Three classmates in New York University Stern Business School, talking about the weather and health… Nancy is from Nanjing, Holly from Hong Kong and Betty is from Beijing. N: It is very hot today, isn’t it? B: Yes. It’s 95 degrees. H: It’s considered very normal in Hong Kong. B: That’s true, but not in Beijing. N: I don’t like working when it’s hot. Worse, I do not eating. B: It’s true. It’s good since I could lose some weight. H: But we would need to spend more money on iced drinks and ice cream. N: I hate a hot weather, too. Although Nanjing is hot, too and I’ve been there over 20 years, I’m not used to it yet. But hot weather helps. H: What is that? N: That ends my three-month old hay fever. H: Hay fever? B: Yes, me too. Let me tell since you’re new here, Holly. You might be experiencing next year. It’s kind of allergies. You would keep sneezing, coughing, eye watering, eye itching, and more. H: Really? It’s new to me. N: Let me tell you about it in more detail. Everybody is allergic to something that is unique to different people. In the USA, there are a lot of trees, grasses and weeds. They produce a lot of pollen, during the spring and early summer when they are active. When the weather is dry, the pollen flies in the air. We will breathe the air together with the pollen. Our immunity is unique and has been trained and get used to the surrounding, including the pollen. When we move to the USA, we need to take time to adjust our immunity system to the new pollen. During the adjustment period that may take over a dozen of years, we need to live with the hay fever. H: So what should we do? B: Sty inside. Keep doors and window closed. Take some over the counter medicine. H: Thank you! N: Now it’s the summer. We do not to worry about it. B: We would worry about the air-conditioning. If you use too much AC, it’s noisy and I cannot sleep well when it’s nosy. H: It’s expensive, too. N: So we keep the AC in moderate level. B: I do not like working when it is hot. I am slow. My mom prepared a lot of vegetable foods for me when I am home in Beijing. I miss her more now. H: Be careful when using AC. We keep moving inside and outside, changing from building to building. Each room and building has its temperature that is totally different from the outside natural temperature. We are very much subject to a cold. I don’t want to see a doctor here. It’s too expensive and time consuming. N: Yes, it’s a big deal. B: I keep a long-sleeve shirt in my bag. I use when needed. H: That is great idea. N: We will survive the seasons here.