I recognize that I am a third year volunteer. Thus, firstly, I should be used to this by now. But Bagre was much farther south and next to a huge lake, which kept things pretty cool. And secondly, it's not like I didn't know what I was getting myself into. I thought I was signing up for terribleness with my eyes wide open, ready to tackle another hot season. I thought.
Tema is a whole different story. It's much farther north, in sort of triangular valley that doesn't get rain. We have a pretty severe drought issue right now, and even though some early rains have been falling to the south, west, and east of us, we've only gotten a few drops. And a huge part of the problem is that with adding the 10 hours of english classes a week, I teach three afternoons in a row. I cannot express how dreadful that is in hot season.
And now, terrible examples of how hot it is. I don't know what the actual temperature is- maybe 110 degrees? 120? But I can express my extreme suffering. (Okay, it's not that extreme. But I can still hate it.)
- My cat looks like he's about to die. He wheezes as he pants, his tongue sticking out and his sides moving so fast I can't even count. Needless to say, it is highly discouraging.
- When I get back from class, I burn my hand on my metal front door. I have to use a rag as a potholder, but for my door handle.
- You know how in movies, you see heat waves over the desert? I see them when I look out my schoolroom window, and it's maybe even a little worse because they are visibly blowing across the plain.
- My bucket bath in the evening feels like I've heated water. It would qualify as a hot bath, which would be delightful if I started out cold. What is worse is that my drinking water is the same temperature.
- It doesn't matter if I sleep inside with a fan ten inches from me or outside in the night air- either way I wake up in a pool of sweat.
- Two words: Heat rash. Three more words: On my scalp. Too bad I'm a hundred percent sure I can't pull off the shaved head look. (Actually, that's probably a good thing. I would be far too tempted otherwise.)
- The most frequent phrase I have been using lately in Moore is windg zabdame: the sun is burning.
