I’m a Nigerian, of course heat wants to finish me
It’s 7:59am on what is supposed to be a cold Thursday morning with the drizzling of rain and the cool that has followed it. It’s 8:00 on the dot now, and all I can think about, asides my tired eyes begging for sleep, is deciding if I should be optimistic that today won’t be as hot as the previous days since rain has fallen or accept whatever the weather chooses to bring.
Do I even have a choice but to accept whatever change the weather brings?
On weather change
When the weather suddenly changed one night from being extremely cold to being hot, it wasn’t like it got permission from me. I can remember how disappointed I was when I came to a realization that I won’t be able to dry my wet cloth in the night in a rush and be confident that I can wear it the next morning. I have had to accept that the sun actually has to beat my clothes to dryness now.
I was also forced to accept that I will have to open my curtains despite my hatred for bright lights for air.
On sweating like a pig
One of the things I resolved to do this year is leave no room for regrets. Tell me why I was walking in my beautiful attire and gold colored heels on a Sunday afternoon from any available and opened shop looking for a pack of alpenliebe sweet instead of waiting 6 more days to buy it conveniently on a Saturday afternoon in the name of regretting nothing.
I got what I was looking for, and it was not the sweet. What I got was that I was sweating profusely.
On almost twisting my ankle
In my search for my favourite sweet, I almost twisted my ankle. I didn’t get my sweet, but I got a sorry from a woman that witnessed my near ankle twist, even though the sorry sounded like mockery to my ears.
I know I said “no room for regrets”, but I think I regret not looking at her to see her expression. From her tone of voice, I could decipher what was probably going through her mind as she said sorry twice in the space of a second, and I doubted it being sincere compassion for a lady that almost tripped. She was making fun of me.
On the heat being a better alarm than my phone’s alarm
I cannot be the only one waking awfully earlier than I was when there was harmattan. A few days back, I set an alarm to wake me 3 hours after I sleep, but see who woke up just a little above 2 hours of sleeping without an alarm or noise.
Or maybe the heat was my trigger to wake up. My body probably had a mind of its own and saved me from the torture I was calling sleep.
I have realized, and maybe my body also has realized, that sleeping deeply is almost impossible in this weather.
On skimpy dresses
On two occasions, I have seen really skimpy dresses on people, and the first thing that ran through my mind on both occasion was the urge to ask them: “Is this because of the heat, or have you just been waiting for the perfect time to slay in the cloth you saw in a vendor’s goods in December and got but could not wear immediately because it would have been a choice between showing the world the beauty in your dress and freezing to death or dieing of goosebumps" (do people die of that?)
That’s just my silly self thinking.
On living healthy in this heat and economy
This heat is one that calls for constant hydration, for drinking a lot of water. Anything past drinking water to “cool the body" in this period is ridiculously expensive. In some places, even a bag of water goes for 450 naira. 450 naira?
Hmmnnn. Something that God gave us free of charge. I hope a time does not come when those that cannot but drink satchet water will have to drink borehole and tap water.
The most annoying part of this increase in the cost of pure water is that I think and do so much calculation before washing my hand with pure water. Scratch that, I don’t wash my hands with pure water anymore. The water is “pure” and should be treated as that, left for the purpose of benefiting my body, not hand.
If I wash my hands with pure water, I’ll have to constantly think of how much I have washed away rather than the dirt I washed from my hand.
Despite the cost of water, living healthily in other forms or craving things anyhow actually cost a leg and an arm.
Imagine craving hollandia, or having the urge to reward yourself with chi exotic or 5alive after a long and hot day at work or school and getting to know what the current price of these drinks are. I promise you, your cravings will probably die instantly.
If your 5alive craving does not die, the 5alive will probably unalive you.
The point: The only healthy living in my dictionary is drinking water, the best drink.
On the effects of heat
I don’t know what exactly to attribute the anger of Nigerians to in this period: the heat or the economic situation or both, considering the fact that they are dealing with us simultaneously.
One thing I am sure of is that people are deeply angry. It’s already bad enough that windows and doors seem to be selectively permeable to air, the dollar to naira rate rises with the sun, and the prices of things have become unbelievable, without increase in people’s income.
The country’s tough, the sun is sunning, the heat is heating, breeze is under arrest.
I wanted to cross the road about five days ago, and there was this woman that had apparently been arguing in a bus with the driver; her expression and the rants of the others in the bus gave it away.
As soon as she alighted, she proceeded to her destination. Even when the rest of the people started to shout that she had not paid, she continued on her way. She was not hearing them any longer, they were just shouting against their health as she was walking away so briskly.
I cannot even blame her, especially if her aim was to go home, pour water on her head and rest. Who knows if she had been selling all day, had dealt with angry customers and now an angry and frustrated driver.
She also probably did not enjoy the advantage of seating by the window side of the bus and having cool air blow away her heat and sweat almost instantly, and so in that moment, the only things that could come close to comfort for her was drinking a cold cup of water or pouring cold water on her body, and she was going to get one or both of them.
Nothing could beat bathing or going to fill her stomach with something. What would winning an argument even do to help her? Nothing. In comparison to cooling her body; winning an argument against an angry, tired and maybe hungry driver that she would probably never see again could not compare. It would be a waste of time and misplaced priorities.
About her paying or not paying, that’s not the point right now. Or maybe, you’ll be the judge of that. Again, people are angry.
On the stillness of air, and the ever dynamic life.
One day, the weather changed. Later, the season will change. The air is relatively still now, later it will flow freely. Two people may be best of friends now, but later, they may grow distant. The dollar rate is 1606 naira to one dollar now, later, it will change, positively or negatively.
Life is dynamic, life happens sometimes, life and life’s situations are in a constant state of change. All of this is to tell you to do with these pieces of information whatever you will.
It’s 9:23am, and my aim here has been accomplished: ranting, pouring out my mind and hoping today will at least be a bit cool; be a good day and require less fanning of self.
Tell me what you feel about the heat condition, my rant and everything in between.
And be assured of my love for you, as you clap as many times as you possibly can, especially if it’s 50. I love you regardless, but love you more with your applause.
Bye for now.
