Alright, you can turn the air conditioner on."

I waved the complaining student of the day toward the AC, and he or she proceeded to crank it on full blast.

It's about 16 degrees Celsius (60 F) outside. So, no, it's not Fairbanks in February - but it's not balmy either. Plus, the humidity makes it feel colder.

Once the AC is whirring, my classroom quickly reminds me of a Costco-style walk-in refrigerator. The only problem is I can't grab my crate of apples and run, I have to endure the rest of the hour.

I try to stay strong for the students, but often I finish my lesson plan with both hands tucked up my sleeves.

Do I have poor circulation? Am I being the world's biggest baby? What sort of strange, ultra-hot-blooded creatures are seated before me? I wondered.

But today I found my answer. It turned out to be a case of the layers.

I walked over to one of my 7-year-old students, Alan, who was wearing a bulky brown sweater with a polo shirt underneath. Once standing beside him, I noticed something poking out beneath the polo shirt.

"Wait a minute...." I asked. "How many layers do you have on?"

Without waiting for his consent, I hooked a finger around his collar and began counting. The kid was wearing four shirts. Gregory, seated beside him, was wearing three.

James surveyed his class on Friday. Two students had on three layers, and one had on six. Only one of his students was wearing just one shirt.

In short, the Chinese love to bundle. James underwent serious bundling, thanks to his grandma, in Cambodia. On the train in the morning, I see women wearing ankle-length coats that look like what my mom used to wear to work in the dead of Alaskan winter.

I'm just glad it's not me who's going all soft on cold weather. Now I know to blame the parents. :)