"It Feels Like Your Skin Is Being Pierced": Life Inside Semarang's Heat

 Rafi Nursyamsi Darojat (30802400032)

SEMARANG, October 22nd, 2026—A newcomer might wonder if this place is whether a city or a sauna. Semarang, a city located in Central Java, Indonesia, has been experiencing hot weather, with the temperature reaching 36℃, making it one of the hottest cities in Indonesia, and raising concerns among residents about its effects on daily activities, health, and comfort. The high temperatures have made outdoor activities more challenging, particularly for people who work or study outside.

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“The weather is hotter than eastern Indonesia,” said Rojul, a Muna person who studies at Universitas Islam Sultan Agung, Semarang, “well, the eastern Indonesia, especially in the Sulawesi island, is actually hot too, but it isn’t as hot as Semarang. The hot weather here is different, it feels like your skin is being pierced by something really sharp, and the wind makes it even worse.”

“Even when I do my daily activities, I still feel the heat. It’s boiling, especially when I do some outdoor activities,” he continued. “Like when I go to the campus, go back from it, or hang out with my friends, even when in indoor, the heat is still everywhere, like when I study in my campus, or stay in my dormitory. I often feel dehydrated more than I was in Muna, and I have to spend even more money than usual for some iced tea and water. I have been here for two years, but I’m starting to get used to the temperature.”

The heat may be hard for newcomers, but life in Semarang goes on. For Rojul, two years in the city have slowly turned a shock into a habit. He still drinks more water and spends more on iced tea, yet he is getting used to it. In a city that sometimes feels like a sauna, adapting may be the best way to stay cool.