For more than three decades, 84-year-old Josette Paoni lived alone in a small, dusty village in the South of France. But this summer, she got a new housemate, Javier Garcia. He’s a Spanish university student interning in France for the summer. He’s half her age and barely speaks French — but he could save her from falling victim to extreme weather events, specifically heat waves like the ones that hit many parts of the world earlier this year.
On a hot day this past July, Garcia poured Paoni a glass of water, adding a dash of grenadine for flavor. “Ella no le gusta el agua sola,” he said. She doesn’t like the taste of water alone.
Javier: Hi, Josette. Ça va? Hi, Josette. How are you?
Josette: Ça va mal, ça va mal. Not well. Not well.
Javier: Está mala. Lleva tres días mala. Tuvo fiebre el lunes y el martes. Ayer no tuvo pero estaba deshidratada. She’s sick. She’s been sick for three days. She had a fever on Monday and Tuesday. Yeste... Read more
