My dad, who lives in Cairo, told me the heat this summer has been punishing.

I asked how hot it was. He said 39 degrees.

“What’s that in Fahrenheit?” I wondered.

He said “Hot!”

I looked it up. It’s 102. And next week’s forecast: a high of 106.

In the ’90s, when I was in elementary school, I’d spend my summers with my dad. Back then, air conditioners weren’t as ubiquitous as they are now. It was hot, but I coped. In this age of extreme heat, i wonder: How are Egyptians getting by?

Malaka Gharib/NPR
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