The heat has become unbearable. The classrooms in the building, the Engineering building, have air conditioning. So they say. As you step into the classroom, you can smell it, the stench of 20 or 30 future engineers, waving their fans in their faces as if that will strike the heat away. Their faces are moist. Drops of sweat are buried in their brows for moments, then swimming towards the base of their necks. I have already imagined their bodies transforming into pure salt and water, changing the classroom into the sea, me talking to bodies of water, giving directions to waves. Some of them have large canisters of just water, which are refilled every fifty minutes during the breaks, then drunk quickly while class continues. They don’t respond well. Though the air conditioning is booming, a red led light pops on, basically telling us that it is of no use for the next ten minutes. This happens often.

Often, I stand up to regain their attention. I throw my arms left and right, being completely clown-like to get them to focus. “Foh-cuss. The pronunciation is foh-cuss.”

“Fuck-us,” they say.

“No, no, no. Foh-cuss. Long o!”

“Fuck-us,” they look confusedly at each other.

Different tactic, “No, no, no. Please stop,” I start to smile, almost laugh, face turning red. I control myself again, take a deep breath, “Foh-cuss. Like….like…foh my god! Can you say foh my god!” I use this because I often hear university students roaming around campus saying, ‘Oh my god!’ in conversation, very loudly.

“Foh my god,” they repeat happily, “Foh my god”

“Alright, that’s perfect. Now try, Foh-cuss”

“Foh-cuss,” they smile. Focused.