Day 230, The Heat

Day 230, I didn’t think it was possible for it to be so hot that my earlobes would sweat, but the past week has convinced me it’s true.

I have never been built for heat and humidity and after months of fantastic weather I am beginning to see what an African Summer truly feels like. The heat has been unrelenting with temperatures soaring. Driving to my clinic today through the sand track “roads” of the thickest bush, the temperature gauge on the car reached a melting 40 degrees.

As bad as the heat is, the humidity really makes it a struggle to achieve anything. Of course the locals seem far more used to it than me and I have even seen them wearing jeans in the daytime; the mere sight of this provokes beads of sweat to run across my brow. By the time I have had my morning shower and taken the short walk up the hill to the hospital, I am already dreaming about the next opportunity to shower.

There has been some validation from my patients, or rather the mothers, on my paediatric ward. Usually I’m scorned on when I insist the fans be turned on as the mothers all feel their babies will catch colds being exposed to them. But in recent days I’ve been pre-empted with the fans feigning a cool breeze even before I start my rounds.

Though discomfort is good enough reason to moan, there are noticeable practical issues with the heat. For instance it is a lot harder to write on paper when it is soaked by sweat dripping from the tip of my nose. Likewise already stressful procedures, such as spinal taps on children, run the risk of perspiration contaminating sterile samples. The most striking difficulty with the heat is trying to prevent the elderly and the babies who are already dehydrated from drying out further.

Ironically this has been a very good summer in that it has had more than a usual share of rain. The first couple of months of 2011 even saw widespread flooding around the provinces. Though this had inspired a lush green countryside it is rapidly becoming dried veld land and bush fire smoke has already started to make the sky hazy.

As I write this, the clouds seem to be gathering and everything has become very muggy, a few flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder are heard welcomingly. It is ominous as the last showers we had a few weeks ago were short lived. Though when it rains here it sometimes means it is even more uncomfortably sticky.

If my earlobes don’t eventually melt I will consider it fortunate. Either way, I’m not going to be taking cold spring mornings and dark, biting December days for granted ever again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqZ9WVBXBvw