An Indoor Climate Crisis: Lessons in Cross-Cultural Understanding

By Zahra Sachikonye, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

I won the roommate lottery. From the day we met, my roommate remains one of the kindest and most brilliant people I’ve known. I remember the moment I met her and how grateful I felt to have her company and share a space with her. Here I was, halfway across the world about to share a room with a stranger for the next 9 months.

After talking the first night we met it was clear that we had very different, and almost parallel, backgrounds. This was also reflected in our aircon preferences. Let me explain. When you arrive in Hong Kong in August the combined heat and humidity are a true struggle to adjust to (especially coming from sunny Manchester!). In our shared room, there is one air conditioner which you pay for using a ‘pay as you go’ kind of meter. I preferred the room warmer, and my roommate preferred it colder. Here is what I learned from a seemingly simple difference in temperature preferences.

Lesson 1: Comfort is cultural

Our backgrounds shape our perspectives and preferences. My roommate grew up in a colder country whereas I grew up in Southern Africa where the temperatures are warm almost all year around. Where I’m from we don’t often use aircon or even fans in most places, so I think I’m quite used to the heat and don’t mind sleeping in warmer temperatures. Beyond the environmental differences, I’m sure other factors that are social, economic and physical shape our different preferences. Having an awareness of our cultural differences helped us to better understand and empathise with one another.

Lesson 2: Communication is key

Thankfully, both my roommate and I were able to communicate well about our differences and find a solution without any arguing. However, if you’re struggling to communicate effectively with your roommate here is some advice:

• Be patient and empathetic: Appreciate the cultural differences between your roommate and you. Try to understand where their view is coming from and try to calmy explain your point of view.
• Be open and honest: I would find it helpful to approach the conversation with curiosity rather than as a confrontation, for example: ‘Are you a bit warm? I’m a bit warm’, ‘How long do you think you want to keep the AC on tonight? Maybe we can try to turn it off after a couple of hours and see how that feels?’.

This is not just about the aircon. This is a lesson in cultural awareness, in understanding how our unique backgrounds shape our perspectives and needs. Interacting with people outside your own culture can provide lessons in cultural sensitivity if you’re open to seeing beyond the present situation. Any time where you are encountering differences is an opportunity to learn and grow, to shift the way you understand others and yourself. Also, if you’re lucky, you might encounter a lifelong friend in the process.