It’s hot. Don’t fight it.

As a self-proclaimed warm-weather-lover, I came to Dubai from Australia with what I thought was an advantage. I already liked the heat (by which I meant anything up to mid-30s. Aah, the naivety). That had to put me ahead of those who preferred warm coats and log fires. Right?

Well, predictably, no.

Wrong.

I’ve come to believe that people who grew up in freezing cold climates, who are used to shutting themselves in for half the year, are at a massive advantage here in Dubai.

Close the doors and windows, turn on the air and sit tight for the day? No problem. The only outings you can take are to air-conditioned malls? Hey ho, we’re used to it. Organise ‘indoor play’ for three active children for a weekend? Sure, got this. A week? A month? An eleven-week summer holiday block at 50 degrees, with Ramadan thrown in for triple points?

Well, no one likes it, but some people manage better than others.

As in, me. They manage better than I do.

But I am – slowly – learning. So as I approach my third hot season in Dubai, I decided to share a few things I’ve come to understand about surviving summer.

Don’t fight it

After I arrived, as the weather warmed up, I persisted in doing things my way. Windows and doors always open for ‘fresh air’. Dinner at the outside table. A morning trip to the beach.

The trouble is, an open window can’t catch a breeze that was never there. And even if it was, the houses are designed to be unbreachable bunkers of refrigerated atmosphere. Air-flow is the exact opposite of what they promote.

And no matter how much iced water you drink, dinner in the garden at 38 degrees is no fun for anyone. Ditto swimming in the intensely salty, bath-like waters of the Arabian Gulf in July.

Just give in. You can’t win.

Sometimes more is less

To my mind, a floaty summer dress is just the thing for a hot day. Uh huh. Rookie error. If you actually have to do anything – walk, carry stuff, drive a car – you will sweat. A lot. And sensitive Celtic skin like mine (and my children’s) will come out in every kind of fiery rash you can think of. So now I try to dress to absorb sweat. T-shirts with fitted sleeves to protect my underarms, leggings to protect my (ahem) legs. I even get a rash from the rubber strap of my flip-flop. (I’m Australian, so I want to say ‘thong’ here, but then everyone will be wondering about my rash from another kind of thong, and I really don’t want that.) I even have to make sure there is fabric between my décolletage and my seatbelt if I don’t want a terrible itchy blotch just under my neck.

Over-sharing? Just telling it like it is…

Re-invent exercise

I could probably just sit in stunned silence for the five very hot months, but the kids don’t really go for that. And it would give new meaning to the words ‘sedentary lifestyle’. So we have developed some strategies to keep active.

For instance, every summer my eldest son turns the dining table around against the wall and uses it for table tennis. Genius. I couldn’t care less about the inconvenient angle, the marks on the wall (they wash off) or the endless tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock of the ping-pong ball. At least he’s keeping busy. And he’s like a dog – he needs ball sports at least once a day.

I try to walk or swim as early in the morning as I can, except for the very hottest months. It’s about the only way you can connect with nature during this time, and its good for the soul.

Also, I’ve forsaken the expensive local gym to do stretch classes at home via my laptop instead. At least two of my children have pledged to join me daily when the holidays begin. That’s exercise, an hour or so killed, hopefully a bit of fun, and it’s free!

My friend Inga told me that last summer, heavily pregnant, she would sit in the empty mall (it was Ramadan) drinking water (which she was allowed to do because she was very obviously pregnant) and say to her two little boys, “Run!” They would peg it up and down the halls of commerce for a couple of hours, then go home tired and happy. So clever!

Finally

I've learned you can never drink too much water, but I still haven't learned not to set up elaborate indoor play my kids are too old for (e.g. something from here - I really want to do that Entrapment break-in scene one).

So what is your best strategy to cope with the weather?