Every year, our Indian friends visit Germany in May and June. On the other side, our trip to India always takes place during the first weeks of November. What unusual dates to travel!
But even if it seems so, we did not choose our travel dates randomly.
At the end of May, temperatures in North India can surge up to 45 degrees Celsius, and staying in Delhi becomes nearly unbearable. In 2016, the heat in Delhi was so extreme that asphalt on some roads began to melt, turning crossings into sticky traps for tires and shoes alike. In such moments, the idea of cool Bavarian breezes feels like a dream come true.
What a relief it is when the students can flee such a heat wave and enter the coolness of a Bavarian spring: temperatures of about 20 degrees, a soft breeze, and sometimes a few droplets of water.
In November, it is just the other way around. Then, the Germans flee the dropping temperatures. In some years, there has even been snow in November, and mild 25 to 30 degrees in India feel like an extension of the German summer.
However, climate change doesn’t even spare our exchange programme. And therefore, our Indian students sometimes have to face a cold wave – even if temperatures have risen up to 28 degrees.
The thermometer keeps bouncing up and down, and the weather in the coming weeks is almost unpredictable. We hope for the best – there is always a silver lining on the horizon.