So here we are. We've finally reached summer's finish line. By next week, we can all breathe a sigh of relief as we look to our calendars and turn the page to September. The kids are prepped and ready for school and soon (hopefully) the weather will start cooling off enough that people can comfortably enjoy mornings or evenings at the park or at an outdoor café. Change isn't always as quick or as easy as we want and along with the great things about fall and the end of the summer holidays in Kuwait, comes a plethora of the not-so-great.

During my school years, the last week of August was an entire week of dread. After three months of absolute freedom from school, that dreaded building designed to crumple your happiness loomed ever closer on the horizon. After starting work however, that fear has been replaced by grueling inconvenience. Summer means empty streets. I've been going to and from work very smoothly as traffic is greatly reduced because almost a quarter of the country is off on vacation.

But this will all change, as school traffic kicks back in and parents return to work. We will all be forced to wade through some of the thickest traffic snarls on a daily basis. At least we may catch a few more weeks break before the worst of it starts as public schools won't open until after the Eid holiday in September.

Apart from the usual rush of morning and afternoon traffic that September brings - at least we'll have better weather to look forward to, right? Sadly, that's not the case, and in truth that was never the case. In most countries, east or west, the worst of summer lasts for two to three months, while in Kuwait it usually lasts for five. Many people I've come across have the notion that once August ends, the weather will slowly start to cool down. Meteorological data sadly proves otherwise. Historical weather data show that Kuwait has an average high of 46 degrees Celsius throughout August, while September has a 43 degree Celsius average. For comparison, New Delhi has an average temperature of 30 degrees in September.

Spending an entire summer in Kuwait this year was a real eye-opener for me. Even though I was here during the same period in 2015 as well, this year was definitely a much tougher slog because I couldn't use the same cab service I did last summer. I decided to bear the heat, much like Lawrence going back into 'God's Hammer' to rescue Qasim from his impending demise in 'Lawrence of Arabia'. It was a daily struggle that several others and I had to overcome to reach our air-conditioned destinations. Even though the worst of the heat is behind us and September brings little respite, I can take comfort in the fact that I was able to make it through with my sanity intact.

From the worst summer movie season in recent memory to the adventurous highs of 'Pokemon Go' to the successful Rio Olympics, we can take away several talking points from the summer of 2016. It's been relatively quiet in and around Kuwait, but starting the next season with a long Eid holiday break is certainly a good way to begin. Here's hoping every one of us can make the most of it!

By Aakash Bakaya