Hot as Sahel

"Remember that sunset and dawn are the back and front of the same phenomenon: when we are looking at the sunset, the people over there are looking at the dawn." ~Bruno Munari

06/07/08
One thing is for sure: my definition of HOT is forever changed. Even though I am sweating profusely, drinking my 5th liter of water in 6 hours, and observing prickly heat rash spread across my stomach and chest, today doesn't feel too hot. Inside my house it still feels cool, although I prefer to be outside in the shade. It is a few degrees warmer outside in the shade, but there is a breeze, which makes all the difference. Want to know the temperature? Well inside, where it is shady and cool-feeling, it is exactly 100° (37.7°C). Outside in the sun, the thermometer maxes out at 120° (48.8°C). Outside in the shade I am estimating about 105°(40.5°C). Wow. Still, when the breeze passes through, it is sometimes enough to chill the sweat on my skin and make me shiver.

"Hot as Sahel" was the text on the tee shirt designed and worn by Jessica's stage.

So hot that you could...

In a recent phone conversation with Jessica, she said that she had decided to test the urban myth regarding frying eggs on sidewalks. Since the start of "hot season" in Niger, temperatures have been in the 100°+ range every day, so it seemed like a good opportunity. She chose what looked like a "bad egg" and put it on the hard dirt. She reported: "The crazy thing is that it didn't even take that long!"

According to the American Egg Board, temperatures need to reach at least 144°-158°F in order for an egg to cook. "A sidewalk would have to be awfully hot to fry an egg," the AEB concludes. Oh, and also, May is National Egg Month.

Morning run

Some mornings I get up and go for a run. That was another, earlier wonder of mine: would I be able to run here? Geographically? Culturally? Happily, yes! There's a laterite road that is not too sandy, and perfect for running!
It's coolest in the morning, so I'll take off either north, towards a mesa with a view, or south (no mesa, flat, still a view). People are used to seeing me run now; they understand I do it to keep my body strong. It's true enough that running in general is unusual here outside of soccer games. People simply don't do it, not for sport (they have enough physical work to do that running in free time is a ridiculous notion), and not for the sake of getting somewhere quickly. I saw a guy running in a different village a month or so ago, and I stopped in my tracks: what was he doing?? Well, it happened that he is that village's "crazy man" and he does taboo stuff, like run around from place to place. So. You see, running is not a hobby, except for me and that man.

Wiped out

We're all feeling wiped out. The heat is continuing to inch its way into every aspect of living. Example #1: the water. I carry a nalgene around with me all of the time, and starting last week, I am unable to prevent the water from getting HOT. The bucket of water I bathe with, that sits outside, is still so hot at 8 PM (when it is dark) that I'm guessing most people would cool it if they were able to. Example #2: involves water, again. I can soak my t shirt in water (hot, of course--see #1), walk outside, and in under five minutes it is completely dry. It's no wonder I am thirsty all the time. The following simile comes to you courtesy of Angie, a PC trainee neighbor: Water is evaporating off of me like conservatives exiting a Marilyn Manson concert...

The heat is creeping in

2/10/08
The heat is creeping in! It started a week ago exactly. At first we all just thought "oh today is a hot day, " with the expectation that the next day would be cool again. Alas, that is not how it works. The heat comes on a little more each day. This week it was 82 in the shade at 10:00 AM. Soon it will be too warm in my hut at night and I'll move back outside, where surely sleep will evade me (noise+heat=recipe for insomnia!) Or, maybe not. Maybe the next two years will be Niger's most temperate!
I am delighted to report that at this junction in time, I am healthy, and even though the heat is tiring, I have returned to myself again. It took awhile to recover from my double-whammy sicknesses. It hit me yesterday that I finally understand why so much emphasis is placed on health and wellness in the daily greetings of this country. The long string of greetings that we run through with everyone is mostly an oratory on one's health and the health of one's family. I understand now that it's not at all a coincidence, but that people here ask about health because it's really IMPORTANT. And it's much harder to recover from anything.