Charleston is by far one of my favorite places to be, especially during my summer vacation when I can fully enjoy this beautiful city. However, as a native Charlestonian, there are a few things that peeve me about the Charleston summers and any fellow natives will surely be able to relate. Here are five thoughts every Charlestonian has during the summer.

1. Am I having a heatstroke?

Most of us natives are semi-acclimated to the heat of Charleston, but there are some days when you walk out the door and are immediately drenched in sweat. With the temperature ranging anywhere from the upper 80s to the upper 90s and the humidity commonly at 100 percent, the heat is absolutely suffocating. After spending less than a half hour outside you’ve sweat through your shirt, you can hear your hair frizzing and you’ve needed to reapply your deodorant five times. Welcome to summer in Chucktown.

2. Am I even drinking water?

During the summer I feel like I drink 15 gallons of water a day and yet I’m constantly thirsty? How can this be? Well, when your city is hotter than the hottest corner of Hell I guess the water just gets sucked right out of you and/or it pours out in the rivers of sweat. Either way, I’m always thinking, “am I actually drinking this water or am I imagining it?”

3. Who are all these people?

Despite the unbearable heat, people still flock to Charleston to vacation during the summer. This increase in the population of folks in Charleston clogs up the roads and overpopulates the beaches. Especially when the tourists aren’t careful about their litter on my beautiful beaches I have to wonder, “who are these people?”

4. Wait, it’s raining...again?

Though I love a good summer storm, Charleston is not particularly sufficient in draining rain water. So as the summer storms become more frequent and the rivers through the streets of Charleston flow freely, I truly wonder how many times it can possibly rain in one week.

5. Are the jellyfish back yet?

During the summer the water off our coast becomes inhabited by swarms of jellyfish. I mean as happy as I am to have our biodiversity remain intact and diversified, I’ve been stung by jellyfish one too many times. Therefore, I shall only submerge myself knee deep in the ocean water and we will need to keep our eyes peeled for these little gelatinous cannon balls.

‘Tis summer once again here in Charleston which means swarms of tourists and jellyfish, summer storms and ridiculously hot days. But, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because nothing beats those long days on the beach and the warm summer nights. So make sure to carry your water bottle, throw that hair in a braid, always have an umbrella and don’t go too deep in the ocean and your summer in Charleston will be just dandy.